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Documents and e-Learning (Part 6): delivering courses to cell phones
Do you want (or need) to teach courses or documentation customers directly to their cell phone screens? And you want to do it without making drastic changes to your LMS ? Well, now you can start with a simple technique that allows students to take courses and supporting documents ... anywhere via their mobile.
The technique uses something called QR (Quick Response) Codes. " You can view this peculiar square "barcodes" in all parts of Japan and some European countries ... in the pages of magazines, advertisements, coupons, displays, product packaging, billboards, taxis, buses, and including hats, scarves, shirts and tattoos. The Japanese have even covered skyscrapers along with them. So when someone points out his cell phone camera in one of these codes (where) and "scan" or photographs of her, your handheld device launch the website URL, displays the text, calls the number, or show Short Message Service (SMS) message that was "tied" to the code.
Many e-learning applications
Forms QR codes that can be used in e-Learning, mixture formation and documentation, including product are only limited by your imagination. Could, For example:
• Take students mobile portal directly to your training, to enroll and take courses online.
• Allow cell phone users to view tasks, reference and reading lists and other materials to support training-on the subway, buses, taxis, or anywhere ... without using PC.
• Allow the class to draw attendees to build maps, class schedules, and other useful information from broadcast QR Codes throughout the facility or campus.
• Permission to students in the classroom, without a PC to access information and additional resources through their phones.
• Allow students who take physical training (such as fire and police drills) to receive information their phones that is relevant to where they are and what they are doing at the time.
• "Tag" objects in the environment of physical training so that students can see the usage / safety guidelines and instructional videos on them.
• Create online training catalogs with the two web links (for PC users) and the corresponding QR codes (for mobile users).
• Let students in training equipment display additional information and resources on their phones via QR codes in print of class, of course screens, Adobe Flash movies, slides PowerPoint, and PDF files.
• Students Send 'phones to Google Earth destinations relevant to course material.
• Take classes online or students to the assessment pages that run the presentations and ask questions about them.
• Collect course / lesson comments through SMS messages.
• Make e-learning materials accessible to people who do not have computers or can not use (but can use cell phones).
• Allow users to see the product documentation "in the" ... without using a PC.
A simple four-step process is all that is needed to pull this off in their e-learning projects:
• Create the QR-Codes have to use a free Web service.
• Tell his students how to get free mobile QR Code reader software on their mobile phones.
• Put your QR-Codes at their training sites, pages online course, and support materials.
• Tell your students how to scan mobile codes.
Here is more information on each of these steps:
Create Codes
You can create QR Codes for your screen and e-Learning materials through online generators, including:
• Adobe AIR
• I-Nigma
• Kaywa
• Snappr.net
For example, the use of generators Kaywa:
1. Open the code page Kaywa generator.
2. Select URL, Text, Phone Number or SMS in the area of content type.
3. Enter the URL or any other content that QR Code actually launched in the content area (http:// is already included ... and necessary for the content ... URL).
4. Select the size of the group (M or L is usually fine).
5. Click Generate!
6. Click the QR code that appears, save it, and then put it in any Word document, spreadsheet, Image of Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint slides, online course HTML page, the class brochure, and so on.
7. Phone users cell can then implement the encoded content to photograph or scan the image.
Snappr.net interesting is another generator. After you create your free account QR Codes can link to images of URLs, polling / voter applications and music files. Also the programs of interest to e-Learning su:
• MMS, which helps users whose mobile phones do not have available the QR code readers. You can catch a QR code with their camera phone, email the image to Snappr@Sannpr.net, receive a link to read the content hosted on Snappr.net, then use your phone's browser on the Web to launch the link.
• Geo controls, which can trigger alternate content based on user location.
So I also want to tell their mobile students how easy it is to photograph / scan these codes, wherever you see them during their training.
Charge Code Readers
Cell phones and iPhone users can go to various Web sites to determine if free QR code reader software is available for your device. And if so, can usually be downloaded directly to your device. (In testing out the "Messenger" scanner also many BlackBerry devices launched web content QR codes.)
These are just a few sites to find a reader:
• Barcode
• I-Nigma
• Kaywa
• QuickMark
Once a reader is activated in the user's phone is easy to read the codes. Depending Phone and reader software, the user simply takes a snapshot of QR code or the phone's camera scans through it. The linked content then appears on the screen of the phone.
You can tell your students about these mobile sites QR-Code reader through emails, reminders, and online training portal.
Try it yourself!
If you want to see how this works, load a QR code reader on your own mobile phone or iPhone. (If using a BlackBerry device, already have one.) Then search the web "QR Code" and scan or shoot some of the samples can find. See where you are.
Factors to consider
While QR codes are easy to configure and use, here are some points to consider:
• phones without cameras can not be used.
• Mobile devices may soon be able to scan ordinary text and interpret through their cameras. This could cause unnecessary QR codes. But even if this happens, QR codes are less tedious for enter the URLs. And it's fun to use! This will always be of interest to some, that may be why the BlackBerry comes with its own QR-compatible reader ... youth to improve their attractiveness.
• Traditional web site designs often require a lot of movement, speed, extension and squinting to facilitate navigation on mobile screens. You need a powerful device with a large screen for easy strain. Therefore, some pages of his new design end may help.
Or you can contact someone like Mark Care (http://www.brandattention.mobi/mobile.php), which redesigned web pages facilitate viewing on mobile screens. When you open your own website, watch your content and navigation controls running along the left side of the screen in a narrow band, mobile scanned. We saw that in several phones in SyberWorks, and this technique has worked well.
So think about making Mobile duplicate similar existing pages of e-Learning. You can then make the page URL of QR Codes, and students will go scan directly to these sites through their phones.
• Depending on the users of its guidance, the LSM may or may not be altered to handle QR codes. Most existing websites LMS can navigate the cell phone browser, although this usually requires some scrolling vertical. If this is not a particular problem in your application, then QR codes can provide users with their existing LMS pages without major modifications. For example, a store where I worked once suffered from an all-too-common weakness training. PC Training backstage camera products that were described in sales floor. This did not prevent reinforcement in the real world through touch and test the products themselves. This training has become effective immediately if the only LMS allow employees to connect to the training system through their cell phones. Employees could walk around the store, scan product codes side and descriptions of hearing the instructions, sales indicators and demonstrations during the training session. All this material would come from existing page URLs Training-... but now reaching the screens of mobile phones through QR codes in the store. (Telephones regular guests "would not deliver these data, if delivered as part of the password-protected training session.)
But if you really want the mobile user more access easy as possible to its LMS and course materials is likely to redesign their e-Learning pages for mobile use. His own expert of the company (or companies brand such as attention, mentioned above) can do that ... but will require both need and commitment! For example, say you need to train representatives of customers to repair computers, cars or other consumer products. Like the old system, you can run through a series of pages online in a distance learning room ... and let them deal with the practice notes and memory in the workshop. Or you could modify the functions of their LMS and designs for easy access on the shop floor where units are in practice. Then, students can begin training by scanning a code QR calling the logon screen, and then watch the demonstration videos to their phones via QR codes for each step of the procedure.
About the Author
Dave Powell is Documentation Manager for SyberWorks Inc., a privately-held supplier of e-Learning software and training. For the past 15 years, he has written award-winning marketing collateral and user documentation for hardware/software companies like PictureTel, 3Com, Philips Medical Systems, Polaroid, and SyberWorks. Prior to that, he edited and wrote for publications like Computerworld, Infosecurity News, Networking Management, Digital Design, LightWave, Popular Computing, Harvard Business Review, and Leaders. (During that time, he also served as an author and Editorial Advisor for Sesame Street.)
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