ABSTRACT
A consideration of all the various historical and cultural events that have led to mobile learning (m-learning) would trace back through history far beyond the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press and the influence of the Industrial Revolution. Although it needs to be acknowledged that these events have enabled the mobile age to reach where it is today, this chapter looks more specifically into recent history, starting when the mobile technological epoch began to take shape. In order to explain the history, mobile and learning have been separated, before I explicitly detail the interconnections for what has now become this young field of m-learning. The chapter will begin by explicating the philosophical, pedagogical, and conceptual underpinnings regarding learning, particularly toward learner-centered pedagogies. This will be followed by a discussion of the technology, covering the evolution of the hardware/software, its adoption into society, and how these technological advancements have led to today’s new affordances for learning.
