Handhelds Go to School: Lessons Learned

Introduction

The intersection of online learning and mobile computing—called mobile learning—holds the promise of offering frequent, integral access to applications that support learning anywhere, anytime. By and large, m-learning supports adults in the workplace—people who know what they want and why they want it. Given increased mobility in the corporate enterprise environment, m-learning has become an attractive target application area for corporate mobile devices.

But these devices can also support similar access for classroom learning. C-learning is oriented toward face-to-face participation. As Table 1 shows, m-learning continues and extends the learning paradigms and styles derived from a university lectureand-seminar model, now made accessible through Web-based delivery. By comparison, c-learning builds on constructivist learning paradigms that employ hands-on projects and cooperative learning groups. Until now, educators have delivered it primarily through special computer labs or the installation of a few computers in a classroom.