mLearning vs. eLearning

I saw a graphic on Pinterest that sparked my interest. It highlighted the differences between mLearning and eLearning and I just want to share some thoughts on this.

I cannot believe how much teaching and learning has changed in my lifetime! I straddle the line between introverted and extroverted, so computers have been a welcome change in my life. It allows me the freedom to be more introverted through writing and have more of a "crutch" when giving presentations by allowing for visual aids to keep the momentum flowing. My first experience with a computer was a Comodore 128, which was a pretty slick learning tool for me and gave my parents a break from constantly entertaining an only child. My dad taught me how to use the "mouse" (a little toggle switch) and how to carefully move 5.25" floppy disks in and out of the computer. There was no way that this beast would be moved easily, but it did survive for many, many years - especially compared to the Smartphones of today that need upgraded about every 18 months.

At five years old, I'm playing Pac-Man and chasing the little blue ghosts around to try and get more points. (I don't think I ever made it to the final level though). At six, I'm playing on a green screen MAC a number crunchers game in my first grade classroom. At nine I have a Mario Bros. game watch. By the time I am in high school we've passed the Zack Morris cell phone era and they're starting to get smaller. Today we now have wearable technologies that alert us when we've been sitting too long and watches that show us our text messages. These devices are all computers - look how small they've gotten.

Not only have they gotten smaller, but we've gone from the dinosaur computers that take up an entire building to a wearable device that can connect to the internet from almost anywhere. There aren't many places that I go where Wi-Fi isn't readily available!