Main content
Exploring approaches to learning with mobile and wireless technologies
| Perspective | Assumptions | Associated opportunities with mobile and wireless technologies |
|---|---|---|
| The associative perspective. | Learning as acquiring competence Learners acquire knowledge by building associations between different concepts. Learners gain skills by building progressively complex actions from component skills. |
Mobile phone/PDA: Bite-sized elements of learning develop individuals' competences. Mobile phone:m-Mentoring through SMS messaging reinforces behaviours and provides feedback. |
| The constructive perspective (individual focus). | Learning as achieving understanding. Learners actively construct new ideas by building and testing hypotheses. |
Wireless networked campus: 'Just-in-time' mobile access to learning resources on a VLE or intranet facilitates discovery of underlying principles. Mobile devices:Reflective and evaluative skills are developed through mobile access to e-portfolios. |
| The constructive perspective (social focus). | Learning as achieving understanding. Learners actively construct new ideas through collaborative activities and/or through dialogue. |
Electronic voting systems: Active learning is made possible in large group contexts by discussion and voting. Mobile devices:Can support collaborative learning and construction of meaning through information sharing and discussion. Mobile devices combined with wireless networks:Opportunities are available for rich learning experiences in the in-situ use or capture of data, sound and images. |
| The situative perspective. | Learning as social practice. Learners develop their identity through participation in specific communities and practices. |
Laptops and PDAs: Mobile laptop/PDA schemes support learning in dispersed communities. Mobile phones:Ownership of a mobile device enables disaffected learners to become part of a learning community. Mobile devices:Use of laptops, PDAs or tablet PCs enables learning in authentic contexts e.g. in laboratories, in the workplace or on field trips. |