Keith Knuth, a principal software architect at Lawson Software and a freelance author, and Dr. Francis Harvey, an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Minnesota, will speak on “Mobile Learning” at the Digital Learning Forum’s monthly presentation on Monday, March 14.
The presentation and discussion will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in 3M Auditorium, Room 150, Owens Science Hall. Guests can arrive at 6:15 p.m. to network with other professionals in the Twin Cities area. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Smartphones and tablets are popping up everywhere. Knuth explains that their use is not limited to a specific demographic. No matter who your content is targeting, it is time to consider how to best reach these new mobile learners.
How is mobile-device adoption changing in the United States? What devices are most popular? What tools are available to develop content for these devices? How will future devices and technology change the way people learn?
Harvey will talk about a joint research project on mobile learning, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Office of Information Technology and the Department of Geography, in which students create “GeoDiaries” using a Garmin GPS, Google Earth, and a Flip video camera.
This mobile-learning project examines mobile learning within both controlled and authentic environments, and it looks at how students both consume and produce knowledge with mobile devices.
The speakers:
- Knuth has 15 years in enterprise software development and is actively leading multiple mobile-application development projects.
- After studying and working in Germany and Switzerland, Harvey finished his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 1996. Since then he has held academic positions in Switzerland, Poland, the UK and the United States. At the U of M he was responsible for developing courses that make use of mobile devices, especially those that use GPS technology.
The Digital Learning Forum’s monthly presentation and discussion is sponsored by the Master of Arts in Technology for Learning, Development and Change, and the Graduate Certificate in E-Learning program in the Department of Organization Learning and Development at the University of St. Thomas.