Mobile Learning

According to Gizmodo, “people” are comparing the US$400 Asus EEE with the sub-$200 XO OLPC:

OLPC’s XO Laptop and Asus’s Eee PC have been bloody rivals in people’s minds, whether or not the totally comparison’s fair… Laptop Mag aims to settle a running thread in our own comments: Which super cheap laptop reigns supreme?… In their conclusion, Laptop kicks XO … and hard: … So if you’re buying for yourself, Eee’s the best bet by a good stretch.

Oh dear. The thing is, the XO was never meant to be bought “for oneself” – from its inception, it was intended to be bought in lots of several thousand, for children in developing countries only. The fact that it’s been made available in the US for a limited period of time is merely to advance this eventual goal.

So this really is a short-sighted comparision, rather like comparing a screwdriver with a hammer. These two machines are aimed at completely different markets, and the XO has many practical aspects for reaching its intended market that were completely missed by the Laptop review.

One important aspect that was missed is durability. I’ve seen demonstrations of the XO dropped repeatedly from a height and running without problems. What a student would do with half a dozen small, shiny bits of EEE if they accidentally or intentionally attempted the same thing with it, I’m not sure.

Then there’s the battery life and lifecycle. The XO can carefully conserve its battery using its black-and-white “reflective” mode, and last a full day of school. It can be charged using solar or manual power, and you can buy extra (or replacement) batteries for $10. The EEE can’t do any of those things.

These are practical – if not vital – considerations for developing countries without flourishing tech-support departments or reliable electricity supplies. The XO elegantly screws itself into a niche in this respect. The EEE bangs its way in like a hammer: with more power, to be sure, but with rather less finesse.

I’m not saying the XO is perfect… but I just don’t think the comparison by Gizmodo and Laptop is at all fair!

Tags: laptop, gizmodo, xo, olpc, asus, eee, magazine, laptopmagazine, review, comparison, m-learning, mlearning, mobilelearning, mobile learning, mobile-learning, education, technology, edutech, edtech, teaching, learning

One of the best things about the annual Edublog Awards is that they provide a terrific collection of new educationally-oriented blogs- many of which I’ve never seen before. Browsing through the various categories is an opportunity to discover valuable new resources and networks. While I’m already a big fan of many well-established nominees (particularly my competitors in the Best Individual Blog section!), here are some of my latest “finds” – newly-discovered blogs who’ve posted on mobile learning:

• In the LeaderTalk blog (nominated for Best Group Blog), Sean Martinson contributes his well-considered thoughts – and supporting materials – on whether mobile phones should be banned in schools, and Tim Laeur provides his thoughts on the role of Amazon’s new Kindle e-book reader in modern educational settings.
• The TechLearning blog (also nominated for Best Group Blog) provides some nice commentary on the 2007 Horizon Report, including a quote on mobile phones in educational settings: “There is a time these will be as much a part of education as a bookbag”. Amen…
• On dy/dan (nominated for Best New Blog) there’s a really interesting conversation in the post and comments on the pros and cons of podcasting. It challenges a lot of my own assumptions about the utility of podcasts, but it’s terrific to see various points of view!
• Sheesh. The Butterfly Effect (also nominated for Best New Blog) documents a viral mobile game titled “The Coolest Girl in School” which purportedly encourages girls to take drugs and fall pregnant to improve their game statistics. There’s obviously a cautionary tale here, as well as a challenge – can we develop alternative viral games which provide positive and affirming simulations?
• Rather a lot of m-learning articles on the Edte.ch blog, (nominated for Best Resource Sharing Blog)… covering things like RFID tags in uniforms, the (not) OLPC, and “the obligatory iPhone in education post“. Noice!

More finds as I trawl through the rest of the nominees!

Tags: mlearning, m-learning, edublog, awards, 2007, mobilelearning, mobile learning, mobile-learning, education, technology, educational