Diffusion of innovations: wireless and wearable anatomy learning resources

Abstract

Since 1999, the author has explored and reported on the use of handheld computers, PDAs and personal media players, for anatomy and health sciences education. Attention has been consistently directed to the anticipated integration of handheld computer functions into ubiquitous cellular telephones. However, modest distribution of first‐generation “PDA‐phones” (e.g., Palm Treo and Blackberry) has provided few potential users for basic health sciences learning resources. In contrast, with the widespread popular adoption of the iPod media player, “podcasting” has become a successful portable medium for distributing lectures, images, and video‐based content to students. With the recent introduction of the widescreen Apple iPhone and the iPod touch wireless handhelds, scalable World Wide Web access has been added to the iPod's basic media player capabilities. The author's successfully distributed iNatomy limb muscle “flashcard” resource was converted from iPod Notes Reader format to (X)HTML, with cascading style sheets optimized for the iPhone/touch Safari Web browser. This new application was tested and openly distributed on public Web servers. Existing PDF documents and image resources were also successfully tested, including video lectures, clinical and 3D imaging arrays. The iPhone and iPod touch provide readable high‐resolution displays (320 × 480 pixels at 160 dots/inch) that can readily display, zoom, and pan images with simple finger‐touch gestures. They represent just the first of a new generation of touch‐interfaced, “wearable” computing devices that provide practical, scalable wireless Web access, also suited for audience response systems. With widespread self‐adoption of such new personal technology by incoming students, educators can look forward to increasing portability of well‐designed, multiplatform “learn anywhere” resources.