Mobile Learning

How can distance learning become more student-centred? Dr Mpine Elizabeth Makoe, University of South Africa (UNISA), has been preoccupied with this question for several years. In a long-term study she conducted, she found that isolated students have a need for informal support that is often neglected in distance education. This has led her to investigate on how MXit, a popular South African instant messaging system, can help to fill the gap and drive collaborative eLearning in an attractive, age-appropriate manner.
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Et si le téléphone portable devenait aussi un outil d’apprentissage à part entière pour les jeunes ? Il y aurait donc une vie après le téléchargement de sonneries. C’est le credo de Philippe Steger qui a créé WapEduc. Professeur avant d’être créateur d’entreprise, il est convaincu que le mobile peut devenir un assistant personnel pour les étudiants. « J’apprends où je veux et quand je veux » est le leitmotiv de WapEduc. Philippe Steger nous parle de WapEduc et particulièrement de son développement prochain au Sénégal.
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The Distance Learning Unit at Makerere University in Uganda recently launched a project that unleashes the potential of mobile phones as a tool for distance learners. “Besides lower drop-out rates, the tutoring via SMS has created a customer-care feeling among students”, says Paul Birevu Muyinda, a PhD student and lecturer at the University, who evaluated the project. Edris Kisambira reports from Kampala, Uganda.
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With almost twenty years of experience in providing digital information to the healthcare community in Africa and other developing regions, AED–SATELLIFE serves as an important think tank and innovator in the fields of community building and information dissemination. The organisation, established by the cardiologist Dr. Bernard Lown, who was also a co-founder of the Nobel Prize winning IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), is a leader in large-scale implementations of mobile devices to train nurses and clinical staff. eLA Editor Nina Wittrock spoke with Andrew Sideman, Director of Development, and Pamela Scorza, Information Associate, about SATELLIFE’s current and future projects in Africa and how they are linked to eLearning.
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In the Kenyan Village of Mbita, sixty fifth graders of Point Primary School and their three teachers have helped Eduvision, an eLearning solution company situated in Switzerland, to develop an innovative ICT platform and corresponding software for handheld computers. The company’s applications are mainly designed to deliver curriculum content instead of using “oldish” textbooks to enrich the learning experience and to add locally relevant information more easily. At eLearning Africa 2007, Karim Toledano, CEO of Eduvision, will give closer insights into his African project.
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In various African countries, mobile technologies provide the most advanced communication infrastructure for eLearning projects. The obvious advantage is that they make eLearning more widely available and accessible than people are used to in existing environments. At eLearning Africa 2007, experts from various countries will explore the modes of mobile learning in specifically African settings. A special emphasis will be on schooling and distance learning. eLa editor Nina Wittrock spoke with John Traxler, University of Wolverhampton, about current premises for mLearning in Africa.
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Nokia is utilizing mobile phones for learning purposes in a multifaceted way. In Africa, the company is bringing down the affordability barrier through its innovative, easy-to-use handsets with features that support phone sharing and coverage extension to rural areas. Nokia terminals also go beyond basic voice and messaging, offering applications for learning and data sharing. At eLearning Africa, Dr. Adel Besrour, Nokia Siemens Networks, Tunisia, will give deeper insights into Nokia’s own eLearning approach.
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