NT Concepts provided mobile browser development and Google Earth expertise to NSTA to design, develop, and deliver a mobile dashboard pilot for use by attendees of the 2011 National Conference in San Francisco.
NSTA historically has provided paper-based conference materials to attendees of its annual National Conference on Science Education. These materials are several hundred pages; cumbersome to carry through an exhibit hall; and not automatically searchable. Many materials are discarded or recycled after this four-day conference.
NT Concepts provided mobile browser development and Google Earth expertise to NSTA to design, develop, and deliver a mobile dashboard pilot for use by attendees of the 2011 National Conference in San Francisco. We closely collaborated with NSTA technical personnel and senior staff throughout this process. This mobile dashboard was optimized for the Android and iPhone web browsers. Features include a searchable conference schedule, quick links to NSTA news and NSTA Tweets, and a Google map preset to the conference center location. The pilot was designed to evaluate the requirements and acceptance of a Smartphone application within the NSTA community.
Gartner research projects that more than 500 million Smartphones will be in use worldwide in 2012*
NSTA conference attendees who participated in a mobile technology focus-group discussion lauded the mobile dashboard as a ground-breaking NSTA initiative: it provided lightweight portability, searchable conference sessions and materials, and a “green alternative” to traditional conference formats. In addition, mobile-based conference materials can be downloaded and updated from anywhere (via a wireless Internet connection), and at any time. And when the conference is over, there’s nothing heavy to carry home – or throw away. By applying an iterative, spiral development approach to building the mobile dashboard, we can work with NSTA to incorporate future updates and enhancements in support of upcoming events and initiatives.
NT Concepts has helped the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) move into the current App world. They worked closely with NSTA to brainstorm, design, develop, and deliver a mobile website for use by attendees of our 2011 National Conference on Science Education. The resulting application was highly-intuitive and fun and it looked great. The NSTA’s mission is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning and this project directly supports and advances that mission through facilitating new communication mechanisms for science teachers to access information for today’s mobile “app” world.
- Dr. Francis Eberle, Executive Director, NSTA
* http://www.slideshare.net/CMSummit/ms-internet-trends060710final
