Abstract:

It is frequently mentioned that nowadays is the Age of Information. However knowledge becomes the most important asset for individuals and organizations, which more increasingly has been viewed as an active area of research. Accordingly there is a need for highly qualified knowledge workers. That in turn implies a necessity for on an effective technology based education system, which provides a foundation for lifelong learning paradigm and for obtaining well educated specialists. Therefore in addition to such already existing education approaches as classroom learning, distance learning and e-learning has appeared a mobile learning (m-Learning) approach, which requires intensive use of mobile devices and accordant technologies. In this paper perspectives of m-Learning are explored in the environment of PKM (personal knowledge management). This environment is not just focused on an individual. Rather it is involving also collaboration for knowledge exchange thus forming learning communities of practice where mobile devices could be widely used. The central concept of the paper is knowledge worker surrounded by several layers of agents such as personal agents, communications agents and so called “engine room” agents like database and network agents. The next step related to different types of agents would be to consider that all or part of them could be mobile agents. Then paper focuses on its ultimate objective by addressing implications of mobile devices in m-Learning and PKM, discovering what are the ways how the broad variety of mobile devices and underlying mobile technologies have been used to support m-Learning and PKM approach for lifelong learning initiative so far. And what are the possible future opportunities in this respect for m-Learning and PKM by taking into account some latest achievements in regards to mobile devices and the rapid development of mobile device technologies in general. Finally the outcomes of this theoretical research are discussed and potential benefiting parties are identified.

Keywords:

knowledge worker, m-learning, mobile devices, personal knowledge management.