Article Preview
TopMobile Learning (henceforth m-learning) is often associated with learning delivered by mobile (handheld) devices, such as smartphones, tablets, portable music players, etc., usually connected wirelessly to the Internet. Although such devices are central to conducting m-learning activities, technocentric conceptualizations of m-learning have been recently viewed as rather superficial (Kukulska-Hulme, 2010; JISC, 2011). Defining mobile education in terms of utilized devices seems to be constraining, since it is limited to current technological instantiations, which, at the pace of current technological innovation, tend to become obsolete before gaining widespread use in education.
Other proponents of m-learning (Winters, 2006; Sharples, Milrad, Sánchez & Vavoula, 2009) conceptualize m-learning in terms of the mobility of learning. This aspect is highly important, since extending learners’ mobility changes both the nature of learning and the variety of ways in which it can be delivered. However, as noted by Traxler (2009, p. 15), the nature of learning mobility can be viewed differently by different people. For some learners it may be associated with reading on a laptop computer while commuting to school; for others it may be hands-free listening to audiobooks or podcasts while exercising.