ESL Teacher Reference Desk

Importance of Mobile Learning in Lifelong Learning

1. Continuous Access to Education

Mobile learning allows individuals to continue their education and skills development beyond formal schooling, essential for lifelong learning. The ability to learn at any time and from any location enables learners to pursue new knowledge, develop new skills, or enhance existing ones throughout their personal and professional lives, which aligns with the modern need for continuous professional development, where individuals frequently upskill or reskill to remain competitive in a dynamic job market.

2. Learning in Diverse Contexts

Mobile learning allows for the integration of learning into daily life. Learners can engage with educational materials through smartphones or tablets in the workplace, during commutes, or at home. This ubiquity of access supports informal and non-formal learning, which is essential to lifelong education.

3. Self-Directed Learning

Lifelong learning emphasizes autonomy and personal responsibility for education. Mobile learning platforms and applications enable individuals to self-direct their learning, choosing the content, pace, and timing that suits their personal goals and needs. With mobile learning, users have access to massive open online courses (MOOCs), educational apps, podcasts, eBooks, and other resources that allow them to shape their learning pathways.

4. Microlearning and Just-in-Time Learning

Mobile learning supports microlearning—bite-sized lessons or learning experiences delivered in short, manageable segments. It is highly beneficial for lifelong learners with limited time due to work or other commitments. It also supports just-in-time learning, where learners can quickly acquire specific knowledge or skills needed for immediate tasks or challenges in their professional or personal lives.

References

Ally, M. (2009). Mobile learning: Transforming the delivery of education and training. Athabasca University Press.

Beddall-Hill, N., Jabbar, A., & Al Shehri, S. (2011). Social mobile devices as tools for qualitative research in education: iPhones and iPads in ethnography, interviewing, and design-based research. Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology, 7(1), 67-89.

Crompton, H. (2013). A historical overview of mobile learning: Toward learner-centered education. In Z. L. Berge & L. Y. Muilenburg (Eds.), Handbook of mobile learning (pp. 3-14). Routledge.

Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18-26.

Keegan, D. (2005). The incorporation of mobile learning into mainstream education and training. In M. Ally & A. Tsinakos (Eds.), Mobile learning for teacher education (pp. 1-9). Athabasca University Press.

Kukulska-Hulme, A., & Traxler, J. (2005). Mobile learning: A handbook for educators and trainers. Routledge.

Pachler, N., Bachmair, B., & Cook, J. (2010). Mobile learning: Structures, agency, practices. Springer.

Park, Y. (2011). A pedagogical framework for mobile learning: Categorizing educational applications of mobile technologies into four types. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(2), 78-102.

Sharples, M., Taylor, J., & Vavoula, G. (2007). A theory of learning for the mobile age. In R. Andrews & C. Haythornthwaite (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of e-learning research (pp. 221-247). SAGE.

Traxler, J. (2010). Distance education and mobile learning: Catching up, taking stock. Distance Education, 31(2), 129-138.

Viberg, O., & Grönlund, Å. (2017). Understanding students’ learning practices: Adaptation of learning designs in mobile learning. Computers & Education, 113, 141-159.

Wu, W. H., Jim Wu, Y. C., Chen, C. Y., Kao, H. Y., Lin, C. H., & Huang, S. H. (2012). Review of trends from mobile learning studies: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 59(2), 817-827.