Journal 7

Envisioning the Future of Education
Learning While Mobile
Mark Van 'T Hooft

In this article the author discusses the pros and cons of learning while mobile. He first explains that learning while mobile is not only learning with the use of mobile technology and mobile learners, but looks at the constant mobility of knowledge and our society. He states "It focuses not on learners and technologies, but on the interactions between them, emphasizing that learning is a social process."

The two main components of this type of learning are context and conversation. Context is the location that learning takes place, such as a museum, classroom, workspace, etc. These are mobile because learners move from one location to another. Conversation is not only communication between two or more people, but the exchange of knowledge and information, creating active and collaborative learning.

Some examples of learning while mobile are MyArtSpace (where technology allows children to connect their experiences in a museum to school), Frequency 1550 (a artifact hunt done in medieval Amsterdam where students take on the role of pilgrims but use GPS-equipped cell phones to navigate), and National Museum of Natural Science (in Taiwan technology is used in this museum to create learning tours and much more)

The negative aspects of learning while mobile are:
Participation Gap-since there is unequal access to opportunities, skills, and knowledge, it doesn't fully prepare our youth for tomorrow's world.
Transparency Problem-much of the media in today's society is extremely biased in their distribution of information, and this makes it difficult for kids to make their own judgments.
Ethics Challenge-when traditional forms of professional training are broken down and thus not adequately preparing youth for public roles, ethical challenges occur.
Fear Factor-adults fear what kids will do with emerging technology and the potential negative side effects.

How can we find the balance of learning while mobile and yet sticking to traditional learning methods as well? It looks like a hard balance to find, but I'm sure eventually we will find it.