BlogU

  • CES 2011, Motorola Atrix, and Higher Ed

    By Joshua Kim January 13, 2011 9:00 pm EST

    Dean Dad mostly covered the CES 2011 landscape.

    For my part, I've been spending some enjoyable time on the web trying to figure out the big EDU story from CES 2011.

    Mostly I've failed.

    Education doesn't seem to enter much into the the CES universe. This is strange, because a major theme of ed tech life on campus is the tension between the consumer devices and platforms that students (and faculty) bring to campus and want to use, and the enterprise applications and platforms that we want them to use.

    The one new device that has caught my eye (and David Pogue's) is the Motorola Atrix.

    The Atrix is a powerful Android phone that can be bundled with a laptop like docking station. The laptop has no processor, disk or networking - rather it serves as a keyboard, screen and battery. The operating system, memory, and networking come from the Atrix. There is no syncing or moving data, as all the computing takes place on the Atrix.

    This combination of Atrix and laptop dock is cool for a few reasons. First, the laptop dock can be very thin and light (as it does not need any hardware components). The Atrix is truly a portable computer, with a full web browser, lots of memory and a fast processor. The laptop dock allows for a good typing and viewing experience.

    The Atrix is a step closer to the dream of a full computer in a mobile device. An external keyboard and screen accomplishes what Moore's Law cannot. No matter how powerful mobile computer gets, the form factor makes producing a difficult proposition.

    Why could the Atrix be great for Higher Ed?

    Design-to-Mobile: We all think that the future of computing is mobile. We all think that the future of education is in emerging economies. We all think that education in the emerging world will be primarily mediated by mobile devices over the next 25 years. (Okay…maybe I think these things). The Atrix gets us closer to this reality, as all of a sudden the mobile device become both a consumption and production tool. Apps and browsers!

    Thin Clients: Finally, the dream of the thin client can be realized. If the Atrix interface becomes a standard (a big if), the university could supply monitors, keyboards and docking stations throughout the campus, and let students and faculty plug in.

    Portable and Ubiquitous Learning: Portable learning becomes possible if we can both consume and easily switch to a production mode. Avoiding the friction of synching devices can result in a greater focus on the learning. The tools and technology should get out of the way. Being able to always have our learning device with us makes learning, and with the Atrix contributing and collaborating, closer to a ubiquitous activity

    Social Learning: We primarily use our mobile devices for social purposes. Learning (or at least courses) may be touching mobile devices, but currently we need computers to really do the work. If we can get rid of the computer, then we can combine the tools in which we live our social life and do our course work.

    I'm excited by this Motorola Android Atrix phone and docking system. Might even convince me to not buy an iPhone.

    What do you think was the biggest higher ed news to come out of CES 2011?

Go to comments (2) »
Advertisement
On the Job Market Together?

Comments on CES 2011, Motorola Atrix, and Higher Ed

  • CES 2011 :: The Ubiquitous Comfortable Learning Catalyst
  • Posted by Ed Garay at University of Illinois at Chicago on January 14, 2011 at 9:30am EST
  • Not much for HigherEd at CES 2011?

    I beg to differ.

    Even if less than half of the 80+ new Android and Windows tablets ship this year, the floodgates have opened :: all this mobile technology ought to serve very well as catalyst for true ubiquitous learning, comfortable Teaching & Learning to take place, here, there, everywhere.

    The Best of Show most awesome Motorola Xoom Android tablet alone will be a *huge* hit, add to that the Notion Ink Adam tablet, the amazing ExoPC Windows slate, the new Toshiba, Samsung, Sony and Asus tablets, to name a few, along with smartphones, mature LMS mobilizing software, fluid designed hypermedia, e-Books, and mobile-friendly multimedia content, social learning and so forth, and we have the makings of an unbelievable opportunity to engage and innovate in education.

    All these tablets can play Flash content too, which is a great thing because there is so much quality educational content out there, interactive learning modules, animations, Flash Video, narrated PowerPoint presentations and all that often form part of our class materials digital library.

    Flash and the good number of great tablets shown at CES 2011 will also make the Apple iPad 3 a much better product. We love them iPads, but there is plenty of room for improvement and for Apple to perhaps open up a little bit. The new strong Android/Windows tablet competition might be too late in forcing improvements on the iPad 2, expected to ship in 2Q2011, but I bet it already has affected the development of future models.

    Competition is good, and it is indeed always good to have options.

    Greetings from beautiful Chicago,
    { typed on an iPad }



  • CES, Mobility and Higher Ed
  • Posted by Curt Dodds , Director of Information Technology at Simpson University on January 15, 2011 at 8:15pm EST
  • I follow consumer trends closely, especially those likely to be adopted by students, to guide my long-range technology planning. The impact of mobile devices should not be overlooked and the excitement at CES this year about advances in mobility, especially Android-based, supports my view as does the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets.

    As technology leaders in higher ed our challenge is, as Ed says, to "engage and innovate" at the incredibly dynamic intersection of consumer technology and education.

    Sent from spectacular Redding, California.

    Typed on my Android tablet!

Print
© Copyright 2011 Inside Higher Ed