I just got backup storage for my computer, which happens to be a laptop, which rarely leaves my home. The backup is just a bit bigger than my phone. It too will rarely leave my home. Both were designed for portability, yet neither is used primarily as such. My ipad also rarely leaves my house, but when I travel it trumps the laptop most of the time.

I’d disagree with Ralph on the point: “Don’t define a mobile learning device by the size of the screen but by the suitability of the screen for the learner’s needs.” I’d argue that the learning outcomes drive the design. If a long text needs to be comprehended deeply, it should be served up in a way that facilitates this goal. The potential mobility of the learner should be a consideration but it shouldn’t drive the design.

Being able to use a device with two hands while standing up or being in motion just seems wrong as it can be very rude or even dangerous. It reminds me of a video I saw in which a lady is walking in a mall with her face planted to her smartphone and walks straight into an indoor pool :-)

While some people may need to be able to stand while using their device, a cop on a walking beat comes to mind, how many workers really need that affordance? I can’t recall a recent experience in my work in which I needed to stand (I’m a one person shop who has a home office and meet clients at local coffee shops or their place of business).

If a person goes to a coffee shop and while standing in line to order her coffee ask a question and receives an answer through Twitter by using her smartphone, then the consensus seems to be that she is mlearning. But if she uses her laptop while sitting at a table to perform the exact same task, then the consensus seems to be she is not mlearning. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this.

And similar to the above, if a person is resting in an easy chair at home and using their device to learn then they are mlearning (even though they are only 20 feet from their pad and computer). But if a person is 200 miles from their home and office and learns the very same skill on their laptop, then they are not mlearning.

Paul, thanks for the kind words. And it definitely is the ‘is it at hand’ question. I think most folks always have their phone with them, and a few may always have their tablet with them. If you provide a device, whatever it is, it’s always with them ‘at the work context’ (e.g. iPad for hospital/plane, phone for sales folks).

Thanks for the feedback!

These days I tend to avoid defining mobile by either device (e.g. size or features, which is getting harder to define) or context (e.g. on the go, which is often not true). My current preferred way of framing mobile is to use phrases such as “mobile means close at hand” or “mobile means being available”. I look forward to any comments that you may have.