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Mobiles are already in use as tools for education on many college and university campuses

ven mobiles that cannot run third-party applications can be used in the classroom. One of the simplest applications is to use short messaging system (SMS) messages to allow student response in place of expensive clicker systems. Products like Poll Everywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/) let teachers set up questions online and use a web page to tabulate, graph, and display the results to the class. Students can see, for example, how their answers as a class differ in pre- and post-quiz situations.

Third-party educational applications are readily available for the newest mobiles, and educational content is easy to find for almost every discipline

Mathematics. In addition to applications for flash cards and simple drill practice, math tools for mobiles like Kids’ Fraction Fun (http://www.nscpartners.com/kidsmathfun62233) help students practice skills they are learning in school in a game-like format on the iPod Touch. Science. Mobiles can be used to photograph results of experiments in the lab or outdoors. Students can take measurements using tools like Seismometer (http://coneri.se/iphone/), or perform calculations with tools like ChemiCal (http://www.twssworldwide.com/ChemiCal.html). Art History. Students in Bath, England, will be using Mscape (http://mscapers.com) to create media maps of historical sites in and around the Holburne Museum and Sidney Gardens. Using cameras and mobile devices, the students will develop materials that can be used to raise interest in the site among the community.

The challenges that relate to this set of technologies are primarily in the policy arena, and that is why it has been placed on the far horizon.

In fact, the underlying technology that supports the web has all but vanished for most users; all that is necessary is to know which tools to use, and any task

Policy decisions designed to protect students from encountering potentially harmful content also limit access to valuable educational content.

there is little opportunity for students to curate or maintain evolving collections of online material.

As more teachers demonstrate the value of online collaborative environments and communication tools, and as more students create blogs, develop photo and video journals, and participate in social networks, policy may gradually change.

The tools of the personal web are ideal for research and learning.

Rich, personal resource collections can be set up using tags and web feeds

(Indeed, it is a key strategy used in producing this report!)

let authors embed media into their blogs with a single click.