Virtual Coach » Higher college education – new mobile iPhone, iPod apps on the way

Higher college education – new mobile iPhone, iPod apps on the way

April 3, 2008 Barbara No comments

Never one to

miss a marketing opportunity (except perhaps xksh), AT&T has kicked off Big Mobile on Campus Challenge 2008! It’s a competition that calls on college and university faculty and students to develop apps for mobile devices (yes, including the iPhone). The top prize includes $10,000 and a trip to Educause 2008 for the winning individual or team. To wit:

….According to AT&T, entries can be in one of three categories: social networking, academics, or safety/security. Ideally, the apps would run across platforms (OS X, WAP, JAVA, RIM BlackBerry J2ME, Linux, Palm OS, Symbian, Windows Mobile) and device types (voice and data). Entries also need to include a “business case, including distribution concepts and plans, and supporting documents (PDFs or a PowerPoint presentation) with one screen shot of the application on a mobile device,” according to the competition’s rules….MORE…

Think about the implications of this for a moment. Right now, college students are learning in classrooms/etc.; ipods and iPhones and Twitter ARE incorporated a wee bit. You can learn more about that at:

Summary Academic uses of iPod
Apple iPod™ – What is it and why should I care? by Lehigh
100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better
The iPhone and the 21st Century University
Finding Any University Course With Google (these searches can be done from an iPhone as well)
Skip the Tuition: 100 Free Podcasts from the Best Colleges in the World

Thus, if you current have grammar school or middle school or heck, even high school kids at home, be prepared – the way they learn in college is going to be STARKLY different from what you encountered ‘way back when.

Makes you wish your grammar school gave out iphones, eh?