As my title suggests, I think mobile technology is both the biggest advantage and disadvantage of mobile learning. The advantage is pretty obvious; It is great that it allows us to take learning resources anywhere we go. This mobility comes with a caveat though - it has to be portable, meaning it has to be decently small. I'm not the oldest person around, but even I don't like to stare at a tiny screen, be it for videos or texts. I only shudder to think how much worse it would be as I get older. Even a laptop screen is too small for me, and I prefer to do everything, from work to schoolwork to leisure activities on my desktop computer with a 27" screen, and I'm still itching to upgrade to a bigger one.
The solution that needs to solve my gripe with mobile learning is a further development in mobile technology. AR glasses or holographic screens can allow devices to be portable but still offer a decent-sized display for those who don't like eyestrain. That seems to be in the near future and I just can't wait.
Thanks, Yannick! I agree that mobile learning needs to develop what it can uniquely do, rather than poorly mimic what is already developed in older technology. I often get frustrated when trying to do something productive on a touchscreen, and jump onto my computer. I also find my digital media students create higher quality work when using a drawing tablet plugged into a desktop, rather than trying to work on a mobile-tablet. While mobile learning is adaptable, I am reluctant to call it an efficient. -Laura Ulrich