Mobile learning is the future - my blog post
kencarroll
July 17, 2008, 01:50 AM posted in General DiscussionI've written about how we are entering the age of mobile learning these days. I think CPod already has one foot in the door. Feel free to check it out.
andrew_c
July 17, 2008, 11:40 AMHi Ken,
Great post, I sincerely believe that you and the rest of the people behind Praxis are visionaries.
I hope that I'm not pulling the discussion initiated in your blog post too far away from its overall message, but I want to discuss a specific statement you make in the post, and how it relates to using ChinesePod. You say: "Clearly, electronic devices that allow access (at least intermittently) to the information-cloud are essential to mobile learning."
Currently to take advantage of the expansion sentences and other premium content, we need constant access. I'm not an expert, but I don't think mobile internet access is a commodity. Without an expensive cell phone or internet device and wifi access or an expensive data plan, to study the expansion sentences, we have to be sitting in front of a computer. This is not mobile learning and greatly constrains the mobility of ChinesePod. I think that you guys could do more to enable mobile learning via ChinesePod, in particular by including all of the expansion sentences in a PDF file and also an Audio Review mp3 file.
Nearly a month ago, I was really frustrated with this situation, and with the ideas of other cpoddies made a program called WeLoveChinesePod. This program enables us to study the premium content even with only an intermittent internet connection. However, this program is really a temporary workaround and shouldn't be necessary. In my opinion, it would be better if you guys provided this content directly.
Andrew