This description of mostly-free LMS (VLE) environments, plus tips on ebooks, audio and video in teaching and learning in online and blended situations, was delivered for the benefit of University of South Africa delegates visiting University of Leicester 24 February 2014.

1. Mobile Learning Materials
Terese Bird
Institute of Learning Innovation
UNISA Benchmarking Meeting * 24 February, 2014
www.le.ac.uk

2. What will we talk about?
• LMS / VLE
• Text
• Sound
• Video
• Interactive

3. Mobile-friendly LMS for interactivity (free ones)
• Edmodo
• Course Sites
• iTunes U Course
• Wordpressblogs
• Facebook private group
• Xerte - Nottingham
• NOT free: a bespoke
app

4. Criminology – one iPad per distance student
http://www.le.ac.uk/places-mlearn

5. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads,
iPhones, iPod Touch

6. South Africa can do iTunes U Courses
https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/coursemanager
Use Safari, Firefox, or Chrome

7. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads,
iPhones, iPod Touch

8. Special iTunes U Course – only iPads,
iPhones, iPod Touch

9. iTunes U
• Distribute pdf, epub, mp3, and mp4 formats
• Share with the world
• Windows and Mac computers
• Make iTunes U Course as an individual
• iTunes U Course is private to your students
• iTunes U course is iOS only

10. What format for content?
Medium
Positives
Negatives
Text
•Speed
•Pre-existing material
•Flat
•Does not communicate
emotion
Image
•Much communicated in
a single simple package
•Can be misleading
without context
Sound
•More communicated by
voice than just words
•Convenient for
multitasking
•Smaller file than video
•Not seen as flashy as
video?
Video
•Most info
communicated
•Great for
demonstrating skills
•Bulky and padded
•Demands attention

11. Handy guide to ebooks
File format
What device
positives
negatives
pdf
Everything
Runs on
everything
Does not flow so
hard to read on
small screens
epub
Everything but
Kindle
•Best for phones
•Flows, takes
advantage of the
devices’s power
•Open source,
somewhat
futureproof
Cannot view on a
computer unless
install a reader
(Calibre)
mobi
Kindle
Kindle is big
Kindle only
.ibooks
Apple iBooks only
•Pretty& easy
•iPad is market
leader for now
•Apple iBooks only
•Notation a
problem

12. Text (longer document)
• If phones, use epub. May wish to also use .mobi
• If tablets, use pdf
• If BYOD, use both if you can

13. Calibre
• Easy to do:
– Take a Word doc
– Save as html
– Import into Calibre
– Save as epub or mobi
• Pdf to epub doesn’t really work
• Also try epubbud.com

14. Take advantage of free iBooks Author

16. Other facts about ebooks
• Embedded multimedia ebooks is iOS only for now
• Android app for epubebooks: Aldiko
• Kindle app on any device
• If you have a production department, buy inDesign
• If you are an individual producer, buy a Mac and get
Pages

17. Picture books!
• Just use simple pdf!!!
• Brilliant results!
• I tried everything else
• Maps, drawings

18. Sound
• Why sound?
– Copyright is easier – recorded lectures
– File size is smaller
– Listeners can do something else at the same time
– No bad hair days – staff like it!
– Voice communicates more than the printed word
– Excellent, easy way to close distance

19. How?
• Audacity
• Garageband
• Window Sound Recorder
• But please save as mp3 (wma and wav are dead)
• And apps!!!...

20. Audioboo and SoundCloud
• Like YouTube for sound
• Record in browser
• Attract comments in browser
• Or simply upload
• RSS out, iTunes out  it’s like magic
• Can send these to Apple if you like
• Limited length of recordings

21. Sound threaded discussions
• WimbaVoiceboard
• Voice Thread
• Voxopop

22. Examples of use
• Audio feedback – increased marks & retention
http://www.le.ac.uk/duckling
• Voice discussions
• Audioboo – Field use – listen to teacher’s description
of a flower, student audio-records her own
comments and findings
• Student can record, using Audioboo for iPhone
(don’t use iPad app yet)

24. Video
• How many of you have made a YouTube video?

25. YouTube facts
• 10 minute limit
• Great to embed into LMS
• Comments are a mixed blessing
• Good statistics
• Use branding
• Not too easy to download the video
• Good way to convert files to mp4

26. Vimeo
• Longer video than
YouTube
• Much less junk
• Pretty much just as
easy to do
• Downloadable

27. ScreenR

28. Other screencast options
• Screencast-O-Matic – browser
• CamStudio – free Windows application
• Quicktime Pro – free on Macs, built into Mac
operating system
Not free:
Camtasia, Captivate, Articulate – all very good and can
include interactivity

29. Recorded lectures
• Record the face or just the slides?
• Streaming or download?
• Automatic enterprise, or one-by-one?
• Huge server space required, very expensive
• Screen capture software: QuickTime, Camtasia,
iShowU
• Just do a narrated Powerpoint, screen capture
change to mp4

30. Editing movies – keep it simple
• iMovie – free with Mac – saves as .mov, .mp4
• Windows MovieMaker – but doesn’t save as mp4
• Only go to Final Cut Express if you have to!
– Bleeped out sounds
– Fuzzed out faces
– A cut-out logo floating over the image

31. Easy interactive
• ‘Clever’ Powerpoint with internal links, save as pdf –
for an example, try this: http://tinyurl.com/corahapp
• Prezi
• Slideshareslidecast
– example:
http://tinyurl.com/c
onolelearndesign

32. Thank you!!!
• tmb10@le.ac.uk - Willing to help!
• These slides are on Slideshare:
• http://www.slideshare.net/tbirdcymru
• (Make an account and log in, to download slides)