Why Mobile? Rick Rasansky and Roy Rosin

Chariot Solutions sat down with Rick Rasansky CEO of Yorn, and Roy Rosin VP at Intuit in their offices to discuss why it is important for web developers to be paying attention to mobile development (in the video below). E-learning developers should take heed as well because mobile technology offers the ability to deliver untethered content that your target audience can use where ever they choose to use it when ever the time is convenient. Offering a user the ability to learn when and where he/she is most comfortable is highly effective.

The limitations of this technology lie in the fact that there is no single platform that is universal. In the smartphone marketplace Blackberry is dominant with business oriented users, but the iPhone is gaining users rapidly, while Windows 7 Mobile, the newly open source Symbian OS, and the revitalized Palm OS are also attempting to gain a piece of the marketplace. Yet the most dominant  demographic is the host of individuals still using text only mobile devices. In developing countries text only mobile technology is sometimes be the primary access users have to the web, so understanding mobile delivery is paramount to companies seeking to deliver content outside of the US. Creating the use cases and understanding the platforms of your user group is vital to develop an effective mobile learning application.  Here are two key players in the mobile industry take a look at the video below to get their perspectives on why you should be considering mobile delivery for your e-learning content.

Related articles

• Symbian lays out mobile OS road map (infoworld.com)
• Symbian Foundation Teases with Symbian^3 (phonereport.info)
• Shaping the Future of Mobile (eon.businesswire.com)
• Intel and Nokia merge platforms (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Why the Next BlackBerry Browser Won’t Be So Terrible [BlackBerry] (gizmodo.com)
• MeeGo: A New Linux OS to Fight iPhone, iPad and More (readwriteweb.com)

Develop Idea for A Mobile Learning App

Applications for the first Startl Design Boost are now open for budding entrepreneurs and designers interested in developing cutting edge mobile applications for learning.  Developed in conjunction with IDEO, the first Startl Boost, a five day building, hacking, business and human centered design immersion will be held at the Pratt Institute in New York City, March 15-19, 2010.  There is no tuition cost for the workshop.  Details of the workshop:

Day 1: Define the Idea: Participants present ideas and set criteria for their proposed mobile learning application.

Day 2: Validate the Idea: Participants conduct research with end users and get feedback with learning and marketing experts about their mobile learning app.

Day 3: Design the idea: Participants storyboard their refined idea for mobile learning app and begin creating/ modifying their prototype.

Day 4: Share the idea: Participants create presentation deck to “pitch” their mobile learning app and finalize their prototype.

Day 5: Pitch the idea: Participants will present “pitches” and prototypes to an audience that includes a panel of users, industry experts, and market investors.

The top three teams will be invited to present to a larger audience at the Venture Capital in Education Summit in June in NYC.  While the Startl Design Boost is open to mobile learning applications for all ages, teams creating apps for children ages 3-11 can also apply for the inaugural Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation in Children’s Learning, a national competition intended to generate digital educational innovations with prizes up to $50,000, as well as ongoing business planning support from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop. Startl is a new social enterprise dedicated to bringing digital media and learning innovations to market – from kindergarten to college, inside and outside the classroom.  Startl was incorporated in 2009 with initial funding from the MacArthur, Hewlett, and Gates foundations.  Startl’s mission is to identify talented people with great ideas and new products that will affect the future of learning.  Through relationships with best of breed design, incubation, and investment partners Startl provides an ecology that allows entrepreneurs to mature and products to evolve.  Related articles:

• Sesame Street comes to Google: Improving our education system at the Breakthrough Learning forum (googleblog.blogspot.com)
• So what does an EIR (at First Round in New York City) do? (thisisgoingtobebig.com)