the power of mobile to educate, support and engage
DESCRIPTION
Presented at m-Libraries 2012, United Kingdom, 25 September 2012TRANSCRIPT
The Power of Mobile to Educate, Support and Engage
Steve VoslooUNESCO Programme Specialist: Mobile Learning
Presented at m-Libraries 2012United Kingdom, 25 September 2012
Roadmap
UNESCO’s work in mobile learningMobile revolutionEducateSupportEngageImplications for libraries
UNESCO’s work in mobile learning
UNESCO’s work in mobile learning
Policy for mobile learning
Teacher development and mobile technologies
Literacy for women and girls through mobiles
Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning
Policy Guidelines on Mobile Learning
Workshops
Mobile Learning Week
Projects in Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan and Mexico
Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning
Workshops
Regional and global research
Workshops
Mission: to leverage mobile tehnologies to support Education for All
By: Conducting research and disseminating knowledgeProviding guidance to member statesAction projects for pilot testing and capacity buildingConvening community
Turning on Mobile Learning in …
• Africa and the Middle East
• Asia• Europe• Latin America• North America• Global Themes
tinyurl.com/unescomobilelearning
Mobile Learning for Teachers in…
• Africa and the Middle East
• Asia• Europe• Latin America• North America• Global Themes
Mobile revolution
“The mobile phone has become a kind of super
extension of ourselves—faster, brainier, more
reliable and always on.”Rick Stengel, TIME Magazine
“It is hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history
with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly as we have with our phones. Not the knife
or match, the pen or page.”Nancy Gibbs, TIME Magazine
“For all the apps and gee-whiz features of phones, their ultimate
transformative power is the ability of one person, no matter where he or
she is, to communicate with another. In developing nations, the simple text message represents a quantum leap
in connectivity.”Belinda Luscombe, TIME Magazine
EducateBBC JanalaWorldreaderKhan Academy
BBC Janala
• Part of an overarching programme to improve the English language skills of Bangladeshis
• Enables learners to easily and affordably access English lessons and other educational content via their mobile phones and a website
• 15 million calls were made to mobile service in the first two years of operation
• Over than 250,000 English audio lessons were downloaded from the mobile internet site in the same period
Worldreader: Books for all
Worldreader: Books for all
The traditional way
The new way
It’s still all about books
Almost 1000 books and counting
e-Reader in your pocket: Worldreader and biNu
489 000 readers read over 24m pages in July ‘12
Nigeria42%
India11%
Zimbabwe10%
Ethiopia5%
Ghana4%
Rest Of World27%
Page Views By Region
NigeriaIndiaZimbabweEthiopiaGhanaRest Of World
Will people read on a small screen? Yes!
47% - 240x320 14% - 128x160
480x800 - Smartphone
The power of content
1-Sep-11 1-Oct-11 1-Nov-11 1-Dec-11 1-Jan-12 1-Feb-12 1-Mar-12 1-Apr-12 1-May-12 1-Jun-12 1-Jul-120.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
100.00
Page Views per Monthly Active Users
AfricaAsiaRest of WorldSouth America
Wave of new content added
Top 20 Search TermsSearch String Search Count
sex 3,172
love 1,505
bible 1,338
harry potter 1,199
quran 1,078
things fall apart 969
chemistry 915
biology 856
physics 850
dictionary 781
english 688
romeo and juliet 669
twilight 600
kamasutra 513
animal farm 458
ramayan 433
love story 433
hindi 426
oliver twist 401
bangla 381
Σ 17665
Search on the Worldreader biNu app
Survey of Worldreader users on biNu
• Who are the users?• Where do they live?• What do they like/dislike?• How do they spend their time? • What books do they want?
This information is based on 3 surveys of a combined no. of 17 865 Worldreader app users over 6 weeks
Why do people read on their mobile phones?.
It's more convenient Access to books (otherwise unavailable)
Because it's free More fun than a book Light from the screen (for night reading)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Primary and Secondary Reason for Reading on Mobile Phone
PrimarySecondary
Reader stated preferences matches reading data
Romance Action Textbooks Spiritual Classics Self Help Local Fiction0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
What kind of books do you like reading?
MenWomen
One mobile = multiple readers
my children my parents my siblings my friends me0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
6.1% 9.6% 11.7%
28.9%
93.1%
Who reads on your mobile phone? Check all that apply.
The mobile internet
92.2%
5.0%2.1%
0.8%
Primary Way for Accessing the Internet
My own MobileMy own Computeron a computer in an internet cafeOther
Need for a wide variety of educational materials
Langu
age T
raining
Textb
ooks
Referen
ce Mate
rial (A
tlas, E
ncycloped
ia, et
c)
Skills
Develo
pment M
ateria
l
Online C
ourses
Books an
d Storie
s0
100020003000400050006000700080009000
What learning materials/resources would you like to have on your phone?
Khan Academy
• Library of over 3,300 educational videos• Freely accessible from a variety of devices
including mobile technologies • Incorporates practice questions • Provides learners feedback regarding their
mastery of content• Overall: a custom self-paced learning tool
SupportLiteracy promotion through mobile phonesEMIS in ArgentinaBoat schools in Bangladesh
Literacy promotion through mobile phones
Literacy promotion through mobile phones
Mobile penetration rate is same as literacy rate in 2010
Learners enthusiasm for novel learning approach
Anywhere, anytime learning
Why mobile phone for literacy ?
Literacy promotion through mobile phones
EMIS in Argentina
Problem: Poor and outdated information about school and student performance. Inefficient communication between schools and central administrative bodiesSolution: Provided smartphones to 350 school supervisors in Mendoza. Supervisors used the phone to enter relevant data about school sites and student performance. Information was instantly uploaded to an online system that is used by central administrators to make more informed and more timely decisions
Boat schools in Bangladesh
Problem: During the monsoon season many children cannot attend school due to floodingSolution: Boat schools and libraries which rely on mobile technology and connectivity. A fleet of nearly 100 boats bring education and other resources to the doorsteps of learners. Many boats offer free classes, modest libraries, and access to technologies including mobile devices equipped with educational content
EngageYoza Cellphone StoriesFacebook Mobile in NepalDr Math on MXit
Yoza Cellphone Stories
“It's great ... for me it really hard to pick up a book to start readin but i don mind readin on my phone”
dotty1
Yoza Cellphone Stories
• Yoza enables reading, writing and engagement via mobile phones
• South African project launched August 2009, initially funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation
• Through Yoza, short stories, poems and classic literature are published on mobile phones (MXit and on a mobisite -- a website for mobiles)
• Highly interactive: users can comment, vote, enter writing competitions and review stories
51%South African households that own no leisure books
(TNS Research Surveys, 2006)
7%Public schools in South Africa that have functional libraries of any kind
(Equal Education, 2009)
Growing library of stories
Yoza Cellphone Stories
“If friar's plan wrks, then romeo wil b able 2 cum nd take juliet wit hm 2 liv hapily 2geda at mantua bt if it fails, sumbdy's gna b dead. Lol!”Elsie
Yoza stats (19 months)
• Complete reads: >475,000
• No. of comments: >47,000
• No. of unique visitors: >180,000
• No. of MXit subscribers to Yoza: >69,000
• No. of votes: >44,000
(Period: August 2010 to May 2012)
More comments than War and Peace
“I realy lv de story, it ws touchy evn painful again i hv learnd a lot 4rm it. Am gona pass it 2 my frnd nd family 2 read 4 dem self”(Anon)
“A gud st0ri alth0ugh vewi sh0rt id lyk 2 c m0re 0n mxit bk0z it enc0uragez readin!”Lesleigh(F)
Mobile phone is the e-reader of Africa
Participatory culture happens through mobile phones: consumption, creation, engagement
txtspk iz hr 2 stay
“I dn’t usully go 2 da library but now I hve a library in my pockt”
“The stories r interesting nd fun 2 read, they kip ma englsh gng”
Hlengiwe gulube
Facebook Mobile in Nepal
• In Nepal, medical students and faculty used mobile phones to build, access, and contribute to Facebook pages dedicated to medical and clinical topics
• Learners create ad-hoc professional networks by appropriating social network platforms to facilitate learning
• Share advice and experiences• Pose questions to a trusted community
Dr Math on MXit
• Started in January, 2007 by Meraka Institute• Enables tutors to help with mathematics homework
over mobile phones• Over 30,000 users• 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!
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.
Implications for libraries
Think mobile
Complementarity (both and NOT either or)Think mobile, meet people where they are, leverage the tech in their hands
Educate• Additional access channels to content
Support• System strengthening, collecting data, connecting people, virtual
support, quizzes
Engage• Online communities, reader wants, social reading
UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2013
UNESCO HeadquartersParis, France18-22 February 2013www.tinyurl.com/mlw2013
Thank you
[email protected]/unescomobilelearning
twitter.com/stevevoslooslideshare.com/stevevosloostevevosloo.com
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Worldreader, biNu, UNESCO Pakistan, Bunyad Foundation, Mark West for help in preparing slides
More information
www.bbcjanala.comwww.worldreader.orgwww.binu.comwww.khanacademy.orgwww.unesco.org.pk/education/mlp.html www.yoza.mobiwww.yozaproject.comwww.csir.co.za/meraka/Dr_Math.html www.textmprep.com/home