mobile learning: south african examples

1

Presented at Mobile Learning Institute Summit, 24-27 June 2009 Lusaka, Zambia

Mobile learning

Steve Vosloo, Shuttleworth FoundationAdele Botha, Meraka Institute

South African examples

2

3

Africa is mobile mobile subscribers to fixed lines = 15:1

mobile penetration at 33% in 2008

fastest growing market in the world

4

Zambia

5

Opera Mini (April 2009) 1) South Africa

2) Nigeria

3) Egypt

4) Kenya

5) Libya

6) Zambia

7) Tanzania

8) Cote d’Ivoire

9) Mozambique

10)Namibia

11)Ghana

12)Gabon

6

Merryl Ford (2009) “the cellphone is poised to become the 'PC of Africa'”

7

mlearning examples tutoring

8

Dr Math on MXit

Started in January, 2007 by Meraka Institute / Mobi LED

Provides tutors to help with mathematics homework

Pupils use Mxit on their cell phones

Tutors are engineering students from University of Pretoria

Over 5,500 pupils have used the service

Tutors help approximately 50 pupils per hour

Service runs from 14:00 – 22:00 Sunday - Thursday

Tutoring mostly done in English, but some Afrikaans cases are occurring

Learners contact Dr Math from their homes, while on buses, taxis and on the sports field. Even from the bath!

9

Dr Maths architecture

10

11

12

dr.math: What grade are you in? what are you covering in math?

Spark plug: 7

dr.math: grade 7?

Spark plug: yes

dr.math: Are you doing "pre algebra" stuff like What is the value of X if x + 3 = 10?

Spark plug: yes

dr.math: Ok, so what is the value of x if x + 3 = 10?

Spark plug: 7

dr.math: Ok. how about (15 x 2 ) + x = 35

Spark plug: 5

dr.math: (I am going to use * for multiply so not to confuse it with x, ok?)

Spark plug: ok

dr.math: (2 * x) + 8 = 18

Spark plug: 5

dr.math: Very good. can you explain to me how you figured that out?

Spark plug: 18 - 8 is 10 so 2* what is 10 and the answer is 5

dr.math: Excellent.

13

mlearning examples games

14

Dr Math competitions

Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division BODMAS Prime factors of a number Root of a straight line Intersection of two straight lines Factors of a quadratic Real roots of a quadratic

15

Dr Math results

Learners would compete for many times a day Learners would regularly come back to defend his or her

title Learners often did hundreds of calculations to maintain

their title as champion Learners often competed until the early hours of the

morning Learners often changed their Mxit alias (or nick name) to

more socially acceptable names after they won

16

17

M4Girls project

Improve maths in grade 10 rural girls (by Mindset / Nokia) Nokia 6300's loaded with:

43 mini videos, 3 “mobisode” animations, 2 games

18

mlearning examples quizzes

19

“Imfundo Yami/Yethu”

Nokia / MXit Improve high school maths through drill-and-practise

quizzes Support through Dr Maths chat tutoring Teach by day, quiz by night

20

21

22

23

24

Mathematics ExercisesMOODLE

25

26

27

28

29

30

“Imfundo Yami/Yethu”

2 month pilot with 260 learners: Total visits / Views so far: 49,502 Total questions answered so far: 13,192 Visits per day: 991

Learners really liked the combination of chat and learning maths

Learners were doing much more exercises than normally Learners were studying maths A LOT after school hours

31

mlearning examples peer support / advice

32

Drug, abuse and debt counseling

33

mlearning examples information dissemination

34

Angels on MXit: HIV/AIDS info

35

mlearning examples literacy development

36

Reading/writing cellphone

Using the cellphone as a “book” delivery and authoring tool Othello as an m-novel? Effects of texting on literacy and language development?

37

other mlearning examples

location-based / context-aware activities, e.g. museum tours or just-in-time information

38

Age of the Prosumer “Teens and Young Adults consider themselves more than just consumers and they want their chance to produce content and involve themselves in the brand more than ever before.”

(Generation Next, 2009)

39

But ...

Need to manage risks: Distraction “Cyberbullying” Effects of TXTSPK on spelling/formal writing Too much “screen time” Inappropriate content Privacy/safety

Costs, sustainability, inclusion, scale, equity, etc.

40

what is mobile learning?

what is the need?

learners need information at night?

learners need to work in groups?

learners not motivated?

learners don't have textbooks?

teachers are over-worked – need support?

not enough PCs?

no stable electricity?

41

what is mobile learning?

learners are connected

learners are mobile

within reach (socially, economically or geographically)

examples: tutoring, games, quizzes, peer-support, information dissemination, literacy development, location awareness

think beyond the computer lab

not either PC or cellphone, use appropriate technology

www.shuttleworthfoundation.org

Thank you

email: steve.vosloo@shuttleworthfoundation.org

twitter: www.twitter.com/stevevosloo

blog: innovatingeducation.wordpress.com

slides: www.slideshare.net/stevevosloo

web: www.vosloo.net

43

mLearning AfricaNews, projects and research about mobile learning in Africa

www.mlearningafrica.net

Contact: steve.vosloo@shuttleworthfoundation.org