Mobile Learning: A 21st Century Approach to Education

Mobile learning implies learner's mobility, in the sense that learners should be able to engage in educational activities without the constraints of a tightly delimited physical location. Mobile technologies impact on teaching, learning, and on the connections between formal and informal learning, work and leisure. Developers and educators consider them as an alternative due to the low cost of many of the mobile devices relative to desktop computers and the spontaneous and personal access they give to the vast educational resources of the Internet. When combined with wireless connectivity, learning activities can be monitored and coordinated between locations. However, the task of designing such activities and appropriate learner support is complex and challenging. The authors analyse the learning environment under the impact of mobile technologies and of the new requirements of the 21st century education.