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

se.vosloo@unesco.orgtinyurl.com/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