Location-Based Content in Schools...

I'm currently reviewing a couple of papers for a mobile learning conference: the general promise of mobile learning is to enable ubiquitous and flexible access to content, fellow students and teachers, allowing a myriad of learning scenarios to materialise. Of course, we can use laptops, PDAs or smartphones to make it work
(and that happens a lot), add Wi-Fi and hey presto!

Location-based services can add yet some more spice to the mobile learning experience (the famous museum scenario, that has numerous incarnations, is one example), but who would have thought about the use of a location enabled Wi-Fi infrastructure?

Yes, Newbury Networks helps teachers to cope with unwanted chatting during class and to ensure pupils to turn up. Their nifty location enabled wifi networks help in:

-Providing students and faculty campus-wide secure Wi-Fi / Wireless LANs to enhance learning and mobility.

-Stopping email, instant messaging, file-sharing and uncontrolled Internet access in classrooms to eliminate distractions and cheating opportunities.

-Providing classrooms and lecture halls limited (URL-specific) internet access that's course-work relevant and available only in a classroom and at specified class-times to enhance class-room attendance.

-Pushing content to a student's laptop, including class notes and assignments, only when a student is present in class to require class presence.

-Controlling and optimizing the performance, coverage and capacity of your total network, for example tracking and stopping illicit MP3 downloads.

-Taking advantage of location-based monitoring and tracking features to enhance campus-wide e911 services and security.

I wonder, does this only work when you have a nice campus out in the woods, with no competing Wi-Fi networks around, like in inner cities?

Categories: e-learning, education