Today we more often hear about the adoption of new technologies at schools, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. And the notions of eLearning and mLearning are becoming too common in educational sphere. Nevertheless, many still think that these terms mean the same and use them as synonyms. However, that's not the right approach.

1. mLearning: Definition, Peculiarities,
Perspectives
Technological progress has changed not only the way
we relax and work, but also the way we study.

2. Era of eLearning
eLearning refers to the technology-based educational process.
 Digital means (Flash drives, CDs, etc)
 Mobile gadgets (smartphones, tablets, eReaders)
 The Internet technologies
The education processes in developed countries have recently become
electronic in some way.
https://www.exploreb2b.com/articles/mlearning-definition-peculiarities-perspectives

3. How to Define mLearning?
in terms of the mobility of learners and the
mobility of learning
mLearning focuses on the mobility of a learner,
interacting with portable technologies.
in terms of devices and
technologies
mLearning is seen as a way to
provide or to obtain education
content using PDAs,
smartphones, tablets and other
mobile gadgets.
mLearning
in terms of the learners’
experience of learning with
mobile devices
Mobile learning is also defined
as "learning across multiple
contexts, through social and
content interactions, using
personal electronic devices”.

4. What makes mLearning different from
eLearning?
 mLearning is more personal and fun.
 mLearning is spontaneous.
 mLearning is shorter in duration.
 mLearning is just-in-time learning.
 mLearning engages users to contribute and share.

5. What features should quality
mLearning solutions have?
When it comes to the development of mobile educational solution, it
is very important to remember that such solution has 2 different sides:
1) the educational aspect (the course itself which is worked out by
professional teachers and educators);
2) the technical part of the application/solution which is developed
by programmers.

6. What requirements should mLearning
solution meet?
Features
Description
User role and
profile.
Any mLearning solution should be developed for the definite target audience.
Both, educators and developers should picture the portrait of the users, their
age, interests, etc.
Learning on the
move
The educational course should take into account that people will study mainly
on the go. Lessons shouldn't be very long. The information should be
portioned and presented in pieces.
Interface design
Interface design should be modern, fresh and it should take into account the
peculiarities of perception/habits of the target audience. The mLearning
solution's layout should be clear and simple so that users could get an instant
access to the materials.
Media types
Collaboration
support
The mobile solution should support various media types, starting with ordinary
images and ending with the most innovative technologies such as 3D videos
and video conferencing.
Today it is almost a must-have for all consumer-oriented mobile applications to provide users with a possibility to communicate and collaborate.

7. What new technologies can be applied
in mLearning?
Mobile technologies are developing very fast and in fact almost all recent
developments in mobile sphere can be applied in mLearning.
For example, the most advanced mLearning solutions can boast of the support of
such technological functions as:
Location aware
learning
Point-and-shoot
learning with
camera phones and
2D codes
Games and
simulation for
learning on mobile
devices
Sensors and
accelerometers in
mobile devices in
behavioral based
learning
Augmented reality
on mobile devices

8. What are mLearning perspectives?
mLearning will evaluate simultaneously with the mobile gadgets
development adopting new formats.
“Learners at colleges and in the work place are becoming smarter about the way they learn,
so organizations need to continually develop e-learning content to keep ahead of market
trends… Like it or not, people of all ages are bringing their own devices into the work and
learning environment and this will only continue to become more common moving
forward.” Jane Scott Paul of AAT
“With the easy availability of new social media tools, individuals are already managing
their informal learning. This trend is only likely to catch up more in the future as the users
increasingly search for and access learning resources freely available on the web, such
as, podcasts, videos, and blogs, whenever needed.” Rajesh Thambala of ValueLabs
http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/5-expert-predictions-future-elearning-0617051

9. Do You Want to Develop an Educational
Application? Contact Us!
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