Mobile Technologies
This page provides an introduction to standards issues around Mobile technologies. See also the Recommended standards on Mobile technologies.
There has been an huge increase in interest in the use of mobile learning (m-learning) technologies for teaching and learning in the VET system over the past few years.
From an e-standards perspective, mobile learning (m-learning) can be defined as learning that is facilitated and enhanced by the use of digital mobile devices that can be carried and used anywhere and anytime, such as mobile phones and PDAs. The VET M-learning Guide (see below) provides more information.
Most general principals and recommendations for e-learning content development found on the E-standards website are applicable to m-learning content also. However, m-learning has some unique challenges, with devices containing reduced screen sizes, lacking in standard input devices (such as a mouse and keyboard) and reduced computing power.
Reference Documents
- M-learning teacher and trainer guide in PDF (159KB) and Word (685KB) a companion document to the M-learning Standards report aimed at teachers
- M-learning standards report available in PDF(491KB) and Word (826KB) - full details of all the VET m-learning standards and recommendations
- Summary of recommended m-learning standards
- W3C Mobile Web Best Practice Guidelines 1.0 – recommended best practice for the mobile web from the World Wide Web Consortium (the VET recommendations conform to these guidelines).
Useful m-learning Guides and Case Studies
- Bob Hunter uses video on PDAs at Pilbara TAFE, Western Australia
- Examples of using video from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework
- Using UMPCs for assessment in Aquaculture in Western Australia
- New Practices project on the QTI m-player
- New Practices project on Mobile learning: handheld innovations in flexible learning
- Simple mobile resource design with MS PowerPoint for Pocket PCs
- Toolbox learning objects developed for PDAs
Tools for Online Publishing
Tools for Creating Resources
- Diagrams – Gliffy
- Images – Picasa, Gimp, Easy Thumbnail, MW Snap
- Audiovisual – Microsoft Photo Story for Windows, Wink
- Audio – Audacity
- Documents – Open Office, Google Docs
- Interactions – Adobe Flash Lite
Tools for Converting and Formatting
- Converting file formats – Super©, Media-Convert
- Content packaging IMS/SCORM – Reload

