Abilene Christian University Releases 2010-11 Mobile-Learning Report

Online, October 6, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Abilene Christian University's 2010-11 Mobile-Learning Report is now available on Issuu for download. The report recaps the third year of the university's ACU Connected mobile-learning initiative, which is based on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, and expanded this year to include the iPad. The 34-page report arrives as ACU begins another Connected Open House, attended by representatives from dozens of schools seeking to explore mobility in education.

The annual report contains updated research, focusing on ACU's exploration of the educational impact of digital books on the iPad and ongoing assessments of the ways powerful mobile devices and the new pedagogies they enable are changing teaching and learning. New to this year's report is a discussion of ACU's work to envision and develop the future of digital textbooks, and a summary of last year's findings from investigations into the use of augmented reality as an educational tool.

The report also features stories on ACU's Learning Studio, which provides rich collaborative and studio spaces for students and faculty to create next-generation digital media, and on the school's work with K-12 teachers and schools to bring the benefits of mobile learning to primary and secondary students.

Three of ACU's first "mobile-learning graduates" are profiled in the report, including Colter Hettich, former editor of ACU's student-run newspaper, The Optimist. As editor, Hettich participated in the development of the iPad app for The Optimist, and after he graduated, he landed a job at The Daily, the world's first iPad-only newspaper.

"The work represented in this report exemplifies ACU's commitment to create an exceptional, innovative environment that leverages real-world experiences to redefine the ways in which we educate," said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU's president. "As recent technology announcements demonstrate, our world is becoming increasingly reliant on mobility. Our efforts to develop new technologies and new approaches to teaching and learning are helping to produce leaders who think critically and globally, and who can make a positive difference in the world."

Previous Mobile-Learning Reports are available on Issuu: download the 2008-09 Mobile-Learning Report and the 2009-10 Mobile-Learning Report. Videos on the third year of ACU Connected are also available.

ABOUT ACU'S MOBILE-LEARNING INITIATIVE, CONNECTED
Abilene Christian University launched a mobile-learning initiative, Connected, in 2008. The initiative trains students to not merely consume vast amounts of information, but to assess information, to synthesize thoughts, to generate new ideas, and to contribute meaningfully to conversations of global importance. More than 4,500 students, including nearly 800 graduate students, enroll in ACU from 47 states and territories, and 41 nations. Visit ACU.edu/Connected for more information.

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