m-Learning: Is it learning, or is it just looking things up?

This is the second example I've seen in as many days about how being able to look things up on the Web is "just-in-time-just-for-me" learning. I have my doubts about this. Does this mean that using the telephone book is a form of learning? I keep wanting to go back to Gilbert's Performance Engineering Matrix to point out that, while many things affect human performance, they are not all the same, they are not all learning, and they do not all operate in the same way. I have the same criticism of the idea that some people are already spinning, that podcasting is a great way to deliver e-learning. Please. Podcasting is audio-only. It's a lecture over the Web. It's PowerPoint for the ears. It may be a useful way to get news, to trade ideas, to try to persuade, but it isn't interactive and I doubt whether -- by itself -- podcasting is a form of e-Learning any more than talk radio is.

The Open Cellphone: "The personal computer for the rest of the world isn't going to be the personal computer. It's going to be the cellphone...Communication is more important than computation on the human hierarchy of need."
Comment: Elearning designers and developers need to be aware of this trend. Most often, we're focused on the laptop/desktop computer as the device learners will use to access learning. Cellphones (and other mobile devices) are rapidly becoming the preferred tool for accessing online content. I recently asked a student what her main motivation was for using a cellphone for browsing online. She stated: "when I need to know something right away - movie listings and places to go". Just-in-time, just-for-me learning will come (actually is coming already) via a cellphone.

9:58:53 AM