Problems With Mobile Learning – And How They Can Be Overcome

Posted on March 23, 2023 by schatzi

One of the main difficulties with mobile learning apps is the possibility of pupils getting preoccupied. Mobile phones are generally banned in classrooms as they have the potential to divert students’ attention. The number of apps along with games on mobile phones is constantly increasing. This causes concerns both for parents and teachers that if mobiles were allowed, they’d be abused. An article published by the Telegraph newspaper recently discussed Ofsted’s plans to prohibit phones in classrooms altogether. Sir Eileen Wilshaw, chief inspector of the education watchdog described the ‘low-level disruption’ in sessions caused by mobile interruptions (cell phones ringing, college students texting, playing games etc.) as being the ‘bigger issue’ which stops effective studying. This was met by backlash from people who thought this idea was old-fashioned, considering how mobile learning might be beneficial and also complementary to classroom studying. What App builders need to give full attention to is making sure that content is interesting and engaging and so will sustain students’ concentration and prevent use of their mobile phone for other purposes.

A great way to ensure student retention is by using badges and accomplishments for individuals to gain in order to keep these motivated. Moreover, you need to ensure hat the content is shown in an exciting format together with sounds and graphics. This assists to keep students interested, and so less likely to stray away from the content.

It is also seen by a lot of that people that the articles provided on the mobile devices are way too entertainment-based to actually end up being educational. This really is difficult for mobile app companies as they need to somehow get the right stability between the app staying fun and engaging (to prevent distraction) while keeping the target on learning.

The ideal set up would be to use images and sounds (as mentioned above) so the app is exciting but with the main basis being firmly instructional. This can be done by ensure that there are no gadgets, gimmicks or mini-games involved, keep it purely educational!

Another obstacle in the field of m-learning is ensuring that content is relevant. There’s many internet test sites and e-learning apps available which people are able to use to learn, however a lot of the content on these sites and programs is irrelevant as well as too generalized. Learning with an app should be succinct and tied to what the student actually should know in accordance with the syllabus or an upcoming examination.

It would therefore be useful to have mobile learning apps where the content can be customized. For example, where the teacher/parent can produce and tailor-make their own learning content making it specific for their students, and thus avoid anything unnecessary as well as off-syllabus.

Generally fresh mobile understanding apps tend to be adapting to overcome the damaging myths around mobile studying. As the field develops, these challenges are becoming less relevant causing more people to view m-learning as a viable and effective learning device.

And finally, if you are interested in mobile learning, please check out the Quipper blog at http://www.quipper.com/m-learning

Posted in Apps | Tagged | Comments Off on Problems With Mobile Learning – And How They Can Be Overcome

Seven Trends You Must Pay Attention to (And Three You Can Ignore) in 2012

Posted on March 22, 2023 by schatzi

There’s a lot of information about how the Internet can change your business in 2012. Even if it’s accurate, it isn’t all relevant for business professionals and others who rely on authority marketing. Here’s a list of the things you must pay attention to, and the things you can ignore.

1. E-Books
Amazon.com is selling more Kindle books than paperbacks, and its Kindle Fire tablet is a huge best-seller, selling over one million per week over the Christmas period. Printed books still have credibility, but e-books have also gone mainstream. This is the year for you to jump on board with e-books.

2. Google+
Google+ keeps growing, with one estimate suggesting it will have more than 400 million users by the end of the year. Regardless of its size, here’s the one thing that matters to us as business owners: Google+ is owned by Google, and what you do on Google+ affects your search engine ranking on Google. That alone should make you sit up and take notice.

3. Video
Video is a natural medium for presenters, but until recently it hasn’t been easy to produce, watch or consume. That’s all changed now. Although it still takes high bandwidth (especially on mobile phones and tablets), there’s no doubt that Internet users flock to video sharing sites. Last year, YouTube alone boasted over 1 trillion plays (about 140 views for every person on the planet). If you don’t yet have an active YouTube channel, you’re missing out!

4. Webinars
Webinars continue to grow in popularity among business owners – particularly among non-presenters, who see their value as a powerful marketing tool. In fact, many professional presenters shy away from webinars because they are perfectionists, so they never get started. That’s a mistake! Start using webinars now, both for marketing and educational purposes.

5. E-Learning
On the same theme… Organisations and individuals are looking for education that’s more flexible, more convenient and more accessible. Now is the time to add on-line learning to your face-to-face presentations, coaching and consulting. There was a time when this was an unexpected bonus; now it’s fast becoming the norm.

6. Tablets
Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and a slew of Android tablets will continue to spread among consumers and business users. If you don’t have one yet, you might be missing out on the productivity, convenience and flexibility they offer.

7. Your Web Site
Although all the hype and buzz is about social media and apps, the humble Web site is still as important as ever, because it’s the last place people visit before they decide to do business with you. Build a clean, simple, fast-loading Web site that positions you as an authority, promotes what you do, and makes it easy for people to get in touch with you.

You Can Ignore: On-Line Advertising
There’s nothing wrong with on-line advertising itself, and it works for some businesses. But you might be able to do better with authority marketing. Don’t spend your time and money on on-line advertising (and yes, that includes search engine optimisation!). Instead, focus on what you need to be positioned as a leading authority in your area of expertise, to the people who will engage your services and buy your products.

You Can Ignore: Social Media Marketing
Social media is important, but social media marketing is a low-return activity for most businesses. Yes, it’s possible to market directly using social media (for example, by running competitions, promoting stuff directly, and trying to generate buzz about events), but it’s not easy, and not the most effective use of your time. Use your time on social media to share your expertise, broaden your network, converse with peers, and strengthen your existing connections.

You Can Ignore: iPhone/Android Apps
The iPhone and Android app markets are booming, but most of the apps people download or buy aren’t the sort of apps a typical business would create. So don’t try to create the perfect app that goes viral or makes you a gazillionaire. Do consider building a mobile Web site that’s a hub for your other on-line activities.

Posted in Android | Tagged | Comments Off on Seven Trends You Must Pay Attention to (And Three You Can Ignore) in 2012

10 Cool Things You Can Do With an Android You Can’t Do With an iPhone

Posted on February 5, 2023 by schatzi

The Android and the iPhone are two of the hottest smart phones on the market. Savvy consumers may wonder why some choose to go with Google’s newer Android over Apple’s more established iPhone. The following guide provides 10 reasons why an Android may be worth it.

1. Multitasking.

The biggest advantage of the Android is its superior multitasking capabilities. While the latest iteration of the iPhone allows limited background processes, such as Phone and iPod, the functionality pales in comparison to the Android, which offers true multitasking.

2. Visible home screen information.

The Android includes active widgets on the home screen, which is customizable. Unlike iPhone users, who must locate and launch every application one by one through the app list, Android users have the luxury of widgets, which are available for nearly every application.

3. Surf the open market.

Unlike the iPhone’s Apple App Store, which is closely regulated by Apple and rejects thousands of applications each week, the Android Marketplace is much loser to a meritocracy; the better the app, the more people download it, and the more people end up using it.

4. Multiple notifications.

The iPhone’s notification system involves a basic set of pop ups. These can only occur one at a time. Furthermore, they can only be triggered by open applications. Android has a movable notification bar; it provides icons for each notification triggered.

5. Hardware choice.

Due to the open platform of Android, it can be paired with a wide variety of smartphones, including the Nexus One and the Motorola Droid. These two alone are twice the number of choices available with the iPhone, which is the only platform for its operating system.

6. You can buy it (almost anywhere).

While you can only buy the iPhone from Apple, you can buy Android-compatible phones from almost any smartphone vendor, including Telstra, a popular carrier here in Australia.

7. Custom ROM Installations.

ROMs are jailbreaking apps. Unlike the iPhone’s limited jailbreaking capabilities, custom ROMs offer the potential for nearly unlimited performance on an Android smartphone.

8. Quick change settings.

Widgets and shortcuts allow for quicker, more efficient Android navigation.

9. Social and Google integration.

Unlike the iPhone, the Android offers native integration of social networking sites and Google sites rather than relying on 3rd party applications.

10. Budget options.

The open source platform of Android allows for a far wider variety of phones and pricing options for consumers than the closed iPhone contract.

There are a number of different popular Android phones out of the market right now with that number continuing to grow every other day. Personally, I went ahead and got myself an LG GT540 (product specs here: http://www.lg.com/au/mobile-phones/all-lg-phones/LG-bar-phones-GT540.jsp) and haven’t looked back since.

Posted in Android | Tagged | Comments Off on 10 Cool Things You Can Do With an Android You Can’t Do With an iPhone

The Benefits Of Internet Marketing Software Reviews

Posted on January 4, 2023 by schatzi

By June 2003, I had been dabbling in Internet Marketing for a little over two years and I suppose I could put this period down to the learning curve which set me on my now, undiverted road to earning my living through the many exciting opportunities that Internet marketing has to offer. During this time I admit I was guilty of jumping about from one system or method to another, buying several Internet marketing software products along the way, and believing that each one would do exactly what was claimed on the sales page.. Then I woke up!

“Get One Million Visitors To Your Website” and “Build A 100,000 Member Opt-In List In Days” were just a couple of the plethora of wild claims that sucked me in and I truly believed that it was a foregone conclusion that I would have an extremely successful online business just by investing in a handful of Internet marketing software tools, or maybe a winning system set out ever so concisely in a well crafted Internet marketing ebook tutorial. How wrong I was..

Oh I’m not suggesting that all Internet marketing software products are to be avoided at all cost and considered nothing more than a scam. Far from it! What I will say is that most Internet marketing entrepreneurs have a different modus operandi, and will exploit the many methods of creating opportunities in different ways, and therefore what works for one marketer may not necessarily work for another. For example, a butcher would not benefit from the purchase of a sewing machine.. at least not in his butchery department!

Most software products, and Internet marketing software is no different, will typically perform tasks that could be performed manually and without any assistance from scripts or coding. Employing the use of software designs will usually mean that the task is completed in a fraction of the time, and since we all agree that time is money, it could well be argued that using any Internet marketing software product will in fact save you money. But will it?

When considering the purchase of any Internet marketing software products there are several questions you will need to ask in order to identify the effectivity of that software within your working canvas. You should never move the goal posts to accommodate use of any Internet marketing software tool. If it does not work with you, then do not even consider it! Here are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself when considering any software purchases..

1/.What exactly does this software do?

2/.Does this software achieve what it claims?

3/.Will it help me in my Internet marketing endeavours?

4/.Is it value for money?

5/.How easy is it to use?

6/.White hat or not so white?

7/.One off payment, monthly fees or both?

8/.Am I able to download and evaluate?

9/.What other software has this company produced?

10/. Is there a moneyback guarantee with this product?

you will ideally need to research your product before purchase and hopefully you will get a positive answer to the questions listed above. But here also is where you can benefit from reading through Internet marketing software reviews and save time doing the research yourself. There are many advantages to be gained from reading Internet marketing software reviews apart from the obvious time saving factor.

Firstly, the review will often be composed by an individual who is not in the market for a product of that type and will therefore offer a less biased opinion of usefulness, ease of operation and price. The reviewer will seldom read any sales copy before he carries out his inspection of any Internet marketing software, but will more often than not refer to the help pages associated with the product for overview and technical specifications, thereby avoiding being swayed by advertising slogans, subliminal effects and clickbank bar graphs.

Another good reason for reading Internet marketing software reviews is that you are presented with the opportunity to compare different software programs that claim to achieve similar results. There is an obvious advantage of reading reviews on the same page so to speak, which will often prevent you from comparing an apple with an orange. Yes they are both appetizing fruits, but both leaving a different taste in the mouth.

Personally, I very often refer to my favorite Internet marketing software review sites purely to familiarize myself with information on all the different software available within one particular genre. In the past I have discovered software I did not know was available before I referred to the review pages.

Nowadays, I choose my Internet marketing software very carefully. I detest having to request a refund because the software is not suitable for my needs, or does not achieve what the sales page says it will. Remember there is a great deal of Internet marketing software around that does everything that the vendor claims it will.. You still need to ask yourself if that particular chore will assist your campaigns. It is not necessarily the software seller’s fault if it does not work for you!

Trevor Taylor

Posted in Software | Tagged | Comments Off on The Benefits Of Internet Marketing Software Reviews