Mobl21 provides a way for instructors to create and distribute content to students without doing any actual mobile ‘app’ development. Currently, Mobl21 only works with iPhones and iPod Touches, but they’ll soon be expanding into other devices (iPads no doubt, and possibly Android phones and devices as well).
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Develop content on the Mobl21 website
You can sign up for a free trial account now. You develop your content directly on the Mobl21 website – so you can work on the content from any computer.
You can develop three types of content:
- Study Guides – basic content (text, images, etc)
- Flash Cards – what it sounds like…you can add an image and text for the flip side of the image
- Quizzes – you can also deliver short quizzes
Each of these content-types results in a ‘card’. You then assemble these cards into ‘stacks’ which your students can cycle through. Each of these stacks can further be added to a ‘category.’
In the image below, I’ve created some fake content for a section of a fake course on Social Networking. My broad category is ‘Web 2.0’, within which, I plan to cover a section on Facebook and a section on Twitter – so I’ve created stacks for each. Within those stacks, I have several cards containing study guides, flash cards, and an occasional quiz.
Step 2: Push content to the mobile app
When I’m ready for students to access the content, I select a student group and decide how I’d like to ‘push’ the content out.
Students with iPhones/iPod Touches can download the free Mobl21 app from the iTunes App Store, and then register with my course to get their content. (By the way, students without iPhones can still participate by accessing the content on the web.)
Step 3: Access content on the iPhone/iPodTouch
Once a student has downloaded the Mobl21 app, they simply login with their course and account information. Students can access the study guides, flashcards and quizzes in a mobile-friendly format.
