Now that the App Store has been launched for the iPhone and iPod Touch these devices must go down as the easiest devices ever made for purchasing and installing software on.
iPod Touch
The App Store makes it so easy to install software on these devices in a couple of clicks, and if you need to pay for it - well you just use the same payment method you use for buying music amazing.
No other company / device has the infrastructure and user trust in place to emulate this (and for competition reasons I wish they did).
So what does this have to do with education? Well once you get over the ease of installation - the apps are great - the feel and way they work is so simple they look like they have been designed for a 4 year old - but lets be honest that is what we all want - simple and elegant. I hope that Apple have style guidelines and that they are insisting on developers keeping to them before then can have a place in the App Store.
Yes OK, but what does this have to do with education? Well easy to use and easy to get hold of applications that are engaging and accessible and on devices that students can fit in their pocket have never been available before. Technically all this has been possible, but not on a real device that is being purchased by real students, and working in such an easy elegant way.
So let’s start getting content on to these devices - and find out what works and what doesn’t - this method of easy installation and easy to use apps is the future on this device or others - we can only learn from here on in.
We (Luzia) missed the boat with these devices and I wish we were on the App Store today - but we plan to start work in August rectifying that!