Paris Hilton style eLearning

Great post by Scott Surley:

"Paris Hilton style Technology enhanced Learning

Technology in the service or education and learning. How about Technology in the service of people consuming the service of education and learning. I don't imagine that Paris Hilton could care less about expanding her mind through education, and she is smart enough to already have found her niche in life, however how do we service and leverage the millions of people who look up to her and use her as a role model (even though coolness probably prevents them from admitting it).

If I had to pick one piece of technology which actually reaches the societal group the Paris Hilton personifies it would be the cell phone. The technology which keeps kids in their circle of friends enables them to communicate and document their friends, via mobile phone service, SMS and address books.

Yet the integration of a technology as simple as SMS is absent from the Education Platforms. This is astounding considering the penetration of the technology and ubiquity of the technology. Almost every Higher Education student has one, and many secondary teenage students, and it is with them more than their text books.

Here is a challenge to LMS vendors. SMS students if they haven't submitted their assignments. SMS them course announcements from instructors instead of making them login. Bring the content them to them - Push technology not Pull. Provide a facility to send them simple SMS pop quizzes for extra marks just to keep them interested and mentally aware that they are actually studying.

The downside is that even as I write this I can hear the money piling up in the pockets of the telecommunications providers, but that is just another challenge to overcome.

The main point is to adopt and embrace the technology that people want to and do use, rather than try to force them to use something else. ..."

Scott, the Paris Hilton in the title got me! I completely agree with this. As a student of an Executive Masters in Business Administration which is a blended learning course, I would be much happier, were all announcements and submission deadlines were to be broadcast to me via SMS on a regular basis. Hey if my bank can do it, so can my school! - TLM

Comments

[Linda nguyen]

A great idea and great article, learned man!Nowadays it seems as though technology and Communication are intrinsically linked.In order to create a solid communication link with the Students of today we need to embrace technology and therefore create flexible and adaptable e-learning solutions that will tend to our target audience.

[Sonia]

Mobile phones and education..appears to be a very interesting concept. I strongly agree with the fact that people should adopt and embrace the technology that we do have instead of being forced into something we don't like doing. I mean who likes doing things when there forced?

[Sunaina]

Using mobile phones as a way to educate sounds great! as a student, i think that this would be a useful and appropriate way for teachers to keep in touch with us and keep us up to date!