Mobile learning in the 21st century: benefit for learners

As the quantity of information available increases exponentially and the general pace of life accelerates, the ability to navigate, access, validate and share information will be a pivotal skill in an increasingly complex environment. This skill will affect every part of a person's existence, including everything from their ability to remain competitive in the workplace, to their ability to make personal choices about holidays, social activities and personal development projects. This article proposes four fundamental learning advantages that are gained more easily, or to a greater degree, through the use of [mobile learning] mLearning than through traditional face to face instruction, paper based distance education or traditional eLearning. Based on secondary academic research, and field research into current examples of mLearning, this article provides an alternative definition for mLearning and predicts some characteristics of the future learning environment, including the increased importance of metacognitive and literacy skills. It is proposed that mLearning can provide access, context, collaboration and appeal advantages and additional facilitation measures for facilitators. Finally, a glimpse of the future will be provided including hypothetical examples.