| While trawling through multiple web-links, a pattern | | | | some just-in-time learning at your team's football |
| of myths about mobile learning emerges. Quite a | | | | game or the annual office cocktail party, there is |
| bit of back and forth about these myths - I'm | | | | enough cause for distraction in such situations. |
| taking the liberty of listing and describing the five | | | | The challenge lies in developing engagement that |
| myths of mobile learning that struck me as odd, | | | | truly utilizes device's capabilities. Simply converting |
| and am attempting to debunk them to an extent. | | | | and packaging existing course-ware for mobile |
| I'll be the first to admit there is always an | | | | consumption does not qualify as 'mobile learning'; |
| element of truth behind myths; but with the rate | | | | for it to be effective learning, the learning content |
| of technological change, quite a few of those | | | | and activities have to be designed keeping mobile |
| 'truths' would seem like falsehoods today. | | | | device usage and the like in mind. What worked |
| This article looks at 5 myths about mobile learning | | | | on a personal computer won't necessarily work |
| and why it is so important not to be lured in by | | | | on a personal mobile computing device. Given |
| them. | | | | boring content, who wouldn't be distracted? |
| Myth 1. Devices lack in screen and key size and | | | | Myth 3. Accessibility and cost barriers - This was |
| processing power - It's said quite often that as | | | | perhaps one of the stranger myths I |
| compared to personal computers, mobile devices | | | | encountered, that personal mobile computing |
| lack the large physical interface devices | | | | devices are inaccessible because of the inherent |
| (keyboard, monitor, mouse, printer...) that personal | | | | cost barriers. Looking around me here in India at |
| computers provide. While mobile devices' still don't | | | | the amazing rate of adoption of mobile devices |
| match personal computers interface capabilities, | | | | and the availability of mobile networks capable of |
| they've come a long way in a very short time. | | | | data that now range contiguously across India, its |
| Today's devices have large usable screens, and | | | | obvious cost is hardly a factor in the mobile |
| full QWERTY keyboards. Additionally, they also | | | | learning equation. Phones today cost far less than |
| include features to aid in pointing/clicking on | | | | they ever did, do far more and are cheaper to |
| screen, with the latest devices including | | | | use because network usage charges are dropping |
| multi-touch haptic support. | | | | consistently. These factors contribute to increased |
| The processor speed race has shifted from | | | | technology availability and subsequent adoption. |
| personal computers to mobile devices; the latest | | | | Myth 4. Lack of a standardized content delivery |
| mobile computing devices today are as capable as | | | | platform - This is touted as the major reason for |
| personal computers were just five years ago. | | | | corporates to hesitate in their adoption of mobile |
| With device convergence coming soon; issues of | | | | learning. What they've been conveniently ignoring |
| screen and key size, processing power and | | | | is that the biggest content delivery platform - the |
| memory will become immaterial. We'll soon be | | | | World Wide Web and its varied components are |
| using a device that's compact enough to be truly | | | | now accessible from most mobile devices of this |
| mobile and also function as a personal computer, | | | | generation. If we aren't adopting the content |
| communication device, digital assistant, and much | | | | delivery technology that's there for the taking, it's |
| more. | | | | not fair to crib about standardized platforms or |
| Myth 2. Mobile devices are a distraction - Mobile | | | | lack thereof, we only have ourselves to blame. |
| devices are becoming ubiquitous and pervade the | | | | Myth 5. Mobile content is expensive! - This is the |
| younger generation of learners' communication. | | | | standard myth that accompanies the advent of a |
| Additionally, corporates across the world have | | | | game-changing technology. They said it about |
| taken to mobile technologies in a big way. It does | | | | computers, and a brief look at history will show |
| seem like these devices have potential for | | | | the same pattern for books, radio and television. |
| distraction given their multiple features. However, | | | | As I mentioned earlier (point 3) phones are now |
| if learners are distracted I'd rather blame the | | | | broadly accessible and affordable to the masses. |
| learning activities and content and not the | | | | Developing content for mobile devices is no longer |
| technology or device itself. | | | | an expensive, platform dependent exercise. I'd go |
| When we use personal computers to learn the | | | | out on a limb and claim it's possible to develop |
| potential for distraction is equal. One could ignore | | | | mobile learning content that's mobile browser |
| the learning content and use the computer for | | | | savvy for less than or equal to the cost of |
| other 'distracted' things. However, I'll admit that | | | | conventional eLearning that runs on personal |
| while a personal computer is typically desk bound | | | | computer based browsers. |
| or too bulky to be truly portable, mobile | | | | I'd really like to hear from readers what they |
| computing devices maybe used in a variety of | | | | think about these myths. When discussing mobile |
| environments and those themselves may be | | | | learning, do these myths come up? How do you |
| cause for distraction. You wouldn't want to try | | | | respond? |