Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Developers, Educators, and Learners

CHAPTER 16

Mobile Learning Today and Tomorrow

INTRODUCTION

The ability to create rich, meaningful, and engaging learning experiences for students has never been more attainable. With the proliferation of powerful devices and the significant momentum toward widespread access to broadband, the nuts and bolts are in place waiting for developers, educators, students, and other stakeholders to take the benefits of mobile learning from theory to practice. Trailblazers have already set the stage for this movement, creating and documenting best practices as well as failures. The potential for leveraging today's technologies for education has driven these leaders to take great risks and demonstrate unwavering perseverance. As more teachers on the front lines of education have positive experiences with mobile learning, more advocates and leaders are created to improve it.

The motivation behind mobile learning has never been about the devices themselves but rather the empowerment and opportunity they provide to the student. Few educators would argue that taking the SAT outdoors on an iPad represents mobile learning. Instead, mobile learning embodies those lessons that would otherwise be impossible without synergizing the affordances of mobile technologies. Using a mobile device to identify a bird by searching key features on a birding app, or sharing work in real time with others working on a group project are key differentiators for the mobile experience that facilitate deeper learning and ...