Mobile e-learning via phone achieves real success with the young

Key findings from mobile e-learning trials are published this month by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) in a report Mobile technologies and learning.

This report presents some innovative ideas on how mobile technologies, such as smartphones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), can be useful learning aids - particularly with young people who have not succeeded through traditional education.

The report contains the findings of a three-year pan-European research and development project, called m-learning, that set out to investigate whether mobile technologies can engage ‘hard to reach’ young people (the ‘NEETs’ group) in learning, and help those with literacy and numeracy difficulties. The project ended with the largest trials of mobile learning materials and systems conducted to date, involving nearly 250 young people (aged 16- 24) in the UK, Italy and Sweden. Most were unemployed, many had dropped out of education (or were considered to be at risk of doing so) and some were homeless or travellers.

The two mobile devices most used in the project were
(1) hybrid PDA/phone devices running the Pocket PC operating system (the XDA II) and
(2) hybrid phone/PDA devices running the Symbian operating system (Sony Ericsson P800/P900s). Although these devices are more sophisticated than the cheaper mobile phones used by most people, sales are soaring and it is likely that they will become affordable for many young people in the near future.

The m-learners gained access to m-learning project systems and materials via a microportal (mPortal) that consists of a series of mini web pages with navigation that points to the following:
> learning materials
> mini web Page Build tools
> a collaborative activities tool (the mediaBoard); peer-to-peer communication services (messages, chat, discussion and blogs)
> the learning management system
> simple help guides for the system
> links to places on the Web that may be helpful or interesting for the target audience (eg: advice about alcohol drugs and sexual health, job hunting and online services).

Collaborative tools developed included the MediaBoard that enables tutors to set up

Their own multimedia message boards for a class or project. Students add comments by sending text messages or picture messages from their mobile phones. The mPortal page builder tools allows people to create and edit their own mini web pages for viewing on mobile devices. These pages can contain a number of different elements including text, pictures, movies, animations, audio, web logs, etc.
Key findings are that mobile learning can
> engage young people who have been put off by traditional education methods. (Almost all the young people in the trials were enthusiastic about mobile learning and nearly two-thirds said they were likely to take part in further learning in the future. The majority were most interested in using a laptop, PC or mobile device.)

> help young people to improve their literacy and numeracy skills and to recognise their existing abilities. (About four out of five felt that the mobile games could help them to improve their reading, spelling or maths. Mentors reported perceived improvements in these areas, particularly among those young people initially described as being ‘less able’ or with ‘very limited ability’.)

> help to remove some of the formality from the learning experience and engage reluctant learners. (Collaborative mobile learning tools were popular, but some young people appreciated the opportunity offered by mobile devices to learn independently and privately in their own time.)

> help to combat resistance to technology and bridge the gap between mobile phone literacy and ICT literacy. (One group of IT-shy young adults studying English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), were more confident about using PCs after using the mobile palmtop computers.)

> help young people to remain more focused for longer periods

> help to improve self-confidence. Being trusted with ‘cool’, expensive technology was a new experience for some young people, which helped to raise self esteem, build trust and encourage greater personal responsibility.
Jill Attewell, Programme manager for the m-learning project, LSDA, says:

‘There are many different ways of learning. The traditional classroom situation doesn’t suit everyone. What we set out to discover was whether we could use young people’s interest in, and enthusiasm for, mobile technologies to engage them in learning. The findings were very positive. It’s clear that mobile phones and PDAs have enormous potential as learning tools - and we now have pocket sized computers with the ability to deliver learning and provide access to online systems and services that are very sophisticated. Although the aim was to find out whether this mode of learning worked with the disengaged, it clearly has huge potential for others as well.’

Demonstrations of some of the learning materials developed can be viewed on www.m-learning.org.uk They can also be viewed on a PC or on mobile devices.

There are estimated to be 1.5 billion mobile phones in the world today – more than three times the number of personal computers (PCs). Today’s most sophisticated phones have the processing power of a mid-1990s PC and many people in the near future will start to see the mobile phone as an alternative to a PC. Hybrid mobile phone/personal digital assistants (or PDAs) devices currently make up only a relatively small percentage of mobile phone sales. ‘Smartphones’ overtook sales of PDAs in 2003 and estimates are that by 2010 global sales of smart phones will reach 170 million, from around 20 million this year. Sales of camera phones exceeded those of digital cameras for the first time in 2003 when camera phone sales increased almost fivefold from 2002.