The Concept - Why Mobile Learning?
The rationale sits on the exponential growth of Internet utilization in EU countries regardless of the device (desktop computer, laptop, notebook or tablet, smartphone, games console or e-book reader) or type of connection being used. Moreover, with the prolific use in modern society of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the frequency with which people use the internet has also grown exponentially.
Although it was initially used as a means to exchange information (often in a working environment), the range of activities conducted over the Internet has rapidly evolved. For example, it is only slightly more than a decade since commercially successful app stores or streaming services were launched, and more than three-quarters of all adults in the EU made use of the internet on a daily basis as reported in early 2020; In 2019, some 77 % of the EU-27’s adult population reported having used the internet on a daily basis during the three months; the same figure was 3 percentage points higher than in 2018 and 31 points higher than a decade before (46 % in 2009). In 2021, four-fifths (80 %) of individuals in the EU accessed the Internet on a daily basis with a further 7 % using it at least once a week (but not daily). As such, 87 % of individuals were regular internet users (at least weekly) of the internet The proportion of daily internet users among all internet users (who had used the internet within the previous three months) averaged 90 % in the EU.
So far, the usage rate is still increasing and sooner will get to almost 100%. No need to mention that Europe led in the smartphone adoption rate and extrapolation is cca 83% by 2025 on average. Therefore, the future of (adult) education definitely sits on the Internet and smartphone (mobile learning) combination..