The value of mobile technology in 'teaching and learning' ... is it necessary to separate the two entities since if the level of knowledge in technology is sufficient to enable the learner to engage in the task in hand, it could be reasonable to assume that the learner becomes the teacher, or the master, at least, of his or her own learning. As Jo Debens (2012), a geography teacher in Portsmouth shared in The Guardian its about the "...activity not the device."
The changing culture of learning in classrooms across the globe due to the prolific rise in the use of evolving information communication technologies such as m-learning, appears a step towards mutually enhanced learning structures. Documented by Hew & Brush (2006) who found that there are teachers who feel they have an "...inadequate knowledge of technology supported pedagogy", may find themselves being taught how to use the latest mobile phone gadgets for website research that does not depend on the internet access from the education provider or dictate the way in which students choose to learn.
If you keep your 'objectives' clear, as Matt Britland from Kingston Grammar School notes, then one of the most valuable and mortal gifts we can empower our learners with is to trust their judgement and often skillful ability to forge exploratory pathways that perhaps only m-learners really know how!
Jean-Eric Pelet (2013) appears to argue favourably for mobile technologies to enhance the learning environment for all its participants, in view of its 'adaptability' to the everyday needs of the learner. This idea is further emphasised by Drummond (2013) that suggests upon learners being given the task to produce short films they demonstrated an range of additional key skills such as learning the language of cinema, the acquisition of film-making techniques and skills to utilise on mobile devices.(2013, p.131).
As Britland summarized let learners "... decide on a vision, aims and objectives." (Britland, in The Guardian, 2012). Perhaps the ultimate value of using mobile technologies is if its enhances the learning experience and enables students to record, collaborate with other learners and share recorded material to support applied projects, field trips and research assignments, these accomplishments are in themselves the rapid result, in contrast to more traditional learning approaches to recording data for instance, of a growing nation of independent learners ... so long as community educators its possible to dissuade learners from browsing facebook or texting incessantly, I concur that m-learning is a positive addition to the learner's toolkit!
References:
Jean-Eric Pelet, E-Learning 2.0 Technologies and web applications in Higher Education, a volume in the Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) book series. (Information science reference:(2013).
Jo Debens & Matt Britland, quoted by Hannah Gould in The Guardian, Tablets, laptops and mobiles in the classroom:top tips from teachers, 16th September, 2012, Retrieved 12/12/2013:>http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/sep/16/tablets-laptops-mobile-in-classrooms-teachers-tips
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