Handheld Learning - learning with mobile and ubiquitous technologies

I can imagine the following:

A student arrives to school, get's out her PSP (Sony Play Station Portable) , connects to the schools wireless network.  The browser brings up a default web page (via a firewall) The student then goes to her school's moodle site to check into class for assignments.  She then could access the google docs and spread sheets for her school work.  She can also access her files from Indiana's e-locker, Novell i-Folder, or online file storage.  The hand-held device allows the student to gain access to the web which connects her to school.

The school only needs to provide a wireless connection, firewall, and filter.

-Use the PSP for a web browser and open up the on-line Ed-World.

This is exactly right!

As somebody who has spent quite a few years trying to put really useful resources on a wide variety of different devices (including PSP) I am not entirely convinced that PSP is the only device that the student will need. See Di's comment above about text input for a start. But I am absolutely convinced that schools / colleges / employers need to acknowledge that more and more of us will be accessing our information / courses / documents from a wider and wider range of devices, connecting in all sorts of wired and wireless ways.

Whether PSP, Video iPod, Nokia, PPC or whatever.

Right now it is seen by some institutions as a "perk", but I am certain that being able to access your information from anywhere, anyhow will soon become a basic right!

long live the mobile revolution 

Geoff

Yes the keyboard can be found here and is called TyDoPad.



It's a home brew set-up using the Palm wireless keyboard but it works and currently lets you type in text and save it as a .txt file on your memory stick. It's a free download and only version 0.1 so who know's what's to come?

Also video clip on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_KbqaCRyVBY&amp;rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_KbqaCRyVBY&rel=0</a>

If you'd like to pick up where the developer has finished the source code for TyDoPad can be downloaded here or here.

Try:

http://www.connectededucation.com/

I have been collecting my research on the PSP as an educational tool on the following wiki :

http://hecc.wikispaces.com/PSP

It is amazing what people are doing with these things.

Completely agree, the DS has a lot going for it and could be a great learning device. My take on the recent PSP craze:

• The PSP was designed to work as a games console AND media player (video, mp3 etc). This is what people like ConnecteED/SCEE are mostly exploiting now. In their own words "a glorified Memory Stick". The DS is much more a pure gaming device in my opinion. It can play mp3s but not video, at least not 'out of the box'.
• The PSP web browser has a cut-down Flash Player built-in, which is interesting for a lot of educational sites/publishers. It's not very capable and only version 6, but it's there nevertheless. DS and DS Lite have got the Opera web browser but no Flash plug-in.
• Exactly because the PSP is so far behind the DS in sales numbers, Sony are probably looking for new markets. You could even be cynical and say they just want to give the device a bit of educational 'cred'.
• Through their other products Sony have more overall credibility to the educational sector, while Nintendo are purely seen as a games brand I'd say.
• The PSP has been promoted in education recently. AFAIK Nintendo haven't really done that although they actually have some language-learning titles and their award-winning Brain Age.

Any comments?

Wolf.

Putting aside which is better psp/vrs/ds, the PSP was choosen to challenge educators in Indiana (USA) to explore the potential of a handheld gaming device as an educational tool.

Official Press Release:

The Hoosier Educational Computer Coordinators (HECC) Board is proud to
announce we are hard at work planning the 2007 State Conference November
29th and 30th at historic Union Station in downtown Indianapolis.

The HECC Board has debated many options and directions for the theme of
our 2007 conference. Our goal each year is to come up with a theme and
educational tool that will be cutting edge, stimulate dialog, foster
creative thinking, and impact our student's education. With that in
mind, this year's conference theme is "Technology Integration - Get In
The Game!" and the tool will be the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Technology in the hands of today's students has allowed them to no
longer be just an observer of cyber-space but a major contributor. It is
easy to see that educational professionals can learn much from their
students. Students are often connected Whenever and Wherever with
Whatever. One such technology that is growing rapidly among youth as a
communication tool is the handheld gaming device known as a PSP (Play
Station Portable).

The Hoosier Educational Computer Coordinators wish to challenge Indiana
educational professionals by presenting a handheld gaming device as a
viable educational tool. The PSP not only can be used to play
educational games, but can be also used to play recorded audio and video
as well as perform as an electronic text book. The PSP can also browse
the web via wireless internet, thus putting the power of the web in the
hands of students for less than $175.00

QUESTION: How do you think the PSP could be used to educate students?