Imagine you’re in a piazza in Florence, and you want to take an interesting walk around the city, but you want one a little different from the traditional ones found in most guide books. So, you break out your iPod and download a tour called “Florence’s historic cafes and wine bars.” Perfect! Sound interesting? It is, and it’s pretty new

Most of us have heard about online learning, distance education and virtual learning environments. Some of us may have even experienced one of these, either by taking classes, or by teaching one. But what about e-learning on a mobile device? There are scores of companies popping up recently which are offering downloadable lectures and talks related to tourism, languages and “how-to” articles. Some companies are making software which allows courses to be viewed through the small windows of hand-held devices such as PDAs and cell phones. A company called Atlantic Link is one of the pioneers in this exciting new field, and the company says that its software can revolutionize the way virtual learning takes place.

Stuck in line at the grocery store? Why not download a quiz or activity from your online class and take it while you’re waiting in line? Things like quizzes, games, activities, audio, video and Flash animations are all supported by the company’s software, and are supposed to play back perfectly, so that users will not be able to tell the difference between the PDA version and the computer screen version. The company says that courses can be accessed from phones’ hard drives, or can be accessed from the Internet. The ramifications of this technology are virtually endless. Students, tourists and everyone else can use their phones and PDA’s to access tourist guides for a new city they’re visiting, or to learn a new language. These mobile devices can also be used for product training and updates, maintenance guides and training, medical training, interactive museum guides and schools training.

While this technology is in its infancy, it is becoming rapidly available. Now, learning can take place whenever and wherever someone is in the world, even if they are not in front of a computer. People can share their own personal experiences and “insider tips,” make them available for downloading and then share the information with whoever wants to listen to or look at it. It’s an exciting new field, to be sure, so stay tuned.

Tags: Learning Technologies, Non-Traditional Students