Ubiquitous computing is considered the third wave of computing integrating computation into the environment instead of having computers as distinct objects. This is considered the age of calm technology and is in the infancy of the technological spectrum, basically the third paradigm of computing. The first paradigm of computing was the original mainframe computers that involved many individuals sharing only one computer.  The second wave of computing was the personal computer age where one person utilized one computer. Then, the age of ubiquitous computing started the third model where many computers will serve each individual.  According to Weiser (1991), the ubiquitous computing paradigm is where technology becomes virtually invisible in our lives as the computing becomes embedded in the environment.

The description of the prospect computer as an intimate computer in accordance with Kay (1991) and a human assistant in accordance with Tesler (1991) seems to encourage the concept of this third wave of computing. It has become reality to view this wave as a radical departure from the old tradition of computing. Instead of having the computers out for our use and forcing an adaptation to these machines, the world of ubiquitous computing will become implicit in our lives as the computing will become an embedded component in all the things we utilize in our daily lives, as pointed out by Weiser (1991).  The industry that this embedded computing technology could benefit all stakeholders is in the educational industry. This type of computing tool appears to be more natural and effective for the education of students.  According to the Harvard website, there is a project that presents an overview of utilizing handheld devices with ubiquitous learning. This project seeks to reflect the overall promise of ubiquitous computing and the benefits of wireless handheld computers. Combined together, it is the attempt of this project to improve the education of students.

The website of Harvard continues to indicate that the handheld devices for ubiquitous learning project the determined how these wireless devices will enhance the learning environment and teaching methodologies in the university setting. The chief reason for this ideology were based on the devices that a lot of students own and carry as a part of their everyday life, overall society acceptance, culture, and technical movement towards the world of ubiquitous computing, and the new emerging media-driven learning styles of future students. The math course could integrate this third wave by students utilizing wireless handheld devices with graphing calculators that enhances the overall learning of math skills. The implementation of this computing in the math course reduced the class room meeting times to a single two-hour class meeting. In the technology and assessment course, the class utilizes the devices to create and share animations, evaluated various commercial assessment applications, and completing actual real-time exercises, which reduced the class meeting times to a thirty-minute session and a two-hour session. This Harvard website presented several other classes where this technology has improved the learning environment for students and instructors, reducing the face to face meeting times as a result.

While ubiquitous computing is non-device specific, Harvard feels that the wireless handheld devices offer several features that Weiser has theorized. According to Dieterle (2004), there are five commonalities between all wireless handheld devices, which include:

o       Ability to connect to the internet easily

o       Provides the ability for the user to wear the device for easy access

o       Allows for instant access

o       Provides for flexibility

o       Ensures economic viability by providing computing capability at a low cost

Therefore, wireless handheld devices reflect a broad class of devices and are not limited to personal digital assistants (PDA’s), gaming devices, portable musical players, and cell phones, according to Dieterle.

As we further look into the paradigm shift for mobile computing in education, we must consider that student demands for “on-demand” computing have encouraged many higher educational institutions to take steps in creating a radical vision, according to a Business Wire (2006, May 16) article. There are primary forces that are forcing this paradigm shift toward ubiquitous computing in the educational marketplace. These forces include the tight competition necessities in the higher educational market has driven institutions to consider satisfying students needs and preferences. This has been addressed by some innovative institutions with adoption of cutting-edge technology as an attractive differentiation strategy. In this light, the students have been an influential driving force for this technology undertaking, resulting in a paradigm shift towards ubiquitous computing in higher education. The article further indicates that the extraordinary adoption of mobile devices have provided new educational tools to reach students and affected the developments in consumer technology that impact educational institutions.  The article further reveals that ubiquitous computing will dramatically provide a connection between instructors and students by providing a purpose-driven model for ubiquitous computing with considerable flexibility of information technology. The article also provides the ability to ensure that distance learning has no barriers and change will continue to unfold as mobile technology improves, becomes cheaper, and allows for faster access. This supports Harvard’s project of improving education through ubiquitous computing. The key is to maintain flexible expectations which seem to be the best method to allow instructors to work out ways to deal with this new concept of ubiquitous technology. According to Olsen (2001, January 26), Wake Forest University's research has revealed that eighty-seven percent of faculty members and students think learning has increased because students have more communication with their professors and many more opportunities to collaborate with classmates across the campus with this type of learning.

Prior to the introduction of this embedded computing process, students had to meet in the traditional style of classrooms for a full amount of time and at a pre-determined date and time. The traditional style assumes machines are placed for our use forcing individuals to adapt. Instead, ubiquitous computing is technology that insists technology will be implicit in our daily lives. As such, education should utilize this implicit view to better educate students familiar with this technological advancement. It will become a more natural tool making it a more effective and efficient manner to better educate the students.

Another aspect of ubiquitous computing includes the use of electronic whiteboards.  According to Young (2002, February 8), these whiteboards offer a display in spaces about five feet wide which appear to be an oversized touch screen computer monitor. Young continues to indicate that many of these devices have hit the market by ensuring every mark made on the board can be saved on the computer and uploaded easily onto the appropriate website or broadcast for students’ access over vast distances. Imagine the ability to manipulate the display, which means students have the ability to tap the board to advance slides in PowerPoint presentations and then scribble notes over them as they go. This means that student note taking takes on another role of improving the quality and efficiency in the learning process. The article has reflected that the devices were originally designed for business meetings, but their use in the academic world appears to be growing. This makes "electronic whiteboards" a computing power that improves one of the oldest and most ubiquitous teaching tools within the classroom. Prior to this electronic whiteboard, students had to manually write the notes and if they missed a concept, then they would not be able to obtain the information at a later date.

The last area of ubiquitous computing in education will be presented in the ideology of utilizing games for improving the learning process.  According to the Education Arcade Organization website, the educational arcade style games are innovative ubiquitous computing tools that improving student learning through educational computer and video games. The creative gaming design, instructive development, and student evaluation activities inform the production of the efficient and effective computing tools in the current classrooms.

The website presented that researchers in the past have explored key issues in the use of a wide variety of media in teaching and learning through the Games-to-Teach Project, a Microsoft-funded initiative with MIT Comparative Media Studies that ran between 2001 and 2003. The project resulted in a suite of conceptual frameworks designed to support learning across math, science, engineering, and humanities curricula. The future will involve the development of ubiquitous tools and game devices that will include:

o       creative contextual development

o       pedagogical and learning framework development

o       curricular and teacher support

o       assessment and student evaluation studies

By utilizing the embedding computation into the environment and normal objects, students will be able to interact with information-processing devices that appear to be more natural than students have done in the past.  The primary advantage is that this learning process can be done in any location or under any circumstance that the student finds themselves.  Prior to this third wave of computing, students did not have the ability to choose their method of learning style. Students usually will learn best when they are allowed to choose their mode of learning.

In the seventies and eighties, it was not unusual for students to attend and listen to a two- to four-hour class being taught. In today’s educational arena, students cannot maintain their attention throughout an entire two- to four hour-class lecture. Lecture classes were the normal process and technology was not part of the classroom.  Students had to take notes manually and access to educational materials was limited to when the students were in the classroom. Tutoring of students was limited to the actual instructors via office hours or other students in a learning center environment. Today’s students are easily distracted. The younger, full-time students grew up in an age of instant gratification. Most of their childhood life included cable or satellite television with access to over sixty channels, video games, internet availability, and a lot of entertainment opportunities. If one mode of entertainment starts to bore them; they easily change to another mode of entertainment. The other type of students include the working adult, has to wake up early in the morning, commute to the job, work eight to nine hours, and then attend a three to four hour lecture at night. Most of these students have families and bills to be concerned about. The time element for learning is affected.

Ubiquitous computing is one way to achieve the educational goals of teaching as it brings into being a change in the assembly of the classroom framework and the practices of those contributing to that framework.  Many resources should be made available to instructors in order to properly integrate the ubiquitous technology into the classrooms and continued education for instructors to ensure they have the same technological skill level as their students, according to Christiansen (2002). As embedded computing has become increasingly integrated into daily life, it is important for the learning environment to match a similar technology. Students will learn more when they are educated in an environment to which they are accustomed.