Constructing knowledge via mobile devices - one interaction at a time

Mobile devices (Smartphones, Tablets, etc.) influence the way we communicate, think, and learn. Reality enhancing, context-aware, mobile applications, 'attach' data onto contexts and objects within our surroundings, thus allowing for a more consolidated knowledge interaction experience. As a result, we suggest that every object in our surroundings is becoming a potential, informal, atomic learning unit - a 'knowledge carrying object' (KCO). Though a single, random, interaction with a KCO may seem trivial, tracking, aggregating, analysing and personalising multiple interactions, across contexts, may facilitate a comprehensive knowledge construction process. This process is essentially connected by the learner's personal profile which may include his/her prior knowledge, learning styles, social preferences and contextual learning needs. This paper reviews the mobile's potential for informal learning, introduces the notion of a KCO, offers a vision of a mobile facilitated knowledge construction process, and suggests research directions for the near future.