Argument against the proposition - response to the chairpersons points

1. Does mobile learning blur the boundaries between formal and informal learning? If this a good or bad thing?

I think there is little doubt that the boundaries are blurred by mobile learning, it encourages students to use devices that were previously used for socialising and social activities such as mobile phones for educational purposes. The use of mobile devices for education also means that students can physically do work in any surroundings, this again is blurring the boundaries between learning and the rest of their lives. Whether this is a positive move is more debatable I feel is this the way forward and is this how students want to learn or is this a step too far and an encroachment into their own time? As a student rep I don't know what the consensus is but perhaps we should ask students before rolling out systems that would drastically change how they are expected to work.

2. Is mobile learning likely to affect the ownership of learning?

I think this is inevitable. If students are using their own mobile devices to access learning there is a lot more option to personalise their learning which will lead to a greater feeling of ownership.

3. What are the barriers to mobile learning and how could we overcome them?

This is a hard question from my perspective as a student rep, I can see what the barriers are, and to me there are many, to name a few:

• Cost
• Accessibility
• Support
• Invasion of students' time and space

However how they are to be overcome I am less sure of. I think the institution needs to address or at least have plan to address the barriers before such a scheme can be implemented.

Sarah Dawson

Student Representative