iPhone: The Latest eLearning Platform
Apple’s new 3G iPhone offers plenty of promise as a platform for elearning developers, providing unprecedented access and convenience to potential distance learners
The upcoming release of Apple’s second-generation iPhone 3G is being eagerly anticipated by millions of technophiles around the world. Nevertheless, gadget aficionados are not the only ones looking forward to the iPhone’s arrival—elearning companies Mohive and Learnosity have both launched iPhone platforms for their educational services.
The elearning possibilities offered by the iPhone have never before presented themselves in a mass-market device: namely, a fully functional web-browser and a large screen for displaying pedagogical materials. While home-based online learning has in the past offered an unparalleled level of convenience for distance learners, the iPhone, as a completely mobile medium, may open up entirely new segments of the online education market.
The excitement surrounding the iPhone’s potential as a delivery mechanism for learning materials must be tempered by a strong dose of pragmatism, however. While the iPhone may be able to effectively deliver content to the end user, its size is both its greatest boon and biggest shortfall. The iPhone’s small on-screen keyboard makes inputting large amounts of text painfully impractical, and the small screen makes reading large amounts of text equally problematic.
Indeed, for creating and consuming large amounts of information, the iPhone will always lag behind the personal computer—its limitations are clear. On the other hand, the iPhone offers the unique advantage of portability when it comes to instructional videos, lecture podcasts, or short readings. Those for whom elearning is a part-time endeavor will surely appreciate the ability to catch up on lectures or readings while on the go—but whether or not online educators capitalize on the iPhone’s potential on a large scale remains to be seen.
Very nice!!