This paper proposes that the kind of ownership over a mobile device a learner experiences may determine how they appropriate that device is for learning. It describes field observations of three different kinds of ownership (borrowed, partial & personal) and how they changed the learning experiences of the students on Masters level geoscience field trips. It uses work by Pachler et al. (2010) on appropriation to inform this analysis. The research found that the rapid uptake in ownership of smart devices might mean personal devices replace institutional teaching devices to support and enhance learning in this setting. Therefore planning for technology enhanced learning (TEL) in similar future settings might benefit from considering how personal devices might be appropriated and so enable practitioners to exploit this change in cultural practice. It may be that providing more blended opportunities for learning which draw upon the different types of ownership could allow learners the choice and ability to appropriate the technologies (both personal & institutional) for their learning needs.