Day 4
What changes are needed for mobile to grow in the learning market?
When I look at the market, I think that two of the main changes could be the design of new mobiles specially made for classroom purposes, more education apps for existing mobiles and a reduction in price for mobiles. The specially made devices will need to be larger than the current ones on the market so students can manipulate without straining the eyes and struggling with those that have a keypad (eg. The Blackberry). In addition, since the market is already flooded with mobiles, a special drive should be taken on to develop apps for learning purposes to complement the existing ones. Also, these sophisticated devices are very expensive and a reduction in price would allow this method of learning to spread; especially in developing countries where the economic climate is harsh.
Everton
Posted in: Week 11: Mobiles
David William Price 3:56 pm on November 17, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your suggestions.
1. Given the sales numbers for regular mobiles and the cost of development, how would you make the case for developing specialized mobiles for education? Who would make them? Who would buy them instead of the latest and greatest iPhone/Android? How would a larger size screen affect a key mobile affordance – being in a habit of always carrying it around because it’s so small?
2. What kind of apps would you like to see? Consider Vogt’s cube analysis… who would pay for the development of the apps? Who would buy them? How would they be deployed? Consider the popularity of general purpose apps (Evernote, Google Maps, Wikipedia, etc.) for educational purposes… what kind of specialized education apps would you see as valuable enough to drive people to purchase them specially instead of using a general purpose free tool?
3. What do you think is “expensive”? Many developing countries actually have a huge number of mobiles (2.2 billion in India/Africa vs 11 million PCs) and they’re using them for learning now… far more than we do in the Western world. For them, mobiles are the most economical option.
Everton Walker 9:31 pm on November 17, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
David,
I do agree that there are a lot of mobiles in those countries but how many of those mobiles have the capabilities to foster meaningful mlearning? Here in Jamaica, almost everyone has a mobile or two. However, majority of those persons only have ordinary mobiles with just a few features and in some cases cannot access the Internet.
Everton
David William Price 6:26 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
What is meaningful learning to you?
In developing countries, simple mobiles are used to teach millions how to speak English. They use voice clips embedded in ringtones. In South Africa, simple mobiles allowed young people without computer access to practice math skills in social networks.
To explore learning on mobiles, start with their affordances. The screens may be too small for you to do a lot of reading, but lots of reading is not required for meaningful learning. The mobile does not have to replace classroom learning or e-learning on a notebook computer. The mobile represents a whole other way of learning.
Mobiles work with bite-sized information, reminders, job aids… helping you remember what you’ve already learned, helping you apply what you’ve learned when you’re in the real world.
Mobiles work with collecting data, photos, videos, audio clips, to bring back to the class or share with the class to illustrate real-world applications of what is begin learned.
Mobiles work with performance support, guidance, and coaching. When you’re out in the field, you can share a mobile in a group to help the group run through an activity. You can use a mobile to coach you through doing things that you learned about in class.
The mobile does not have to be a replacement. Its affordances suggest many kinds of learning (authentic, situated as well as behavioural) that differ from what you may be used to.
hall 3:27 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Everton,
You have mentioned some very important points. I found the reading information on my blackberry over a long period can be a strain on my eyes. Also there is a major struggle with using the keypad. I take very long time to write using the keyboard of my blackberry. So I agree with you that these challenges are deterrents to mlearning.
David William Price 6:27 am on November 18, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
It really depends on how you define “mlearning”. Those issues are deterrents to doing a lot of reading in mlearning, but not necessarily deterrents to learning with mobiles.