Collaborative Learning through Wireless Grids

In this paper, we describe wireless grids, an emerging technology that enables ad hoc sharing of resources (such as screen, services and microphone) on edge devices (such as mobile Internet devices, laptops and mobile phones). As wireless devices have become common, and "smart," wireless grids have become practical. To highlight the capabilities of wireless grids to support collaborative learning, projects at the K-12 and undergraduate levels illustrate that wireless grid theory is transitioning into practice. We hypothesize that wireless grids can transform how students learn, the content of courses, learning-related practices, classroom dynamics and relationships among students and faculty. The authors conclude that applications of this technology will bring about fundamental changes in the ways that students, schools and universities create and disseminate ideas, knowledge, and understanding. The mobile phone is no longer banned in the classroom; it becomes a tool for instruction and learning.