Mobile Learning - Key Terms & Definitions

• Bluetooth: A radio technology enabling devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers and printers to communicate with each other.
• G3: High speed mobile communications network which allows for mobile video.
• General Packet Radio Service (GPRS): A high speed form of wireless communication.
• Global Positioning System (GPS): Based on satellite systems to provide positioning and navigation information.
• Internet Explorer Mobile: Microsoft’s version of Internet Explorer for cell phones and PDAs.
• iPod: A small and portable media player, capable of playing digital audio, and with some versions, digital video.
• iTunes: A digital media player application used for playing and organizing digital music and video files.
• M-Learning: The use of mobile devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and iPods as educational tools. Also known as mLearning, mobile learning.
• MMS: Multimedia messaging service used to exchange multimedia content such as photographs and videos between mobile devices.
• MP3: A compressed digital music format for the transfer and playback of music on small digital music players such as iPods.
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA): Such as Palm Treo or Pocket PC. Some PDAs are now known as smartphones, meaning that the lines are blurring between PDAs and cellphones.
• Podcast: A series of audio or video digital media files which are downloaded from the internet.
• Real Simple Syndication (RSS): Which is a web feed format to publish frequently updated works such as blogs and podcasts.
• Short Message Service (SMS): Also known as texting.
• Smartphone: A cell phone with extended capabilities conducive to m-learning, such as high speed Wi-Fi for internet browsing and email.
• Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): The wireless communication environment used for mobile web accessed from a mobile phone or PDA.
• Wi-Fi: Wireless technology used for cell phones and PDAs.
• Windows Mobile: A compact operating system designed for use with mobile devices such as smartphones and PDAs. Included with Windows Mobile can be Office Mobile, which is a suite of mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.