Investigation of Smartphones as assistive technology

1. Investigation of Smartphones as assistive technology Brian Tompsett, Neil Gordon, Jim Keane Department of Computer Science University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX England http://www.hull.ac.uk

2. Introduction • Aim of the project was to consider how a disabled student could use modern devices to overcome their disability and better engage with their learning than with traditional assistive technologies • We also wanted to evaluate whether this could provide a more cost effective solution and/or usable solution

3. Technologies - devices • Nokia N96 smartphone with keyboard • Supports note taking, sound recording and video recording • Problems dropping keyboard connection • Difficult to connect to eduroam and lack of support for some VLE technologies • Flimsy appearance • Lack of multitasking (e.g. sound recording and note taking)

4. Devices • Nokia N810 Internet Tablet • Limited note taking – 20 mins or so • Good for viewing PDF files • Effective resource – WikiPedia and email access good • A helpful supplementary device – but not a replacement for a laptop

5. Devices • Apple IPod Touch • Good way to read lecture notes in PDF or PowerPoint • Could support various VLE sites • Lack of file/folder support for files though – so need emailing to an account in order to read them • More suitable as a way of accessing resources than creating notes etc.

6. Technologies • Development platforms: Mac, Windows • WiFi – Eduroam • Virtual Learning Environments • SharePoint • Blackboard • Sakai (eBridge)

7. Plan and approach • Initial task to evaluate how easy it was to connect each device to eduroam • From this, to provide guidance documents to students on using the network • Then to determine how easily the device worked with various VLE technologies • Several students with different special needs were loaned the devices and recorded their experiences using the devices

8. Developments • Keyboard Size is important • A folding wireless keyboard is probably essential for small devices • Multitasking is important • Wi-Fi in learning spaces is fundamental • Proprietary technologies in VLEs is a barrier

9. Other points • Small screen size makes them portable – but the option to link to a larger screen would be helpful • Application development could further their utility • Standardisation and interopability of Eduroam will be critical for future development • Restrictions on network connectivity may limit their utility

10. Benefits/outcomes of approach • Identified difficulties in using such devices allowing advice to be prepared on overcoming these • Students already had experience of traditional supportive technologies and could compare the utility of the new ones • The students appeared to value the initiative • Technical notes on usage produced • Presentations on the use to disseminate good practice • Devices that seem good in the short term can become irritating in the longer term • Standard approaches to technology support can become a barrier to these types of assistive technology

11. Conclusions • Small person devices have definite value as assistive technology, but their capability is still not fully mature. • Key issues: • Keyboard size • Multitasking • WiFi support and availability • Difficulties with non-standard technologies e.g. VLEs and Eduroam • These types of small project are valuable in engaging students and disability services. • Future work on new devices and approaches would be valuable, and dissemination within the community • Also, development of software for portable devices to support learning would be beneficial