Mobile Learning goes large in 2008

Here's another sign that the barriers to anytime, anywhere learning are falling indicated in this report in the Financial Times:

"After years of false dawns for operators, the use of mobile phones for web surfing is on the verge of becoming widespread in Europe and the US, and iPhone research by O2 shows the device is acting as an important catalyst for such activity."

"Matthew Key, who becomes chief executive of O2 Europe next month, told the Financial Times that 60 per cent of the company’s iPhone customers in the UK were sending or receiving more than 25 megabytes of data a month, the equivalent of 7,500 e-mails without attachments or 25 YouTube videos. By comparison, less than 2 per cent of O2’s other UK customers on monthly payment contracts use more than 25MB a month.

“Here’s absolute proof that if you get the proposition right, customers will use data,” said Mr Key, who reached a deal with Apple for O2 to be the exclusive UK network operator for the iPhone."

I couldn't agree more Mr Key. As other mobile device manufacturers play catch up with Apple, we'll see much more easy (and cost effective) access to mobile data. Having bought an iPod Touch it's proven to me further that the directness of the touch interface and removal of delay allows you to engage with the content in hand (literally in this case) and becomes a more powerful experience for it.

This is exciting for e-learning designers like myself as this has got to translate into more real opportunities to design learning experiences around my "Less Learning More Often" principle. More on that in another post.

Seasonal Best Wishes to all!