Mobile Learning for Education — from JISC
This document introduces the subject of mobile learning for education purposes. It examines what impact mobile devices have had on teaching and learning practices and goes on to look at the opportunities presented by the use of digital media on mobile devices.
Introduction
Mobile learning is considered to be the ability to use mobile devices to support teaching and learning. It is the ‘mobile’ aspect of mobile learning that makes it stand apart from other types of learning, specifically designing learning experiences that exploit the opportunities that ‘mobility’ can offer us.
This is because mobile devices have features and functionality for supporting learners. For example, podcasts of lectures can be made available for downloading. Learners are to expected to engage with these learning resources whilst away from the traditional learning spaces.
Although some will say that physical books count as mobile devices too, in this advice document we are concerned with electronic mobile devices.
There is a wide range of mobile devices on the market including laptops, PDAs, and ebook readers. However, we will be looking at the most popular mobile device – the mobile phone. Mass proliferation of mobile phones and the features and functionality they offer make the device stand out as an area ripe for exploration. Mobile phones are multi-function devices which are of interest due to their very nature of offering ‘mobility’, but also for their ability to create and consume digital media.