With the release of the iPad2, Apple declared this to be a "Post-PC" era... in in some regards, it definitely is: iOS, Android, and other operating systems account for a growing share of web traffic and educational acceptance of these systems is at an all time high as administrators and instructors struggle to fit mobile computing within their classes. Is this always a good approach though? What are the limitations of these devices? We will explore developments in mobile computing over the past few years, looking specifically at smartphones, tablets, and their use in academic settings. What makes these devices great? Where are they lacking? What will future iterations of such operating systems and devices bring... and what role does traditional desktop computing have in all of this? Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of the state of mobile computing, how it applies to education, what to look out for when adopting a mobile platform for use in academia, and a good idea of what to expect in the next 12 months.

1. Mobile Computing
in a "Post-PC" era... right?
Presented by Joseph Labrecque
Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology Conference
August 3rd 2011 – Boulder, CO

2. Introduction
Joseph Labrecque, MA
Senior Interactive Software Engineer
University of Denver – CTL
Fractured Vision Media, LLC
Adobe Community Professional
Adobe Education Leader
Flash Development for
Android Cookbook

3. What we’ll cover today
• Traditional computing in education
• The state of mobile across platforms
• How did we get here?
• The push for rapid adoption in education
• Why mobile is great for education
• Why mobile is terrible for education
• Some perspective
• Discussion

4. Traditional computing in education
• Laptop requirements
• General activities include
research and writing, with
access to online tools
• Fully powered, unrestricted
machines

5. The state of mobile across platforms
• Mobile explosion!
– iOS, Android, QNX, WP7, WebOS
– Smartphones and tablets
– Android dominates, Apple not far behind
– Other platforms are being crushed
• By 2014, mobile internet consumption
will overtake desktop consumption

6. Android Growth
• Google I/O 2011
– 400,000 new Android devices
activated every day (as of July it is
500,000! This is growing by 4.4%
EVERY WEEK)
– 100 million activated Android
devices to date.
– There are 200,000 free and paid
applications available in Android
Market.
– 4.5 billion applications have been
installed from Android Market.

8. How did we get here?
• Apple iOS
“I think we’ve embarked on
– iPhone in 2007
that change. Is it the iPad?
– iPad in 2010 Who knows? Will it be next
• Google Android year or five years? … We like
– Founded 2003 to talk about the post-PC era,
but when it really starts to
– Googled 2005
happen, it’s uncomfortable.”
• Windows P7 –Steve Jobs
• RIM BB7/QNX

9. The push for rapid adoption
• Driven with iOS (iPad)
• A race to get devices into the hands of students
• There has been a “me too!” effect

10. Mobile is great for education
• Portable (duh)
• Social
• Connected-ness
• Lightweight
• Directed experiences

11. Mobile is terrible for education*
• Devices are limited in power
• Non-traditional OS
• Limited functionality
• Locked down platforms
• Fragmentation
*not really

12. LOTS of “pre-mobile” content
• Websites
• Web Apps
• RIA Experiences
• All still viable
• All still useful

13. More on Flash…
• Flash Player does not run on iOS
• Flash Player does run on
Android and QNX (and more
expected by late 2011)
• Adobe AIR runs on iOS, Android,
QNX… (and more expected by
late 2011)
• Adobe Edge Preview 1
• Wallaby / Swiffy

14. Some perspective…
• Mobile is great – I love mobile
• Not great for everything
• Limitations and restrictions are real
• Legacy content
• Bleeding edge content
• Things will get better
• NOT a religious war!

15. Future?
• Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich
• Apple iOS5
• RIM BlackBerry QNX (Tablet OS)
• HP WebOS
• Windows Phone 7

16. Discussion
Let’s chat!

17. Contact me
Email:
Joseph.Labrecque@du.edu
Web:
http://josephlabrecque.com/
Twitter:
@JosephLabrecque