The capabilities of mobile devices

Anyone can develop mobile learning. You don't need to be a gadget geek or have the latest smartphone or tablet. You certainly don't need to know anything about the make and models of devices on the market. The only thing the learning practitioner really needs is an understanding of the capabilities of the mobile devices that your learners have. This will inform the types of mobile learning interventions that will be best suited to your audience. The following table shows an overview of what a mobile learner might be able to do with each of the device types. The Device uses column on the left should already be setting off lots of great learning ideas in your head!

Bear in mind that screen size will also impact the type of learning activity that can be undertaken. For example:

  • Feature phone displays are very small, so learning activities for this device type should center on text messaging with a tutor or capturing photos for an assignment.
  • Smartphones are significantly larger so there is a much wider range of learning activities available, especially around the creation of material such as photo and video for assignment or portfolio purposes, and a certain amount of web searching and browsing.
  • Tablets are more akin to the desktop computing environment, although some tasks such as typing are harder and taking photos is bit clumsier due to the larger size of the device. They are great for short learning tasks, assessments, video watching, and much more.
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