In the past two weeks I have had four separate conversations focusing on the use of mobile devices. Ipods, Ipads seem to dominate, whereas 12 months ago it was all about the Nintendo DS and netbooks. Such a sea-change in such as short time. I think its time we pause and consider why mobile learning is a hot topic and important and how learning changes, when its on the move.
Devices are converging, offering powerful almost ubiquitous access to information and connections. It is not just student walking in to classrooms completing their text message or BBM or Facebook status updates but teachers and school leaders receiving emails, alerts and updates. We are experiencing our lives on the move. Instant on, all day on (well almost, with the exception if iphone 3GS users).
Whilst mobile learning provides an opportunity to contextualise formal learning, mobile learning is its replacement. Content it king here, its just the content is enriched and in some cases the environment itself becomes a part content or the focus on the learning. Mobile devices, in addition to providing access to information and connections, now have the power to radically change the learning space, especially when also connected to the internet. Posting audio, images, text, sharing data measurements, augmented reality and GPS tracking and check-ins. Not forgetting that any one to one style learning model moves the teaching relationship from ‘teacher transmits to class’ to a more ‘mentor-facilitator’ relationship, supporting and prompting learners on guided journey.
Swooning of the affordances presented by mobile learning is the temptation most technologists need to resist. In preference, it would benefit our end aims it we review how the learning experience will ultimately change and how will can arm teachers to move forward with confidence. We need assess if the expenditure will redeem a cost effect learning impact and that both the technology and this impact is sustainable. A finally point, from what our students tell me, if there is no connectivity (internet), they are hard to impress. Its not a question of publish or perish, its just that they anticipate that anything mobile means connected to the internet and the ability to ‘Google it.’ Is you wireless up to it? There is perhaps one exception to ‘needing’ the internet.’ Playing at learning, (I include edu-apps such as Comic Life, My Alphabet in that definition) and educational gaming. Student see this type of learning as primarily discrete although this may soon be influenced by the opportunity to publish scores, achievement and quest badges. What is defined as social gaming. And after all, is that really mobile learning? Or simply just learning on a mobile device?
I wrote this article for a respected colleague, Matthew Jeffreys, I do hope it provides food for thought.
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