Project SET
Modules
Increasing the Convenience and Availability of
Online
Education Resources for Mobile Technology Users
launch module
David Yam
Medical Student (Class of 2004)Brian Benneyworth
Medical Student (Class of 2005)Vicki Murrell
Director of Instructional TechnologyOver the last few years, advances in technology and the Internet have dramatically changed the way people access information. Dwindling are the days of the golden-edged encyclopedias and massive libraries; replaced by the computer, a mouse, and a sea of binary digits. These newer devices possess both convenience and power that was previously unimaginable. Paralleling these changes have been great advances in the area of mobile technology that began with a brick-sized device in the 1980's. Since the advent of the cellular phone, people have become increasingly dependent on mobile technology in their daily lives. Today's most promising new mobile devices is the personal digital assistant (PDA). At the university level, faculty, staff, and students around the world have begun using PDA's, and the growing rate of users is phenomenal. Many colleges and universities in the United States have even begun to require students to use these mobile devices for both learning and organization. With this tremendous growth comes great potential for a new technological revolution: mobile access to the Internet. Technology trends indicate that all mobile users in the near future will demand that their mobile devices allow convenient and affordable access to the Internet's limitless stores of information. However, one great limiting factor to this advance and the proliferation has been lack of adequate support and ease of use of these devices. At the campuses of the University of Tennessee, little support is available to PDA users and website designers that wish to integrate the power of the Internet and the convenience of mobility. This module will demonstrate technologies available that will enable mobile users at the University of Tennessee and beyond to effectively and efficiently access the Internet and its power anywhere in the world.