Trends: mLearning Revolution

This is a great article on the impact of Mobile on Learning and worth a read.

The key for successfully channeling the mLearning revolution will not simply be about digitizing current educational systems. The real appeal will be allowing people to choose their own paths, leverage their talents, and follow their passions and callings. MLearning has much business potential, but the most exciting and rewarding aspect of these solutions is that students of any age or background might have the chance to pursue knowledge that is meaningful, relevant, and realistic to achieve in their own lives.

I think it is kind of liberating to learn what you want, when you want and how you want. The tools are not there yet, but there are lots of developments in this space and opportunities as well.  Here are a few stories to confirm some of the observations in this post:

  • My 80+ year old parents and mother-in-law who never touched a computer in their  life are comfortable with iPad and Samsung tablet. They started swiping to see several pictures of their great grand-daughter but some of them moved on to skype with my children and even learn a few things from YouTube videos.
  • In a recent gathering, one of our family members told us about a 1+ year old kid wanting her “Apple” during meals. She meant Apple iPad. She was playing with a game while eating. Another kid of similar age watches his favorite YouTube videos during meals. I am not sure whether this is good or bad. It is just that a whole new generation is feeling comfortable with touch enabled technologies and mobile devices for of learning and entertainment.
  • A friend once told me that his kid used a play a lot with his iPhone. When he bought an iPad the kid made a generous offer to his dad – “you keep the small phone and I will keep the big one”. The kid was barely 2 years old. I heard several stories of kids hijacking ipads of their parents.
It will not be long before kids will shift from consuming information to producing information. How can we power these mobile devices into simple writing, drawing and creative tools? Some of that is already happening but the target population seems to be adults. What would a kid’s version of Photoshop look like?

If you are interested in the topic of Learning, you may also want to look at these links:

How People Learn

Seven Freedoms of Learning and Social Software

Learning About Learning

Learning – A Few Quotes