Mobile Cloud Services as Catalysts for Pedagogical Change

This chapter explores the potential of mobile cloud services to act as catalysts of pedagogical change in tertiary education. Mobile computing has emerged as a significant platform, with worldwide uptake dwarfing traditional desktop and laptop computing. According to the International Telecommunication Union (Acharya & Teltscher, 2010), at the end of 2010, 76% of the world’s population is now own mobile phones (116% in developed countries [by subscription], and 68% in developing countries), and mobile broadband subscriptions to the Internet (940 million) outnumbered fixed broadband connections (555 million). The advent of the iPhone, the iPad, and Android based smartphones have driven the explosion of mobile application development, numbering over 650,000 mobile apps across four main platforms (GSMArena, 2011; Perez, 2011), with many of these apps providing access and interaction with cloud services. Harnessing the potential of these two new computing behemoths within education is still at early stages of development and research. This chapter provides research-informed examples of the impact of mobile cloud services on teaching practice and learner experiences.

Fostering a Technology Cultural Change

Many people in higher education wonder where the rapid changes in information technology are going to take them. Many more fear that the ongoing information technology explosion may eventually leave them behind. Due to entrenched mindsets and bureaucracy in higher education, fostering a technology cultural change requires paradigm shifts in all areas of administration, teaching, and research. A fundamental paradigm shift must happen in four areas before a technology cultural change can be set on a forward path. This chapter focuses on four essential components of a paradigm shift in technology and higher education at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). This case describes how a paradigm shift model can help to promote a long-term technology cultural change in a higher education institution. The model consists of technology commitment, technology philosophy, investment priority, and development focus. It has been used at UMC to bring about a reengineering of the entire institution to support a ubiquitous laptop environment throughout the curriculum and campus. The model has helped UMC achieve an overwhelming success in utilizing laptop computing and other technology to enhance learning.

Fostering a Technology Cultural Change

Many people in higher education wonder where the rapid changes in information technology are going to take them. Many more fear that the ongoing information technology explosion may eventually leave them behind. Due to entrenched mindsets and bureaucracy in higher education, fostering a technology cultural change requires paradigm shifts in all areas of administration, teaching, and research. A fundamental paradigm shift must happen in four areas before a technology cultural change can beset on a forward path. This chapter focuses on four essential components of a paradigm shift in technology and higher education at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). This case describes how a paradigm shift model can help to promote a long-term technology cultural change in a higher education institution. The model consists of technology commitment, technology philosophy, investment priority, and development focus. It has been used at UMC to bring about a reengineering of the entire institution to support a ubiquitous laptop environment throughout the curriculum and campus. The model has helped UMC achieve an overwhelming success in utilizing laptop computing and other technology to enhance learning.