Mobile Learning: Learning on the Go

Abstract

The mobile revolution is finally here. The evidence of mobile penetration and adoption is irrefutable: smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable game devices, portable media players, MP3 and MP4 players, tablet PCs, and laptops abound and can be found everywhere. Also, the increasing availability of high-bandwidth network infrastructures and advances in wireless technologies have opened up new accessibility opportunities (Kinshuk, 2003). No demographic is immune from this phenomenon. People from all walks of life and in all age groups are increasingly connected and communicate electronically with each other nearly everywhere they go (Wagner, 2005). The development of and adoption rate of mobile technologies are advancing rapidly on a global scale (Brown, 2005). Since 2000, there is considerable interest from educators and technical developers in exploiting the universal appeal and unique capabilities of mobile technologies for the use in education and training settings (Naismith, Lonsdale, Vavoula, & Sharples, 2004). The use of mobile technologies to support, enhance, and improve access to learning is a relatively new idea and many learners are quite comfortable with various mobile devices. Mlearning (mobile learning) is consequently an emerging concept as educators are beginning to explore more with mobile technologies in teaching and learning environments. Already, there are numerous applications for mobile technologies in education—from the ability to transmit learning modules and administrative data wirelessly, to enabling learners to communicate with instructors and peers “on-the-go” (Brown, 2005).