Final votes counted in mobile learning debate

01 Jul 2010

by: Margaret Snell

Just over half (54%) of voters in Epic’s mobile learning debate support the motion that ‘learning on smart phones is less about new technology than it is about a new approach to pedagogy’.

The debate took place at the Learning Technologies Exhibition in January and since then over 1,000 votes have been cast online. The ‘for’ argument was led by Professor of mobile learning, John Traxler, supported by Kim Whittlestone, a senior lecturer in independent learning at the Royal Veterinary College. They argued that mobile devices are chaotically diverse, volatile and ephemeral and that it would be wrong for any learning and development strategy or policy to be based on them otherwise we could create the illusion that the better the device or technology, the better the learning. Learning on smart phones should therefore be about a new approach to learning and learners.

Professor Mike Sharples, President of the International Association of Mobile Learning and Dr Mike Short, Vice President of Research and Development for O2 presented the alternative argument that in the smart phone, at last, we have a new and powerful tool to interact, and that successful learning is all about interaction.

Marcus Boyes, who heads Epic’s mobile division said: “Fitting learning into our hands, our pockets and the gaps in our days through mobile technology is undoubtedly the way forward. That means employing new kinds of technology, such as authoring tools, and new kinds of pedagogy through cutting-edge instructional design. One is proving just as important as the other to the growing number of organisations who are approaching us for help with their mobile learning strategies.”

Epic is hosting another E-learning Debate on informal learning, on Wednesday 6 October 2010 at the Oxford Union. To register interest in attending, go to www.elearningdebate.com

 

 

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