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Briding the Divide

Interesting story from http://www.tectonic.co.za/ :

Cellphones as an educational tool

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By James Archibald

7 March, 2007

The Meraka Institute, the Helsinki University of Art and Design in Finland and the University of Pretoria have, over the past 18 months, been working on a project dubbed MobilED, where they are investigating the use of mobile technologies and services for formal and informal learning.

Motivation for the project springs from the vast potential that mobile phones have as educational tools. Today's high-end mobile phones have the computing power of a mid-1990s PC, while even the simplest, voice-only phones have more complex and powerful chips than the on-board computer that landed a spaceship on the moon in 1969. Many learners in South Africa have access to these powerful devices, yet at present they are seen as a nuisance and disruption to the classroom rather than as a potentially valuable tool

The first module that has been developed is the audio-Wikipedia - an online encyclopaedia - from which anyone can receive and upload information. Children send an SMS with a key word. In response, they receive a call-back and a speech synthesiser reads the contents of the requested Wikipedia entry. A fast forward and rewind function has been added to make listening to the entry easier.

In the pilot projects kits have been supplied, which include a cell phone and speakers, so that it can be used in the classroom. Piloting has so far taken place at Cornwall Hill College and Irene Middle School, both in the Centurion area, where the project will run for a further two years. Further pilots are planned for more rural areas, possibly in the Northern Cape.

As with Wikipedia, there is an interactive element whereby entries can be added to. At the end of each section there is a prompt, giving the option to either continue or to add to the entry. Should the user opt to add to the entry, the system records comments and saves them as a wav file. The additions are then added to the downloaded version of wikipedia which the project uses.

This function was used in lessons about HIV where the learners could contribute their own experiences and record songs. While these would not be added to the original online version of Wikipedia, they would have huge relevance in allowing children to share their experiences and be exposed to the experiences of others.

Currently all call costs for the pilot are being covered by the CSIR project. One of the key issues that are being worked on are ways of making this more sustainable and reducing costs, as the project's implementation would be severely hindered by the high cost of calls.

Merryl Ford, CSIR research group leader for ICT in Education, Youth and Gender, explained that the next step that is being worked on is to use MMS. This would greatly reduce costs and add to the functionality of the system. Another area currently being researched is the incorporation of an instant messaging service such as MXit, which is already highly popular amongst South Africa's teenagers. Doctor Maths is a MXit project that offers high school learners support with their maths syllabus.

Ford argues, "It seems a great pity that our children and teachers are not using one of the most accessible, affordable computing devices in the developing world in more positive ways. We asked ourselves whether innovations around this technology and its applications can ultimately lead to it being embraced as a learning support tool in a school environment."

"MobilED has proven that cell phones can be very useful where there's no other access to information sources. Libraries or internet connections no longer need to be the sole access point for educational information for children," she added.

Ford explained that the project is still in the piloting phase, with the current partners intending to provide only a of proof of concept which they can pass on to either an industry or education institution for commercial implementation. She welcomes any people or institutions that would like to assist or partner with the project. Also welcome are any schools which would be willing to run further pilots in their classrooms.

Merryl Ford can be contacted at mford@csir.co.za.