Reading: "Learning on the go with an iPod Touch"

ALT - the Association for Learning TechnologyIt seems I can’t get away from mobile learning / mLearning and the iPod at the moment. From my previous post about the rumours of the new iPod Tablet to previous posts about how to use iPods in classes and learning environments, I just came across this:

This seems to be the first (published) study of use of iPods in class, in the UK. I’m sure there are most stories (I’ve been involved in a few locally, but none could be classed as a proper “study”) so if you know of any please let us all know by using the comments field below.

So, what about the study?

“The aim of this study was to evaluate whether mobile access to learning resources would enhance the students’ learning experience on a sport science course.”

The students were given the iPod Touches with 7 pre-loaded videos, which were also accessible through their Moodle VLE.

Question: why not use this as a proper mLearning study and ask them to find the video on YouTube or iTunes U?

It seems like this is the only aspect of the iPod that was ‘tested’. It is the only aspect of what is possible that the study refers to, surely that can’t be? What about wi-fi searching in class, what about social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc) and Social Media (YouTube, etc), what about the many varied Apps from the iTunes App Store?

The section on “Findings” does talk about the students accessing the Internet on the devices, but it doesn’t seem part of the study, with no clear direction (to the students) on what they could, and should be looking to do with the iPods.

Mobile Learning & iPod