Col Hawksworth - May 2009

mLearningLearner Owned Devices

It ain’t what you do It’s the way that you do it

…and that’s what gets results

“Consumer technology is now better than corporate technology by a factor of 100, maybe even 1,000.”

Stowe Boyd (Senior Consultant, Cutter Consortium), 2007.

Most institutions do not have the resources to stay on top of everything [technology] so either specialise by focussing on pockets of good practice or adopt a ‘late-majority’ (Rogers, 2003) stance.

What about Learner Owned Devices?

Organisations have a responsibility to consider security, compliance and the impact an application or device has on the infrastructure.

Consumer technology may not scale, may open up a hole in the firewall or conflict with existing systems. It is these hidden issues that often cause delay or a ban on learner owned technology.

One strategy is to secure the institutional network and not worry about the client devices – until they

connect with the network.

“Take up [of mobile working] has been slower than was expected at the beginning, but the technology is not an issue now; it’s about factors such as cultural change.”

Ian Laughton (Director of Project Nomad) 2008.

The role of the IT Department has shifted from being the provider of technology to the facilitator of its use.

We must learn the art of compromise – engage learners in a constant dialogue about the pluses and minuses of new technologies.

We have to look at what really goes on – sit down with people who want to transfer their services – be sure that we are talking with an ‘authentic voice’ about how the process works.

It is also necessary to properly understand the technology’s potential and how it is developing. Users care about whether technology is easy to use.

Conversely – users must understand that an application that

works for an individual, may not work for the institution.