On Saturday night I took my girlfriend to see ‘Wicked’ the musical for her birthday and as we were waiting in the foyer before the show I noticed a series of posters informing people to turn their bluetooth enabled devices on to automatically receive free promotional multimedia. I thought this was really cool and as my bluetooth is set to auto receive files it wasnt long until my phone beeped and let me know I had received a video. After a little investigating I found a computer sitting behind one of the posters which got me thinking that I could possibly create one of these automatic bluetooth file servers using my own bluetooth enabled laptop.
A quick google search and I found two simple ways to create a free Bluetooth server that automatically sends specified files to devices as they become discovered. This is what I found…
Althought both these programs has been designed with marketing in mind, they could easily be used within a classroom context for all sorts of activities. Here are just a few ideas of how I could use it in a classroom.
1) As student’s walk in they receive a text file detailing the instructions for the lesson
2) Students receive by random (Can be done in Blueminer) multimedia content for all sorts of classroom activities
3) Students receive at the end of the lesson a download of the PowerPoint or the notes used throughout the class
Just a few ideas of how I could use such a really exciting technology. How do you think it could be used?
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Having attempted to design a bluetooth audience response system for a university class of 300, I can safely say that there are problems. Do your students have a bluetooth phone? (about a third of my class did) Do they know how to use it? (about a third of that third knew) Do they want to get stuff that way? I didn’t find that out, but would be interested in anything you try and if you want more info, let me know (you can find me via twitter)
Here via @lordfolland
Thanks they are legitimate concerns. However in my case I’m teaching classes that have about 10 students in total in a very personal manner. This sofware appears to work really well in my initial testing and im looking at using it as an addition to the way I present content, not a replacement to my online and face to face approach. I think there is alot of power in such an approach and look forward to sharing with you how it all pans out.
what bluetooth device u has been try in your computer??, because i trying using usb bluetooth but can’t work with both programs. i check the websites of developers they don’t had support devices or compatible list
Hello,
I am a final year student doing Bsc information systems. My final year project has for titile ‘mobilel earning using bluetooth’. I am having problems with the implementation part. Can someone please help me?
Mr Robbo, i really appreciate your suggestions for using bluetooth as a learning tool in classes. Since you are already using the system which i have to implement, i just wanted to know how you and your students feel that this method is perhaps the most suitatble to you. what are the problems encountered?
Thanks a lot
I’m doing a research project on the bluetooth used in learning environments, we may share information, I am in Colombia.
If someone is still interested in this, write me. I can detail you how to do it using linux.
Hi fer, i was looking on how to build a BT server with linux. I would appreciate any help.
regards
tom.-
sgaviertomas (AT) yahoo (Dot) com ( Dot ) ar
Please advise me on how to setup this in linux ubuntu
please i have been considering it on linux ubuntu for my classroom study group, and considering the fact that linux is very rubust i will appreciate if it can be related to me. and also what ranges can it be used within and how can we expand it range.
thank you.
I would love to be able to help you however my understanding of Linux OS is quite limited, however Im sure that a google search of ‘Linux bluetooth server’ could provide you with some appropriate results.
Cheers