In the next few years, billions of new users will be accessing the Internet for the first and the instrument they are using will likely be a mobile telephone handset.

This year, my online journalism students will add a new tool to their arsenal of storytelling. They will consume and produce content intended for mobile consumption.

I have decided the best way to use my 2007 faculty research grant is to purchase a handset for approximately $500 before tax. Earlier this summer I purchased an older version of the Nokia N series handsets and experimented with consuming and creating content, including mobile live video reporting and photography. I have posted three widgets on the home page of this site where you can browse the content archives of this experimentation.

Later this week, a student in my Fall JRNL80 class and a reporter for WRHU covering the Republican National Convention will use her cell phone to automatically post audio comments to the Nassau News website.