Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Tablets – With their portability and
larger screen size, tablets fit a niche for mobile access that is between a full- blown laptop computer and features of a smartphone. The usage opportunities for tablets being tested in many institutions today are showing substantial promise. Geolocation – Enables specific local or
contextual information to be readily available.
MOBILE LEARNING'S FUTURE
The home screen for the Mobile T.I.P. course (courtesy of the authors)
information about what the viewer sees. This technology is being used for travel information, history and language transla- tion. Bring your own device (B.Y.O.D.) –
When students use their own wi-fi- enabled device to enhance their learning experience, they benefit from familiarity with the device, becoming more engaged with the subject or lesson. Issues include wi-fi access, cross-platform issues and lack of equity among students. Cloud computing - Ubiquitous, con-
venient, on-demand network access puts search, processing, storage and retrieval, and sharing in the palm of your hand, wherever you are. However, security and connectivity are concerns that are still being addressed. E-books – Sales of e-books on
Amazon.com now surpass the number of print books sold. With e-books, textbooks become rentable and library practices change dramatically when freed from the physical constraints of storage, wear-and- tear, and limited availability. Users like e- books for the easy access, light weight, lower cost, interactivity and updating capabilities. However, availability of specif- ic texts and standardization of formats are still issues.
What do these advances mean for the future of mobile learning? We foresee a huge increase in the ability for personal- ized content that is bite-sized, informal and situational, available to you exactly when you need it. Whether these "snack- sized" bits of learning or micro-learning take the form of course-lets, access to reference materials, reinforcement of previous training via spaced learning or just-in-time performance support, the portable, ubiquitous nature of mobile learning content offers limitless possibil- ities, especially when you take a look at some of the mobile devices beyond smartphones that are looming on the horizon. For example, some of the future capabil-
ities we are following include: >> multi-sensory devices that incorporate
senses of smell, sight, hearing and touch to detect, transmit, emit, radiate >> colors, light, heat/temperature
personal assistant capabilities (recent- ly introduced in the Apple 4S with >> Siri)
built-in pico-projectors that project >> screens onto a flat surface
eyeglasses that can access the Internet >> and display content
electronic materials that could replace >> paper
near-field communication for secure sharing and transactions between >> devices
sensors and on-body wearable com- >> puting
>> Gesture capture/transmission eye tracking capabilities
innovations in battery power, includ- >> ing human-generated solutions
Dr. Lin Zhong of Rice University made
The screen for "mLearning Guide" (courtesy of the authors)
this prediction for smartphones in 2020: "Coupled with the almost unlimited computing power from the cloud, avail- able to smartphones through wireless connectivity, the capability to see, hear, feel and even smell continuously will make our smartphones truly like a human companion." While future devices may not replace a
knowledgeable friend or a talented teacher, we look forward to the coming decade and seeing how mobile technology and mobile learning develop and dramat- ically change how we acquire information and learn.
"smart" contact lenses with biosensors >> and text translators
—Judy Brown has been involved in tech- nology for learning for more than 25 years, and with mobile learning since 1996. A contractor with Katmai Support Services, she leads the ADL Mobile Learning Team. At ADL, Jason Haag focuses on mobile platforms and technology, and best prac- tices for implementation. He is a contrac- tor with The Tolliver Group, Inc. This arti- cle reflects the opinions of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Office of the Secretary of Defense or the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. E-mail inquiries to adlmobile@adlnet.gov.
Government Elearning! November / December 2011 45