The Community of Educational Technology Support held an interest group meeting Tuesday for mobile technology and mobile development. Faculty, staff and graduate students of Iowa State who are developing or plan to develop mobile applications were invited to this event.

ComETS is an ISU community that promotes dialog and events focused on technology in learning and teaching, according to the group’s website. The community allows the sharing of ideas and resources and commonly features debates regarding the future of technology.

The first topic discussed at the meeting was the new development of a mobile version of the ISU homepage. Designers have been working on this mobile site since December 2009. The site allows users to view pages that could be useful on the go. Each feature is provided in a large, bold text, making it easier for touch-screen users to select links and text boxes.

Lesya Hassall, instructional development specialist of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, gave a presentation on a current project being developed for ISU dietetics interns.

Each intern will be loaned an iPod Touch, which they use to download the specific application that allows them to access to the Blackboard management system. This gives them the ability to check messages, their schedules and other important information regarding their internship.

For a brief moment, the results from the mobile technology portion of the ComETS needs assessment were discussed.

The results indicated the majority of students on campus own a cellular device, with only 10 percent of those not possessing Internet capabilities.

The needs assessment had an option of leaving a comment about what the student thought would make a useful application. A few thoughts were an application providing dining services information such as each menu and the hours of operation. Direct AccessPlus, CyMail and WebCT access were mentioned so that students could check messages from teachers, look at u-bill information and even register for classes. A detailed campus map and improved CyRide application were requested as well.

Representatives from the University of Iowa spoke about the mobile applications they are in the process of developing. Bongo, or Bus On the Go, is an application that will allow anyone to view the location of each bus, the route and the time remaining until it reaches its next stop.

Students, faculty and staff are all working to create more applications that will be free of cost for the student body. With the world’s shift to mobile technology and instantly accessible information, ComETS is using its knowledge to provide Iowa State with the latest in new and innovative resources.