The Catch 22 in Mobile Learning

The rapid and pervasive implementation of mobile learning in institutions of higher learning may undermine our efforts to determine highly-effective strategies for using technology to support learning. Mobile learning, commonly referred to as “M-learning,” allows learners to combine the attributes of multiple learning contexts into a single session where learners engage in thoughtful agency with their peers. The learning environments are usually connected through smartphone technology, notebooks, and tablets, allowing learners to communicate with peers, manipulate data, and share contextualized observations with learners at remote locations.

M-learning environments move learners beyond the confines of conventional learning venues that feature lecture as the predominant form of instruction. These environments, unlike traditional classrooms, engage learners and challenge the learners to demonstrate their understandings of the phenomena presented in their coursework. The primary concern with M-learning is the rapid migration of individuals and organizations to new mobile learning devices. The hasty gravitation of individuals and organizations toward new mobile devices such as smartphones might result in an abandonment of mobile devices such as computer notebooks and tablets. These devices have been in existence for several years, yet computer notebooks and tablets are in their infancy when one considers the limited established knowledge available on how to use such mobile devices in learning environments effectively.

Abandoning these technologies prematurely might mean that a limited amount of scholarship is being generated to support the generative efforts of different types of organizations that seek to enhance learning among students. This trend is particularly troubling when considering the rapid pace of development of new technologies that are abandoned before sufficient scholarship is generated. Institutions of learning must be diligent in expanding scholarship on existing and new technologies, particularly when the technologies have not reached obsolescence.