A proposed taxonomy of theoretical and pedagogical perspectives of mobile applications to support ubiquitous learning

The utilization of mobile technology has redesigned the way courses today are delivered to students, with the result that time and space are no longer a constraint for students and instructors. However, the use of mobile applications in a learning environment does not change the essential aspects of how students learn - prior research confirms that there is improved learning when students possess the means to physically move their own learning environment with them and consequently, seamlessly adapt to the new environment in order to access information within the context of their learning. Despite the ubiquity and flexibility of using mobile applications, one key challenge faced by students is that technological, instructional, and pedagogical developments have not been precisely integrated, so as to transform learning environments into productive and user-centered spaces. Based upon prior research, this paper proposes a taxonomy of theoretical and pedagogical perspectives relating to the use of mobile applications in education to support ubiquitous learning. Using categories of educational apps and unifying existing learning theories, we demonstrate how this taxonomy can be applied in such a way, so as to facilitate understanding of pedagogical issues in mobile learning.