Mobile learning as Technology-Mediated Education : An 'Activity' Approach

This research paper looks at how the introduction of mobile learning will be a catalyst for educational change, making learning more ubiquitous. We look back at the evolution of education and point out the historical evidence for such change such as the effect of books becoming widely available. We also examine the application of Activity Theory to mobile learning and show that it can be used to help understand the complex mobile phone-mediated activities of young people. Such an understanding will point the way towards the design of future mobile learning activities that will harness the affinity of young people with their mobile phones. Activity theory is a psychological theory with a naturalistic emphasis that emerged from the Soviet Union during the 1920s. It can be used to depict the mobile phone as a mediation device between young people and their social networks. It indicates that future mobile devices should provide flexible means through which young people can express themselves. This lends itself naturally to mobile device mediated socialconstructivist learning and enhanced learning ubiquity. The research was undertaken as part of a collaborative project between National College of Ireland, EMRC - Educational Media Research, University of Limerick and Estuary Technologies, a commercial learning technology company