Personalising Mobile Technology To Enhance Learning And Organisational Skills

Overview This is my personal take on the mobile world today...

Why Mobiles Are Important

Why Mobiles Are Important People engage with their phones and even people who are afraid of technology own and use them. Mobile phones were identified in the Horizon Report (2009) as the technologies with the highest likelihood of entry into the mainstream of learning-focused institutions within the next year. http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/

Iansyst, JISCTechDis and University of Southampton are conducting a survey on use of mobile phones as Assistive Technology – Me and My Mobile Phone All are welcome to participate http:// tinyurl.com/phoneuser Over 235 responses so far.

“ I use the text to speech package to read stuff to me when I am out and about. I also use the organisational features to run my life as I am dyslexic” “ Access to information and friends quickly” “ I am deaf so the text function is invaluable. I also use it to check on news for example I arrive at a station and there is lots of police so I look up to see if there is any thing on the local news I should know about.”

I am dyslexic, dyspraxic. I use it as a memory tool for phone and fax numbers, email addresses, names, appointments. I also use it to type up thoughts on issues churning in my head while stuck in traffic jams / waiting for appointments / when I go to bed and remember stuff I need to do tomorrow - but won't remember in the morning - i.e. I email me.

“ I have an iPAQ 6925 adopted for single switch access via an EMG sensor. I rely on my Smartphone for calling caregivers, text messaging colleagues and friends, checking email, managing contacts and calendar, making brief notes, reading journal articles, technical manuals, news and eBooks.”

If your phone could read out any of the following things would you use this feature? 44% said that they would use Text To Speech The most popular options were for reading emails appointments and reminders.

If you could control your phone by speaking to it would you use this feature? Answer Options Response Percent Never 29.4% Occasionally 50.6% Quite often 16.0% All the time 3.9%

Are there things that make it hard to use your phone? Answer Options Yes Sometimes No The screen is too small 65 66 86 The colours are difficult to see 12 38 156 The text size is wrong 18 50 138 The keys are difficult to use 44 76 92 It is difficult to hold 14 34 156 Its too complicated 16 45 148

Devices are coming with larger screens e.g.: iPhone, Touch HD, TG01 Programmes that automatically Reflow Text make reading easier Text to Speech – no screen needed Pico Projection

Improved touch screen interfaces remove the need for a physical keyboard & mouse and many physical buttons also have software keys

Many phones have slide out QWERTY keyboards

Alternative methods of controlling interfaces such as voice and gesture:

Voice command & limited speech recognition programmes are available and improving steadily

Windows Mobile 7 will include gesture control via front facing camera

Phones sold without contracts are expensive BUT look what you get: Phone Camera GPS Email Internet Media Player Mobile Office Applications Contracts subsidise the cost of handsets and costs are falling due to market & regulatory pressure “ Mobile phones have proved to be more durable than netbooks like the EEE PC and repair turn around is quicker when they do break” Bristol City Learning Centre

Using Outlook

Exchange server

Text to Speech Readers

Dictionaries

Calculators

Using The Camera

GPS

Mobile internet

Using inbuilt recording

Portable storage

Mobile Mentoring

Voice Control / Speech Input

OCR & Text To Speech

Voice Control & Input

Note Taking & Memos

GPS & Geo-tagging

Windows Mobile

Designed for Dyslexia and literacy issues – not VI does not screen read

Has inbuilt Oxford English Dictionary

Abbyy Fine reader OCR

Simple always available menu

Reads large documents

Affordable (£359 ex VAT with Phone)

High quality voice (Acapela Lucy)

Highlights during readback

Will read PDF and Epub in v 2.1

Pictures of Capturatalk Menu and Interface

Video from BBC Points West of Capturatalk in use at Monks Park School

Pictures of Kurzweil K-Reader Mobile

Runs on Nokia N82

US English as standard

Is designed for VI

Helps users focus camera

Can screen read if you buy it with Nuance Talks

Highlights during readback

Expensive (Around £1000)

Talks – Nuance voices not available on Windows mobile or iPhone

Smartread – Will read files but poor interface and the voice is not very natural

MobileSpeak – Will do screen reading but the voice is not great and it completely froze my device

Fonix – Small application footprint but generally not pleasant to listen to.

Command & Control is well established and can be used for limited control of programmes and voice dialling but the experience is patchy:

Depends on consistency of speaker

Background noise

Which package you use

True Speech Recognition is not available yet:

There is limited dictation of SMS for some S60 phones

There are a number of Server based SR solutions where you send your recording over the air to have it transcribed.

Notes – just about all phones have a basic notes function

MS One note – Can sync with desktop

Microsoft Recite – Voice notes with voice search.

Evernote - Multiplatform Web based

Sat Nav can be used on foot – just remember to tell the application that you are walking!

You can use Geotagging to add location to pictures that you have taken as reminders – Google and many others are beginning to offer this service.

Thank you for listening I hope that this presentation has been of interest. I am happy to answer your questions now or later.

Personalising Mobile Technology To Enhance Learning And Organisational Skills

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Notes on slide 1

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