The expanse of a library often overwhelms us. As if the stacks of books are not intimidating enough, information explosion threatens to bog us down in the piles of data generated every other day. If only there is a system to furnish us with data specific to our requirements…
Picture this: Walking into a library, your mobile beeps and up pops a message carrying information on the latest arrivals (journals and newsletters), book list available in an associated subject area, or just about anything depending on the level of personalisation.
Or, a zoology student on a field visit stumbles on an endangered species, which he clicks on his camera and, sitting at the remote location, uploads onto the university server. Sitting at another remote location, his peers study the species after accessing the picture files from the server.
These are some possibilities ubiquitous computing holds in the field of education. An amalgamation of cyberspace, universal access and real-world teaching, ubiquitous learning is projected as the next phase in the evolution of learning methodologies.
One such learning application for mobile computing technologies ‘USikshak’ was developed by the Ubiquitous Computing Research Centre, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Hyderabad. The project, part of the National Ubiquitous Computing Research Programme, is funded by the Department of Information Technology, Government of India.
“The focus is on mobility in learning. USikshak allows readers to access information anywhere, anytime,” says N. Sarat Chandra Babu, Director, CDAC, who heads the project. Providing the right content to the right person at the right place is a real challenge for any ubiquitous learning application developer, says M. Kumar, one of the developers.
In the library scenario, a student researching environmental damage in a conflict would receive information pertinent to the subject, saving time and energy. Location-based, context-aware content delivery, as it is called, is the business of doling out information germane to a user, based on his preferences, devices and location.
The moment one enters a particular zone, sensors scan radio frequency identification tags (commonly used in retailing and supply chain management) embedded in mobile phones or identity cards.
The user information is transmitted to a data grid (a content repository) that composes relatable information into a message and broadcasts it to a user.
Better still, a catalogue of related e-classes sit cuddled in your inbox ready to be streamed the instant the button feels your thumb pressure. RFID tags could be embedded in everyday objects to facilitate intelligent learning, Mr. Kumar says.
In the second case, users at a remote location can transmit data (images, video or audio files) to the server through GPRS, WLAN or Bluetooth through mobile file sharing application. Simulating real-time classroom atmosphere,
USikshak’s mobile-based peer-to-peer learning component allows users to post questions in text or voice format in a network.
“We developed the entire application on open source technologies like Java [J2Ee and J2ME], globus toolkit, W3C, RFID, Bluetooth, WiFi and GSM,” says K. Nava Jyothi, a member of the project.
Another interesting facet of this learning application is the content adaptation and rendering component. “Websites are usually optimised for desktops, but not for mobile phones. When our application detects a mobile phone, it requests details from the handset and, based on the device capabilities, adapts content to fit seamlessly into that particular model,” says P. Ramu, another team member.
This feature resolves the problem of content adaptability on mobile phones, sparing readers a lot of inconvenience. Low resolution of phone screens is currently one of the biggest drawbacks while perusing content.
