It seems that mobile technology may be the answer to enhancing online learning in developing countries. This is mainly due to independence from traditional communications infrastructure, thus overcoming some of the obstacles presented by having to build extensive electricity power grids and large computer rooms at educational institutions.
Mobile devices are educationally interesting because they offer:
· Several communication channels on one device, for example email, voice and text messaging.
· Cheaper comparable functionality with desktops and laptops.
· Wireless access to educational materials, other students and internet resources.
Mobile Learning (M-Learning) applications can also enhance non-academic and para-academic support such as
· pastoral care, feedback and remediation
· motivation and guidance
· Supporting students across the institution.
· course administration and management.
The Commonwealth of Learning, knowledge series, a topical start up guide to mobile learning in developing countries, claims that mobile phones can be a cost effective way to complement and sometimes replace other teaching and learning methods. It may be cost-effective due to the low cost of the phones themselves, however the cost of digital data still remains high in some developing countries, as discussed by Sean here.
Tapan Parikh discusses how the use of cell phone technology, especially voice messaging, to facilitate learning in rural India, allowing access to expert knowledge in the fields of health, agriculture and economics, in a similar way that text messaging would be used in developed countries. Voice messaging is the preferred function on mobile phones in rural areas, mainly due to the low literacy levels or more comfort with oral communication.
Hasson, A. A. (2006), discusses the economic benefits of using DakNet technology in rural and remote areas as an affordable means to gaining access to the internet. This is asynchronous hybrid technology, combining inexpensive hardware components and open-source, using traditional transportation infrastructure to create a store-and-forward wireless broadband network. DakNet has been used by village schools in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Paraguay to teach children about the Internet and provide access to broader educational resources. Read more about drive-by wi-fi here.
Michael Trucno, the principal contributor to the World Bank's widely read EduTech blog, states that the use of mobile technology in education is supplemental to what is being taught in the classroom, and increasingly easy to do, given the technology tools and code base out there. He illustrates this easier access to mlearning in an example where a group of tertiary are sent a daily vocabulary quiz via SMS, which they can respond to using the same platform. Trucano reports that Pakistan seeks to capitalize on the ubiquity of mobile phones in households, by exploring the use of text messaging technology (SMS) in education, as it may not see high household penetration rates of desktop computers connected to the Internet for many, many years to come.
Furthermore, Valk, Rashi and Elder, (2010), discuss how Mlearning is particularly relevant in the context of education in developing countries, as many developing countries are now bypassing the exorbitant costs of fixed telephone infrastructure by investing in the installation of mobile phone networks. They posit that MLearning provides a potential way forward for the expansion of education programs to larger segments of the population rather than via the eLearning model that has been adopted in much of the developed world. MLearning allows a method of educational delivery that could be more cost-effective than eLearning methods.
Valk, et al (2010) further state that mlearning can set the stage for new lifelong learning that is different from learning in a traditional classroom in that it allows the individual to take responsibility for their own learning. Mlearning is also meaningful as it facilitates designs for authentic learning that targets real-world problems and involves projects of relevance and interest to the learner.
In general, since the last ten years, developing countries have seen a remarkable growth in mobile technology and mobile telecommunications. Roll (2011), statistically states the significant ratio of landline to mobile subscriptions as: In developed countries there are approximately three mobile devices for every landline, while in developing countries, there are five mobile devices for every landline. Therefore developing countries should use this advantage by promoting Mlearning and thus endeavour to close the gap of the digital divide.
References:
Herrington, A. (2008)Adult educators’ authentic use of smartphones to create digital teaching resources. Retrieved on 16 September 2011 from
http://www.google.co.za/search?q=smartphones+for+dummies&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=smartphones+for+educational+use&pbx=1&oq=smartphones+for+education&aq=1v&aqi=g1g-v1&aql=1&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=258684l260662l0l263840l9l9l0l0l0l0l612l3464l2-2.3.2.2l9l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=cd9d16ac8926038d&biw=1276&bih=670
Mobile Learning in developing countries. Commonwealth of Learning. Retrieved on 09 September 2011, from
Parikh, T. SmartPlanet CBS. Cell phone technology for the developing world. Retrieved on 09 September 2011, from
Hasson, A. A. 2006. WiFi, Roads, VOIP, & Prepaid Cards: Leapfrogging Rural Communications Beyond the Economic Reach of Cellular.
The World Bank. The Use of Mobile Phones in Education in Developing Countries. Retrieved on 20 September 2011, from:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,contentMDK:22267518~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386,00.html
Valk, J., Rashid, A.T. and Elder, L. (2010). Using Mobile Phones to Improve Educational Outcomes: An Analysis of Evidence from Asia. Retrieved on 20 September 2011, from:
Trucano, M. SMS Education in Pakistan. Retrieved on 20 September 2011, from
The Advent of drive by wi-fi.(2007). Amir Alexander Hasson interviewed by Gartner Fellow Jackie Fenn. Retrieved on 21 Setember 2011, from:
Roll, P., (2011). Mobile Learning on Smartphones for Teachers in Developing Countries. Retrieved on 20 September 2011, from
http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=15&ved=0CEQQFjAEOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwi.uni-hannover.de%2Fcms%2Fimages%2Fstories%2FDiplomarbeiten%2F2011%2F08%2Fda_roll_k.pdf&rct=j&q=smartphones for educational use in developing countries&ei=qkR4TrO_NueDmQXllcG9DQ&usg=AFQjCNEaA_-CCnKEHhi8j-UZCqlHybXeo
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