Mobile Storytelling and the Fort:Why we are here today ...

Presented by

Brett Oppegaard

WSU Vancouver / Texas Tech

What mobile gear used to be like:

Geek chic

The 'Game Changer' ...

Apple's iPhone:• Released on

June 29, 2007• Lede of MacWorld story from that day :

Pete Jensen came to the Apple store with an iPod, PDA and

cell phone.

“Today, I've got three things in my pocket. Tomorrow, I'll

have one.”

What is new here?It's not just about telephone calls, or even

really the convenience of only carrying one device ...

• Location awareness• Spatial awareness• Context awareness• Super social connector• Ubiquitous and

personally unique• New narrative options

About 93 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone. Source: Eplane consultants.

The rate of adoption of mobile technology has been amazing, arguably unprecedented. Wireless subscribers in the U.S. in June

2000 was 97 million. In June 2009, there were 277 million subscribers, with wireless penetration rising from

34 percent to 89 percent over that time period. Wireless revenues from data sharing grew during that

time period from $140 million to $37 billion.

Source: CTIA

There are more than 2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world, compared to 305 million desktop computers.

Source: Terry Kramer, strategy director of Vodaphone.

Beyond economic interests:• Mobile devices will be the world's primary

connection tool to the Internet by 2020 “The computer in your cell phone today is a million times cheaper, and

a thousand times more powerful and about a hundred thousand times smaller (than the one computer at M.I.T. In 1965)” ... “So what used to fit in a building, now fits in your pocket. What fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years.”

-- Ray Kurzweil, inventor and renowned futurist

Source: Xplane, “Shift Happens”

Fort Vancouver backgroundPart of the National Park Service, and the only National Historic Site in the Portland, Ore., area

Chance for us to be a national leader in this field; a very small percent of NPS sites right now have mobile apps; we'll be going beyond the purely informational

More than 1 million visitors last year

Rich and varied history to explore

Thousands of objects, hundreds of volunteers, costumes, etc.

High support among staff; high interest among park visitors

National Park Service supportFrom the Interpretation and EducationRenaissance Action Plan:

Goal:

6.0 ENCOURAGE AND ADOPT INNOVATION IN INTERPRETIVE AND EDUCATIONALTECHNOLOGY

Finding: Information technology has become part of every American’s life in the twenty-first century. It is influencing how people learn and interact with each other at the most fundamental levels. Currently, some parks are experimenting with technological innovations such as webcams, podcasts, and mobile communications. To remain relevant in the lives of young people and embrace how Americans receive and use knowledge in the Information Age, the National Park Service must use appropriate technologies as they become available, and be a leader in adapting technology to enhance place-based learning in park settings and at a distance.

The NPS brings an internationally significant place, a world-class collection of artifacts, images, and objects as well as a broad network of subject matter expertise