Technological ecosystem

MALL, which uses technology, depends on many other technologies in order to work.   A mobile phone contains a web of related technologies, and is embedded in several larger technological systems.   Because so many different technologies get woven together in any use of MALL, many different things can go wrong!   It is important to think through the implications at several scales for a given use of MALL.

Inside the phone

  • Battery –  what if the battery goes dead?
  • Camera – what if the camera is clouded?
  • Microphone – what if the microphone breaks?
  • Speaker – what if the built in speakers are too quiet?
  • Wi-fi port – what if the phone can’t find the wifi connection (passwords, connectivity)
  • Bluetooth port – what if bluetooth is not connecting to other phones (AirPort), the screen, or mouse, or speakers
  • Storage – what if the phone’s storage capacity is full?
  • Operating system – What if the app isn’t supported by this operating system?
  • Keyboard – what if the app doesn’t support the orthography of this language?
  • Speech-to-text – what if voice recognition software doesn’t recognize learners’ speech?
  • Compatibility (operating system, updates) -What if the operating system on your device is outdated or incompatible?

Inside the classroom

  • Projector – what if I can’t project the phone to a screen (AirPlay problems, or a cable doesn’t work
  • Projector – what if the bulb is dim?
  • Speakers – what if the phone won’t connect to speakers?
  • Power – what if there aren’t enough plugs to recharge dying devices?
  • Laptops – what if the app I assigned doesn’t have a laptop version?
  • Furniture – what if the desks can’t be moved to see the screen?
  • Surge protector – What if power outages damage your electronics?

Inside the school building

  • Power – what if the power goes out?
  • Server – what if the server goes down?
  • Bandwidth – what if there isn’t enough bandwidth for learners to be accessing content simultaneously?
  • Wi-fi – what if the signal is bad?
  • Security – what if privacy filters block access by phones?
  • Security -What if the school has/lacks virus protection?

Inside the local area

  • Signal –  what if signal is very bad or sketchy?
  • Satellite – what if 4G isn’t available?
  • Orthography – what if there are competing ways to write this language?

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