Framing Ubiquitous Mobility Educationally: Mobile Devices and Context-Aware Learning

Abstract

In the context of the normalisation of mobile devices, this chapter argues that mobile devices and the artefacts accessed through and created with them should be viewed as important cultural resources and, therefore, constitute valid resources for learning. In line with ongoing transformations around the individualisation of society and convergent mobility of technology, mobile devices, including tablet computers, have become widespread beyond professional target groups and have started to penetrate the everyday lives of wide segments of the population. These devices are increasingly assuming and being ascribed cultural functions which transgress everyday life; multimodal, convergent mobile devices have become an integral part of life courses. For the moment learning is not in the foreground of these cultural functions nor are they accepted yet in formal learning and its institutions.

The chapter discusses the function of mobile devices as cultural resources from the perspective of Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital in order to define their role for learning. In particular, use is made of Bourdieu’s concept of habitus as incorporated cultural resources, which coincides with the use of mobile devices but is in conflict with institutionalised learning resources. We propose ‘recognition’ as an important practical as well as theoretical endeavour to re-conciliate institutionalised modes of learning with mobile devices. An example of a mobile portfolio is used to clarify the proposed ‘recognition’. In addition, we analyse the societal mobile complex in which mobile devices have become part of everyday life and have reached the level of relevant and legitimate cultural resources. We apply a widened structuration model with the intersecting categories of socio-cultural structures, agency and cultural practices for identifying the values of mobile devices for informal and formal learning. We consider the socio-cultural structure of user-generated contexts in two strands, namely, as learning contexts and contexts for personal development. We discuss the interrelationship of contexts and mobile devices within the conceptual educational tradition of learning. Through an example we link our theoretical argumentation to the learning practices of young people.