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SALT’06SALT’06 Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida February 8-10, 2006February 8-10, 2006

Dr. Miriam Masullo, inViVo Vision, Inc.Dr.Linda Tsantis, Johns Hopkins University

Designing a Mobile Education & Learning Designing a Mobile Education & Learning Infrastructure as a Component of our Infrastructure as a Component of our National Preparedness SystemNational Preparedness System

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Abstract of the PresentationAbstract of the PresentationThis presentation summarizes a white paper prepared to address a growing need to develop a technical solution for how to deploy a cutover-ready solution that can be used to transfer mandatory education to a mobile training, education and information infrastructure as a component of our national preparedness system. We consider the requirements of a solution that can be used to selectively reach students so that educational programs and courses of study will remain unchanged through unavoidable transitions and emergency situations. Such infrastructure should be designed to support emergency personalized information services during times of crisis as a least common denominator of stability and also serve to provide mobile learning opportunities in general. By integrating broadband wireless and handheld personal computing devices with knowledge management technologies it is possible to extend the capabilities of mobile learning to the level of the just-in-time, any-time, any-place, just-for-me kind of media access that has become the central theme of current technology trends. Personalized learning delivered via a mobile education infrastructure can be used to address unpredictable information dissemination needs in general as well as to provide a complementary education resource. We present our initial research into this problem and the rationale for the proposed solution.

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Case Study: SUNOCase Study: SUNOSouthern University of New Orleans:Southern University of New Orleans:

• Government Services Agency - GSA referral• A commuter school of about 2,800 undergraduate

students before the hurricane • About 94 percent of the students were black• Many students were working adults• Many students were from low-income families• Most Southern University students were subject to the

mandatory evacuation order • A large number of these students had no automobiles,

no relatives outside the city, and no money to buy transportation required to retreat from the approaching hurricane

• Many decided to ride out the storm at their homes in low-lying areas of the city

• All lost access to education opportunity

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• Their classrooms were in the direct path of the storm…

• 38-acre campus flooded in 11 feet of water

• 2,800 undergraduate students• Many working students• All engaged in job training

professional development and • Students stay, faculty displaced • Information resources destroyed • $350ml in damages• School reopens in trailers • 19 academic programs eliminated:

English, physics and mathematics• Effect on community: devastating

A Societal National EmergencyA Societal National Emergency EDUCATION IN CRISISEDUCATION IN CRISIS

Southern University New Orleans - SUNO

Library: Informationthreatenedby mold

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Reflecting on this experienceReflecting on this experience

• Anticipating disaster and taking care of people is a skill that requires learning, thinking the unthinkable and considering worst case scenarios

• At a time when terrorists specialize in doing the unthinkable, we must learn to think the unthinkable and ask the seemingly irrelevant questions

• In an age of terrorism and natural disasters, we must ask the question: how do we protect our societal infrastructures in the aftermath?

• When leaders have neither the skills nor inclination to consider the unthinkable, the effect on the community can be irreparably devastating

• Responsible leadership today requires:1. Investing in preventive strategies2. Creating disaster plans

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PROBLEMPROBLEM

• Instability of poor family units forced into a nomadic life style with no permanent, ultimate future plans

• Thousands of displaced students that may come from already deficient educational environments

• Interruption of the educational process with unpredictable long-term impact on the lives of students who need education services the most

• Considerations: The future a region and potential negative ramifications for the nation at large

• Reflection: A disaster plan that stops at the obvious (i.e., food, water and medical attention, by way of allocating emergency funds) is tragically flawed and narrow minded because we can all anticipate the basics of survival.

• Research Problem: What are the unanticipated questions after survival? What is the right measure of preventive funds allocations? How to use applicable technologies?

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ISSUESISSUES• Schools and the educational process play a major role in

anchoring the lives of students and families, particularly in disadvantaged communities

• We cannot allow the simultaneous disruption of basic education, job training and professional development to affect a single region or group of people

• Technology must play a key role in restoring our education and training support systems through which students and families must transition during and after catastrophic changes

• The way in which educational technology and the Internet are positioned today negate the requirements of a national crisis to help people transition and emerge from catastrophe… Case in point: SUNO

• Our emergency support infrastructure cannot be the same as that applied to address the challenges faced by people in developing regions during similar circumstances

• We have the technology to address these issues…

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SOLUTIONSOLUTION

• Create first-of-a-kind solution to address these and new potential problems and issues, while at the same time being capable of evolving into needed facilities for our educational system at large and as a resource within our national defense system

• Provide a robust, ubiquitous and dedicated (underlying) virtual infrastructure to bring educational resources and mentors to the students during times of national or even personal crisis (e.g., long hospital stays)

• Give every student a personalizable hand-held device to access these special resources, training, counseling and fundamental information for families in paths to an uncertain future as function of our education and national defense systems

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Solution OutlineSolution Outline

1. Establish or refocus serving centers to enable and upload personalizable content to mobile disseminations services

2. Allocate satellite resources to provide permanent and flexible mobile connectivity

3. Develop specialized, dedicated receiving devices

NOTE: All the basic technologies necessary to deploy such solution exist

and the technology challenge is mostly in the form of innovation and integration

Educational content suitable for use in this mode is abundant and enablement can be systematized for fast production deployment

There’s no rationale for lack of preparedness

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CONTENTENABLEMENTPRODUCTION

CENTER

EXISTING EDUCATIONAL

CONTENT & MEDIA

LIVE CONTACTS WITH MENTORS FROM ACROSS THE US

REGIONAL ACCESS TO MOBILE DEVICES(part of country affected

by evacuation and relocation)

communications infrastructure

MULTIFUNCTION

RECEIVING DEVICES

REGIONAL SERVING CENTERS

Solution ArchitectureSolution Architecture

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EXTERNALEXISTING CONTENT

GATHEREDREBUILT

STUDENT DATA

ORGANIZINGCATALOGING

MININGINDEXING

DYNAMIC

INDIVIDUAL

LESSONS

MEDIA

MENTORING

Content ManagementContent Management

comm.

Receiversusers

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Deployment PlanDeployment Plan

• INTEGRATE existing solutions for modular mobile access to personalizable educational content and mentors

• ORGANIZE the material resources to populate the serving center and to manage volunteer mentors

• DEPLOY the solution with servers, DBS/LEO and dedicated personal digital devices

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mentoringstudents

Ph.D. candidates

ieMentoring

1ieBroadcast

3

DBS/LEOglobalaccess

workerfamily

IndustryITV

executive coaching &

manufacturing training

ePrenticeeXeLive

2

t-Learningt-Commerce

4

MODEL

&

EXAMPLES

VVV Strategic PlanVVV Strategic Plan

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ieBroadcast:ieBroadcast: DBS/LEO DBS/LEODistributed Global AccessDistributed Global Access

• Broadcast solution to deliver interactive media-rich content where Internet access is lacking or undesirable

• DBS access and redistribution via LEO• Taxonomy of delivery solutions• Mapping of content into MPEG streams• Built-in indexing-based content enablement• Application areas:

• military training• developing nations • AIDS prevention education

3

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Distributed Access ModelDistributed Access Model• Broadcast-centric (wireless) solution to deliver

the interfaces and interactivity of the Internet without the complex and costly infrastructure (wired/wireless) required for Internet access

• DBS download to local server or LAN and real-time interactive access

• Re-distribution via LEO for enhanced access• Complementary universal content enablement

solution for multi-purpose content and multiple delivery/access channels

• Ubiquitous reach• Digital set top box (DSTB) and a television or PC • Personal hand-held devices

3

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National or International

Schedulers& Servers

DigitalLibraries

Schedulers& ServersDigital

Libraries

InternetIntranetSatellite

Satellite and/or Terrestrial (e.g. cable)

Users worldwide

STB

(users on standalone PCs)

(Users on Intranet, Internet PCs)

(users on broadcast e-learning)

Distributed Global SolutionDistributed Global Solution

DBSDBS

LEO

3

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Saving Africa…Saving Africa…

• HIV/AIDS Prevention “It is estimated, for example, that the United States alone

spends around US$ 52 billion coping with the medical consequences of obesity – more than 15 times what would be needed to change the face of AIDS in Africa.”

DEMO• Teacher Training Institute

3

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• ITV commercial & educational access channels • Affect education at the family level• Revive learning through training• Uplift an entire segment of the population• Commercial advertisements and courseware • Industry-anchored (e.g., “car-mart” channel)• Interactive, educational, content-rich • Simplest access (TV & Remote or PDA)• Least common denominator for access • Universal appeal

ITV:ITV: t-Learning & t-Commerce t-Learning & t-Commerce

4

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Universal m-Learning: least common denominator

From Multiple Access Channels:

(Internet, ITV, DBS, LEO) Lifelong e-Learning:

Content Digital Library Knowledge Management

Community Government Industry Manufacturing Content Providers Communications Technology

Massive Education Community Change US Lower Quartile Unskilled Workers Underprivileged Developing Nations

Technology

People

Partnerships

Coordinated Technology SolutionsCoordinated Technology Solutions

Global & Universal m-LearningGlobal & Universal m-Learning1-4

PLDPersonal

Learning Device

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For More Information:For More Information:

Charts & white paper:Charts & white paper:www.inViVoVision.com• Publications page

Contact:Contact:DrMasullo@inViVoVision.com

Thank You!