The objective of this packet is to provide an understanding of different ways to implement location based mobile applications in the classroom. This packet will focus on tutorials and example uses of FourSquare.
I'm sure many of us have our iPhones, Android phones, or Windows Mobile phones that we use every day for calls,texts,emails,news,etc. The smartphone market has seen rapid growth in the past few years; smartphone usage has grown from 2% of cellphone users to 35% of users in 5 short years. Now our phones can pretty much do anything we need them to do, from:
brewing our coffee in the morning
But is there a place for mobile software (phones or tablets) in helping to enhance the education process? There are some very good applications out there that take advantage of mobile technology and provide a good teaching tool. The scope of different types of applications is so big, that in this packet we will focus on location based applications and their use in the classroom.
Foursqare is a location based social network service that launced in 2007 that allows users to share their locations, activities, and companions at different times and places. This is accomplished through "checking in" or posting your current location. This opens a variety of new ways to get students more involved in lessons. Here a few example uses of Foursquare.
Of course these are not all the uses. The possabilities are vast and do not neccesarily have to follow any of the mentioned examples. Accreditedonlinecolleges.com offers a list of over 30 example uses of this application.