Mobile devices — PDA's, laptops, cellphones — are an ever-growing presence in higher education. The latest issue of The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning devotes its pages to a complete discussion of what works, what doesn't, and why.
PDA's, one paper notes, have proven difficult to use. Short battery life and small screens make it hard for students to take electronic notes.
Cellphones get fewer complaints, though they would seem subject to the same problems. But researchers suggest that students are more likely to own cellphones, unlike PDA's loaned out for a class, and are likely to be more comfortable using the phones.
Another paper, taking off on cellphone popularity, looks at the utility of instant text messaging for learning. Though standard text messages are limited to about 160 characters, researchers tested a prototype system that allowed 4000-character messages. That proved much more amenable to educational settings. –Josh Fischman
