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Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 © ITU 2017 International Telecommunication Union Place des Nations CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the International Telecommunication Union. Denominations and classifications employed in this publication do not imply any opinion on the part of the International Telecommunication Union concerning the legal or other status of any territory or any endorsement or acceptance of any boundary. Where the designation “country” appears in this publication, it covers countries and territories. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Acknowledgements This issue of “Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment” was prepared by the Human Capacity Building Division (HCB) within the Projects and Knowledge Management Department of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU. The work was carried out under the overall direction of Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of Department, with a team comprised of Susan Teltscher, Mike Nxele, Halima Letamo and Maria Betancourt. Contributing authors to this issue are: John Traxler (editor) Mar Camacho Alastair Clark Helen Crompton Dorothy Fahlman David Hildebrandt Agnieszka Palalas Dave Parsons John Traxler Ronda Zelezny-Green ISBN: 978-92-61-21601-6 (Paper version) 978-92-61-21611-5 (Electronic version) 978-92-61-21621-4 (ePub version) 978-92-61-21631-3 (Mobi version) ii Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Foreword I am pleased to present to you the first issue of used in digital literacy and numeracy programmes, a new ITU publication “Capacity Building in a enabling people to read and write without having Changing ICT Environment”. to set foot in a classroom. The purpose of this publication is to examine Cognisant of this growing role of mobile the current and future ICT environment and technology, I launched in 2012 the “m-Powering identify the resulting implications for human and Development” initiative which, among other institutional capacity building. Success in the work things, addresses the role of mobile technology of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector in extending the benefits of ICTs to all layers of depends largely on the reservoir of knowledge and society. skills that lies within its membership, hence the need to pursue capacity building interventions that This publication is the work of an international are current and dynamic. team of experts, making contributions on topics related to mobile technologies and learning, Capacity building is a cross-cutting issue, and it according to their area of expertise. The articles is critical for the achievement of all Sustainable will hopefully contribute to the ongoing global Development Goals (SDGs). For this reason, discussions on how we can bring technology closer capacity building is mainstreamed into the to the service of the people and, ultimately, result implementation of development programmes in the improvement of their lives. related to the SDGs across all sectors. The rapid pace of technological changes in the ICT sector I trust that the ideas and recommendations demands a matching pace in the development presented in this publication will support present of the skills and competencies required to fully and future discussions and developments in this leverage the benefits of these new technologies. area. This first issue throws a spotlight on the role that mobile technology and mobile devices play in skills development and lifelong learning. Mobile technologies are now almost ubiquitous, and as the range of services and applications that can be accessed through mobile technology is also increasing, mobile devices are playing a critical Brahima Sanou role in the digital inclusion agenda. Among other Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau learning purposes, mobile technologies have been (BDT) International Telecommunication Union Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 iii About this Publication “Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment” to remain competitive in a rapidly changing ICT is an online publication which puts together environment. scholarly articles with a focus on the human and institutional aspects of capacity building in the The publication, which is released annually, is telecommunications/ICT sector. It covers a wide based on voluntary contributions from academic range of topics that may affect people and their scholars and other researchers from all over the skills development, such as the Internet of Things world. The purpose of the articles is to share (IOT), big data, telecommunication regulatory views and scholarly opinions that will stimulate issues, smart cities/societies, digital competencies, debate among its readers. Articles published are open source learning and intellectual property subjected to a quality assurance process by well rights, etc. acclaimed experts through a peer review exercise. The publication seeks to provide a body of The published articles will also be subject to knowledge that will facilitate academic research discussion at forums organized from time to time and innovation exploring the linkages between for Academia members of ITU. emerging ICT issues and human and institutional capacity building. It features current and new Those interested in submitting an article for thinking that will contribute to informed policy consideration in future editions of “Capacity debates and decisions among policymakers Building in a Changing ICT Environment” should and regulators, as well as help the private contact the Human Capacity Building Division at sector to anticipate and plan for human capital

. requirements and skills development in order Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 v First Issue The first issue of “Capacity Building in a Changing place in the developing world; further, mobile ICT Environment” focuses on mobile technologies broadband has become the most dynamic market for skills development and lifelong learning. It segment, and its coverage is rapidly extending features the work of an international team of to rural areas; and finally, mobile broadband is experts, tackling the issues in an analytical, critical now affordable in 111 countries, with mobile – and conceptual fashion. broadband becoming less expensive than fixed broadband plans. Recent developments demonstrate an increasing power of mobile devices in bringing the benefits The articles in this issue are a contribution to the of ICTs to more people worldwide: the number current discussions on the educational applications of mobile subscriptions has grown exponentially of mobile technology. They pay attention to the over the years, from 738 million in 2000, to over topics of lifelong learning and skills development, 7 billion in 2015, with most of this growth taking which have not yet been adequately explored. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 vii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................. ii Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................. iii About this Publication.......................................................................................................................................... v First Issue ............................................................................................................................................................vii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................ ix Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................1 The development of policy on mobiles and learning ...................................................................................1 Notions of development ..............................................................................................................................4 Mobile learning .............................................................................................................................................5 Lifelong learning .................................................................................................................................................9 Learning .........................................................................................................................................................9 Global learning challenges ..........................................................................................................................11 Lifelong learning as mobile learning ...........................................................................................................13 Our citizens deserve the best from mobile learning ..................................................................................14 Community and informal learning, and skills development .........................................................................17 Informal learning and mobiles ....................................................................................................................17 Community learning and mobiles...............................................................................................................18 Hard-to-reach ..............................................................................................................................................19 Case studies: Harnessing the power of mobile devices .............................................................................20 Barriers and issues ......................................................................................................................................22 Conclusions and recommendations ...........................................................................................................24 The global mobile learning story so far...........................................................................................................27 Mobile learning initiatives - 2002-2006 ......................................................................................................27 Mobile learning initiatives - 2007-2010 ......................................................................................................27 Mobile learning initiatives - 2011-2015 ......................................................................................................30 Challenges ...................................................................................................................................................32 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................................33 The basic platform ............................................................................................................................................35 Mobile learning devices ..............................................................................................................................35 Hardware .....................................................................................................................................................39 Security ........................................................................................................................................................41 Tariffs ...........................................................................................................................................................42 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................42 Mobiles in the workplace.................................................................................................................................47 Mobile use in the workplace.......................................................................................................................47 Informal learning in the workplace .............................................................................................................48 Work-based mobile learning ......................................................................................................................48 Work-based mobile learning approaches ..................................................................................................49 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 ix Work-based mobile learning affordances and constraints ........................................................................54 Conclusions and recommendations ...........................................................................................................56 Lifelong mobile learning for skills development in low- and middle-income contexts ...............................59 Lifelong mobile learning for skills development .........................................................................................60 Why the need for skills development? Why go mobile?............................................................................62 Sounding the alarm on the need for skills development ..........................................................................62 Mobile as a skills development medium ...................................................................................................64 LmL4SD case studies from low- and middle-income contexts ...................................................................64 Conclusion and recommendations .............................................................................................................69 Educational aspects of mobile impact, uptake and usage .............................................................................71 Mobile learning in the global knowledge economy: Emerging topics and opportunities .........................71 The new teaching and learning scenarios in developing countries ...........................................................72 Mobiles for lifelong learning and skill development in developing countries ...........................................73 Empowering teachers with mobile devices ................................................................................................74 Current uses of mobiles for teaching and learning: Tools for the construction of learning ......................75 Conclusions and recommendations............................................................................................................76 Stakeholder, corporate, and policy perspectives............................................................................................81 Identifying mobile learning policy stakeholders .........................................................................................81 The New Zealand context ...........................................................................................................................82 The New Zealand economic and social landscape .....................................................................................82 The school decile system ............................................................................................................................83 Educational broadband policy implementation .........................................................................................83 Case studies.................................................................................................................................................83 Policy challenges .........................................................................................................................................87 Policy questions ...........................................................................................................................................87 Policy recommendations.............................................................................................................................88 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................89 Challenges and policy options .........................................................................................................................91 The progress and the challenges ................................................................................................................91 Evaluating the evidence .............................................................................................................................92 Reading recommendations .........................................................................................................................93 Top priority recommendations ...................................................................................................................94 Additional Readings ...........................................................................................................................................97 About the Contributors......................................................................................................................................99 x Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 List of tables, figures, charts and boxes Tables Table 1.1: Examples of range of learning-related functions that can be used on mobile devices ...................15 Table 2.1: Hard-to-reach communities..............................................................................................................20 Table 4.1: Selected country tariffs for monthly mobile service for 2016 .........................................................43 Table 5.1: Learning affordances and constraints ..............................................................................................54 Figures Figure 1.1: Languages used by learners to create clips (in addition to English) ...............................................13 Figure 1.2: Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2005-2016 .....................................................14 Figure 3.1: Education for all (EFA) goals ............................................................................................................30 Figure 3.2: Challenges for mobile learning projects .........................................................................................32 Figure 3.3: Problems faced by those initiating mobile learning .......................................................................33 Figure 4.1: Learner using cell phone to communicate with IVR server ............................................................36 Figure 4.2: Example flow of IVR call for foreign language learning ..................................................................36 Figure 5.1: For many, mobile devices are the “most critical work device”.......................................................48 Figure 6.1: Learning across contexts .................................................................................................................59 Figure 6.2: The mobile learning context ...........................................................................................................60 Figure 6.3: LmL4SD ............................................................................................................................................60 Figure 6.4: Four areas of lifelong learning.........................................................................................................61 Figure 6.5: Relationship between people and technology ...............................................................................61 Figure 6.6: A definition of mobile learning........................................................................................................62 Figure 6.7: Strategic skills development activities ...........................................................................................63 Figure 6.8: Skills mismatch for youth ................................................................................................................63 Figure 6.9: Gender equality links .......................................................................................................................64 Figure 6.10: Youth unemployment ....................................................................................................................66 Figure 7.1: Are we wired for mobile learning? ..................................................................................................73 Figure 7.2: Teaching mobile web literacy ..........................................................................................................74 Figure 7.3: Skills and attributes of today’s learner ............................................................................................75 Figure 7.4: Why smartphones work for students..............................................................................................77 Figure 8.1: Stakeholder roles in policy ..............................................................................................................82 Boxes Box 1.1: iSpot Nature ........................................................................................................................................10 Box 1.2: In-service training for effective language teaching in Bangladesh .....................................................12 Box 1.3: World Reader .......................................................................................................................................12 Box 1.4: Mobile learning through indigenous languages in South Africa .........................................................13 Box 2.1: The MASELTOV project ........................................................................................................................21 Box 2.2: Young Africa Live (YAL) .........................................................................................................................22 Box 2.3: The key benefits of informal and community mobile learning ..........................................................23 Box 2.4: More didactic recommendations ........................................................................................................25 Box 3.1: The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) ...........................................................................28 Box 3.2: Improving women’s literacy in rural Afghanistan ................................................................................31 Box 4.1: Reaching the sexually exploited in Edmonton, Canada via text messaging .......................................37 Box 4.2: Community power from mobile-charging services .............................................................................39 Box 5.1: Conversion of eLearning course: Case from US Department of Defense ..........................................50 Box 5.2: “Just-in-Time” learning: Case from Jaguar Land Rover .......................................................................51 Box 5.3: Social learning in work-based mobile learning: Case from a British career advising business ......... 52 Box 5.4: Creating and sharing: Case from indigenous Australian park rangers ...............................................53 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 xi Box 5.5: Bridging informal and formal WBML: Case from Peruvian HIV/AIDS training ...................................55 Box 6.1: Philippines ...........................................................................................................................................65 Box 6.2: Tunisia .................................................................................................................................................67 Box 6.3: United States and Canada ..................................................................................................................68 Box 7.1: Empowering teachers with mobile devices: the UNESCO-NOKIA project .........................................76 Box 7.2: SMS to deliver course materials in Nepal............................................................................................78 Box 7.3: The iCollab project: Building global learning communities via mobile social media ........................79 Box 8.1: Mobile learning apps for the Māori language and culture .................................................................84 Box 8.2: Orewa College – school driven policy..................................................................................................85 Box 8.3: Manaiakalani (‘Hook From Heaven’) Trust – community, philanthropy .............................................86 xii Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Introduction By John Traxler The first issue of this publication advocates and Back in October 2010, the UNESCO Chair in explores the increased use of mobile technologies e-learning in Barcelona held an international to deliver, enhance and support informal learning seminar that focused on mobiles, learning and and skills development with, for and amongst development whilst about the same time, the disenfranchised and disadvantaged people in GSMA, the trade association for the MNOs (mobile the developing world. In a rapidly emerging network operators), published mLearning: A and rapidly changing field, the focus on skills Platform for Educational Opportunities at the development and lifelong learning is however Base of the Pyramid1. This gave MNOs an initial sometimes only implicit amongst the flurry of sense of the business opportunity represented other mobile learning activities. The articles by mobile learning, followed in February 2011 of this publication document different aspects when the GSMA World Mobile Congress in of this work and make recommendations. This Barcelona sponsored the first of its annual awards introduction looks at the bigger picture, the for learning. In August 2011, USAID convened historical and conceptual frameworks. the m4Ed4Dev Symposium in Washington DC and then launched the mEducation Alliance2 in early 2012. Meanwhile in the course of 2012, the The development of policy on mobiles International Training Centre of the International and learning Labour Organisation in Turin produced a mobile learning toolkit3 for its staff in the field globally To get a better sense of the context for the current and both the Commonwealth of Learning and publication and its recommendations, the policy the World Bank, specifically InfoDev, became documents and recommendations that have come increasingly active. Earlier, in November 2011, from kindred organisations and agencies need to the WISE Foundation debate in Qatar4 focused on be considered. mobiles, education and the hard-to-reach. Some of these developments are documented in later In the last four or perhaps five years, many articles – here our objective is merely to highlight agencies, foundations, donors and ministries have the gathering agency momentum. The roots of noticed the potential of mobile technologies to mobile learning do in fact go back further – the deliver educational and humanitarian missions first mLearn conference took place in Birmingham, to those people, communities and regions who in the United Kingdom, in 2002 and featured are distant, disenfranchised and disadvantaged. contributions from two large-scale EU projects, There has been increasing recognition of the MOBIlearn and m-learning, that were already well potential for learning and training with mobiles, underway. In the current context, m-learning is and sometimes including informal learning and significant in seeing mobile technologies as a way workforce development, and understandably of delivering and supporting literacy, numeracy these organisations have looked at the literature and basic education for disengaged young people, and asked about the implications for scale and some of whom were homeless and some of whom sustainability. They have looked at fixed-term were North African immigrants landing in Italy. small-scale subsidised pilots run by enthusiasts and visionaries seeking the basis for large-scale In December 2011, UNESCO convened its First programmes to be run at a regional or national Mobile Learning Week in Paris5. The sessions level. Now is the time to take stock of this process. focused, regionally and globally, on policy issues This publication is in some senses a milestone, and teacher development, the latter seen as the allowing us to critically review the conceptions, the optimal place to break into the educational cycle expectations and the progress in this process. and thus to promote education-for-all (EFA). In March of 2012, a further International Symposium Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 1 in Washington organised for UNESCO by the • create and optimize educational content for Consortium for School Networks, drew together use on mobile devices; emerging US practitioners, agencies, funders and stakeholders. The mEducation Alliance Symposium, • ensure gender equality for mobile students; in September 2012, entitled Partnering For Scale And Impact, illustrated the growing emphasis • expand and improve connectivity options and direction of corporate and agency priorities. while ensuring equity; UNESCO was meanwhile releasing its Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning6 , divided into • develop strategies to provide equal access for two broad subsets: six papers examining mobile all; learning initiatives and their policy implications, and six papers examining how mobile technologies • promote the safe, responsible and healthy use could support teachers and improve their practice. of mobile technologies; Within both subsets, there were five geographical divisions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Europe, • use mobile technology to improve Latin America, and North America. Each subset communication and education management; also contained a Global Themes paper synthesizing central findings from the five regional papers. • raise awareness of mobile learning through Two additional Issues papers rounded out the advocacy, leadership and dialogue. Series. One highlighted those characteristics shared by successful mobile learning initiatives These were probably the first comprehensive sets and identified supportive policies and another of policy recommendations, covering the breadth discussed how mobile technologies were likely of mobile learning activity, in the context however to impact education in the future. The report, of the UNESCO mandate to work with member Turning On Mobile Learning: Global Themes, state education ministries. made the following mixture of observations and recommendations: The second UNESCO Symposium, included in its Mobile Learning Week, in Paris in February 2013, • mobile learning carries a stigma that can and continued to align with wider objectives within the should be overcome; development community, specifically Millennium Development Goals, and with UNESCO priorities, • existing education policies have yet to namely, Africa, gender equality and teacher embrace the potential of mobile learning; development. • mobile learning can help reach marginalized At the same time, USAID through the mEducation populations and improve education systems; Alliance published its major Landscape Review: Mobiles for Youth Workforce Development, making • questions of access and equity loom large; the following observations, advocating: • diverse partnerships are required to sustain • Understanding how youth access information and expand mobile learning initiatives. across different devices and designing content that can be accessed from different devices. Meanwhile, the Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning, having argued the unique benefits of • Information on cost and levels of access mobile learning, also made recommendations: need to be considered, especially for more marginalized populations, such as rural youth • create or update policies related to mobile and young women. learning; • Educational media for instruction should • train teachers to advance learning through be selected based on the ability to deliver a mobile technologies; desired educational technique to the intended location at the most appropriate moment. • provide support and training to teachers through mobile technologies; 2 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Introduction • Self-directed learning was shown to be reasons, the agency and policy focus has, however, effective with advanced students and learners often been formal primary schooling within but is not suitable for weaker students. national education systems, delivering literacy and supported by teacher development. The current • Practitioners recommended designing for publication draws attention to other equally the lowest common denominator mobile valuable parts of the educational ecosystem, technology in order to reach the greatest reminding us that children and their teachers number of users. SMS, however, is not interact with elders, families, communities, conducive to more complex hard and soft businesses and civil society, each supporting the skills. other. • Use of mobile devices during program The publications mentioned contained numerous implementation to collect information on examples and case studies, and numerous user behaviours and skills acquisition can help references and resources. The needs and program managers expectations of the audiences for which the agencies involved publish should be noted, The third UNESCO Mobile Learning Week took GSMA for MNOs, UNESCO for Member State place in Paris in February 2014. It included a governments, and it should be recognised that the symposium devoted to exploring the relationships process of compiling and collating these has not between policy makers, programme managers, usually been scientific, objective, comprehensive officials and researchers in the mobile learning or prolonged. space. The resulting publication drew attention to some complex and unresolved issues, notably, There were also significant reports to the World working with marginal and indigenous peoples and Bank, the eTransform Africa Final Report, and the ethics of intervention; working with for-profit to the World Economic Forum, Accelerating the corporates and dealing with bias and pressure; the Adoption of mLearning: A Call for Collective and impact agenda, communication and dissemination; Collaborative Action, another one from GSMA, researchers, their careers, building capacity and their Transforming learning through mEducation funding; and working within existing levels of produced by McKinsey & Company in Mumbai plus evidence, rigour and documentation. more detailed studies in specific countries. The mEducation Alliance, supported by USAID, During this period, Western Europe saw the continues to make substantial contributions. development of the notion of digital literacy, Mobile for Reading: A Landscape Research those skills, competences and attitudes needed to Review published in June 2014 recognises the comprehend, communicate, create and critique in importance of the m4r, mobiles-for-reading, a digital world. The debates about the exact nature movement but also recognises the complex of digital literacy have been largely confined to nature of literacy, as intrusive mobile technologies the university sectors (though some aspects, for impact on the nature and balance of literacy example e-safety, are manifest in schools and and languages, especially within marginal and South Africa has been active in this respect). Our indigenous communities, at the same time as points here are that such debates should also be enhancing the acquisition of literacy. The Review addressing the meaning of digital literacy in the recognises literacy as the foundation of both skills vocational sector, the community learning sector development and lifelong learning. The UNESCO and across society in general, that such debates Reading without Books: 15 Projects that Leverage should be taking place in developing as well as Mobile Technology for Literacy in Developing developed counties and communities, and that Countries covers similar ground and features these debates should explicitly include mobile projects that address adult readers as well as digital technologies, as the major component of those for children and young people. the digital experience of most people, especially those in developing countries and regions. These examples and remarks give a sense of the Digital literacy, implicitly or explicitly, is now evolution of mobile learning in development the foundation of lifelong learning and skills contexts and obliquely of its significance for skills development. development and informal learning. For whatever Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 3 This period also saw the emergence of research have a transformative impact on education in communities devoted to ICT for development, the developing world. ICT4D, and mobiles for development, m4d, documenting and analysing the transformative Government policy is largely needed and impact of digital technology on economic and must be strengthened for e- and mLearning. social lives in developing countries. This work is Collaborative work amongst all the players to important for establishing the evolving context include governments and industry is necessary for skills development and for informal learning. to help increase adoption and awareness.” Richard Heeks, in analysing the development of ICT4D7, much of which is in fact mobile, theorises This represented a move away from ideas of that ICT4D moves in generations, from the cost-effectiveness and return-on-investment as established ICT4D 1.0 characterizing the poor the rationale for mobile learning and argued for largely as passive consumers or recipients, at different bases for scale and sustainability. There ‘the bottom of the pyramid’ to an emergent was increasing talk of the triple bottom line – ICT4D 2.0 seeing them as active producers and financial profit, social good and environmental innovators. Within ICT4D 2.0 he sees pro-poor sustainability. Social enterprises are grass-roots innovation occurs outside poor communities, manifestation of this ethos, often exploiting but on their behalf, para-poor innovation is done mobile technology and documented in the m4d working alongside poor communities and per-poor literature. There was also increasing talk, as here, innovation occurs within and by poor communities. of shared value, a concept that focused on the Education and training can be seen in a connections between societal and economic comparable framework, with large-scale teacher- progress. It involved reconceiving products and led initial education systems in the first category markets, redefining productivity in the value chain but skills development and lifelong learning and enabling local cluster development, and had enabled by mobile technology having the potential advocates in amongst Intel, Walmart, Google, IBM, to populate the other two later categories, to work Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Alcatel, Nestlé and with and within poor communities. others. The Harvard Business Review of January 2011 gives an overview and contrasts the concepts There were increasing numbers of regional of CSV, creating shared value with the prior focus mobile learning trade shows and commercial of CSR, corporate social responsibility, hitherto conferences, in, for example, South America the main source of corporate support for mobile and South Asia, often with development and learning for disadvantaged communities and infrastructure themes. In Africa, Balancing Act developing regions, one that proved increasingly continued to report on the development of the vulnerable in a worsening global economic climate. mobile sector, covering infrastructure, regulation and policy, and the eLearning Africa 2012 Report and the subsequent eLearning Africa Report 2014 Notions of development drew critical attention to mobile opportunities and to patchy progress. The latter featured an Underneath many discussions have been interview with Brahima Sanou, the Director of the assumptions about development that are not Telecommunication Development Bureau of the clearly articulated. This lack of clarity is common. International Telecommunication Union, in which The prevailing definitions and priorities are he said, however moving away from a focussing solely on economic growth and away from solely addressing “The telecom sector must approach this from a extreme material deprivation in the global South. “shared value” perspective joining the notion of These definitions and priorities are however profit and social good, and not strictly from a still powerful and often portray development as corporate social responsibility or philanthropic modernisation, as catching-up. In the context of angle which often lies at the periphery of firms. education, there is much talk of mobile technology Working in collaboration with the ecosystem enabling a process of leap-frogging, jumping over in building long-term financially sustainable computer implementations and going straight business models using the companies’ core to mobile implementations. These notions have competencies and technologies is the only way consequences for skills development and lifelong e- and mLearning will truly be able to scale and learning since they imply specific and immutable 4 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Introduction trajectories and objectives independent of Technologies become sources of unfreedom, local culture and customs, independent of local for example, when first people who would like traditions about learning, knowing and finding out. to use them in order to better lead the lives they value cannot access them, while others An alternative, the Capability Approach of can; and second, when people feel or are the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, has gained forced to use technologies which do not reflect considerable visibility, the lives they value. The challenge facing “information and communication technologies “Development can be seen as a process of for development” (ICT4D) is thus twofold: expanding the real freedoms that people first, to work toward a situation in which enjoy.”8 people can have access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) if they so and wish and, second, to consider whether and how new technologies relate to the lives that people Focusing on the “substantive freedom – of value, individually and collectively.11 people to lead the lives they have reason to value and to enhance the real choices they This discussion is important when the possible have.”9 contribution of mobile technologies to lifelong learning and skill development is considered In this more holistic view of development, and there is a resonance with the commercial economic growth plays an important, but not community discussion of shared value. exclusive, role. It sounds like a very inclusive definition, one that should include learning, At a less conceptual level, the Sustainable especially informal and lifelong learning alongside Livelihoods Framework (SLF) adopted by the UK training and skills development. There are, DFID amongst others offers a more rounded however, problems: vision of development compared to earlier, purely materialistic ones and provides an analytical The first is uncontrollability: the structure tool to understand systemically the elements of the ‘development industry’ is such that influencing the lives of poor people. It addresses funders tend to be persuaded to commit the issue of ‘practical applicability’ that afflicts the resources based on the promise of pre- Capability Approach. The SLF includes the concept determined impacts, not by a promise that of an individual’s capital portfolio made up of five people will be empowered to make much less capitals: human capital, natural capital, financial predictable choices of development outcomes. capital, physical capital and social capital. Human The second is practical applicability: even if capital is measured by formal education and health one were to accept expansion of freedom, indicators. Social capital is more problematic but and thus freedom to choose, as the primary this is exactly where informal and lifelong learning end and principal means of development operate, building social cohesion and education (Sen 1999:36) then how can the conceptual empowerment. Furthermore, in the SLF livelihood richness of this approach be translated outcomes are defined a priori. In the DFID version, into an operationalisable modus operandi more income is listed at the top, even before in development planning, execution and increased well-being. The SLF offers a broad evaluation?10 and systemic view of development but its set of capitals is limited and the development goals are Several things are apparent: the issue of ‘practical predetermined; unlike the Capability Approach, applicability’ is exactly the challenge faced by they are not up to the individual to choose. informal and community learning programmes and by education in general, and secondly the Capability Approach puts training in a more holistic Mobile learning context than merely mechanically servicing the needs of employers and the economy. And then, Some fundamental tensions in how mobile specifically in relation to digital technology, learning is perceived should also be discussed. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 5 Looking backwards, mobile learning is a In both cases it should be recognised that for many continuation of e-learning, of learning with communities and regions, mobile technology and computers, something that took place only network connectivity are the portal to online in schools, colleges and universities and in resources and online communities; looking corporations, institutions with the expertise and backwards, these might be web sites, OER (open resources necessary for working with scarce, educational resources) repositories12, institutional expensive, fragile and difficult devices, to enhance MOOCs (massive open online courses), and extend the existing curriculum and to support institutional VLEs (virtual learning environments) the existing education systems. Projects were and formal SIGs (special interest groups); looking often small-scale, fixed-term, subsidised and run forwards, these will be Facebook groups, blog- by skilled enthusiasts. The first decade of mobile posts, podcasts, twitter feeds, YouTube videos and learning was often characterised by challenges user group sites. These examples show just how of sustainability, scale and transferability. Seen potent and empowering skills development and from this perspective the responsibility for mobile lifelong learning can be once accessible through learning rested with the ministries and authorities mobile technology. The role of the teacher and in formal education and the commercial trainer becomes that of continually monitoring and opportunities rested with those companies with selecting resources, communities and experiences e-learning expertise and legacy. that their learners can exploit, and equipping these learners with the critical skills to continue this on Looking forwards, ownership and familiarity their own behalf subsequently. of mobiles is becoming widespread; mobiles becoming ubiquitous and pervasive, cheap, In both cases, however, the mobile learning robust and easy to use, and ordinary people and advocates and activists must provide the communities using them to produce, share and necessary examples and evidence to move these discuss ideas, information, images and opinions; various stakeholders forward, to take mobile in effect taking learning into their own hands not learning up their priorities, to allocate resources only as learners but as each other’s teachers. and to take some measured risks. Seen in these terms, the responsibility for mobile learning should be more systemic and societal, not In the subsequent articles, our contributors limited to one department or one ministry, and the tackle definitions of mobile learning, and indeed commercial opportunities should extend beyond various other kinds of learning, from a variety publishers, networks and broadcasters to the of perspectives, unpacking the implications and communities themselves, their centres and their illustrating the fluidity of the various concepts. people, their values and their concerns. 6 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Endnotes 1 Available at: www.gsmworld.com/documents/mLearning_Report_Final_Dec2010.pdf 2 www.meducationalliance.org 3 www.itcilo.org/en/community/news/mobile-learning/image/image_view_fullscreen 4 www.wise-qatar.org/content/31-mobile-learning-hard-reach 5 www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/ 6 All available at: www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/ 7 Heeks, R. (2008). ICT4D 2.0: The Next Phase of Applying ICT for International Development. Computer, 41(6), pp. 26-33. 8 Sen, A.K. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 3. 9 Sen, A.K. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 293. 10 Kleine, D. (2011). The capability approach and the ‘medium of choice’: steps towards conceptualising information and communication technologies for development. Ethics and Information Technology, 13(2), p.119. 11 Kleine, D., Light, A. and Montero, M.-J. (2012). Signifiers of the life we value? – considering human development, technologies and Fair Trade from the perspective of the capabilities approach. Information Technology for Development, 18(1), p. 43. 12 See https://oerknowledgecloud.org/content/why-open-educational-resources-are-needed-mobile-learning Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 7 Lifelong learning By Alastair Clark In this article, the importance of lifelong learning UNESCO convenes the Confintea world will be explored, and in particular, the ways in conferences on adult education every decade. The which hand-held digital communication devices priorities for action set at Confintea VI in Belem, can be used as effective ways for adults to learn. Brazil in 2009 provide an indication of key global Mobile Learning offers some very significant policy trends. These priorities are: potential benefits to adult learners. Our challenge is to ensure that, educators, policy makers and • to push forward the recognition of adult learners themselves can all play their parts in learning and education as an important ensuring that these new ways of learning really do element of and factor conducive to lifelong make a positive difference to people’s personal learning, of which literacy is the foundation; and professional lives. • to highlight the crucial role of adult learning and education for the realisation of current Learning international education and development agendas (EFA, MDGs, UNLD, LIFE and DESD)3; Learning taking place at any time in a citizen's and life can rightly be described as lifelong learning and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning • to renew political momentum and indicates that it 'encompasses learning at all ages commitment and to develop the tools for and subsumes formal, non-formal and informal implementation in order to move from learning.'1 However, the term is commonly used rhetoric to action. to focus on the learning that takes place after a period of initial education. Lifelong learning can Learning can include the acquisition of knowledge, be pursued for both personal and professional skills and values and this is especially true of reasons. Indeed some advocates have dismissed lifelong learning and can be characterised as, the validity of making a clear divide between what you know, what you can do and what you these two types of learning. They argue that non- believe in. Learning itself can take place in so vocational learning can often produce learning many different ways and it has become common outcomes which are beneficial in the workplace to recognise a distinction between Formal, Non- and conversely vocational training can often satisfy Formal and Informal Learning. These distinctions broader individual needs for personal fulfilment. are used widely in policy and there have been some bold attempts to offer formal recognition Learning throughout life will have a range of for the outcomes of informal and non-formal functions for different people and at different learning. Although there are some variations in the stages at their lives. For instance, lifelong detailed definitions that are used, the following learning provides a vital opportunity for adults to descriptions offer a useful indication of how the 'catch-up' on elements of their initial education terms 'formal', 'non-formal' and 'informal' are and training that they have missed. It can also commonly applied to education and learning. prepare adults for a new life stage, for example: new employment, preparation for retirement or Formal education: the hierarchically structured, accepting new family or civic responsibilities2. chronologically graded ‘education system’, running Lifelong learning can also play an important part from primary school through the university in helping adults to define and shape their own and including, in addition to general academic identities by exploring their past biographies and studies, a variety of specialised programmes and framing their aspirations. institutions for full-time technical and professional training. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 9 Non-formal education: any organised educational or may be understood or implied without being activity outside the established formal system – specifically stated (tacit learning). Non-formal whether operating separately or as an important learning has many manifestations but examples feature of some broader activity – that is intended would include village-based literacy classes for to serve identifiable learning clienteles and adults and training of coaches in a sports club. The learning objectives. iSpot Nature web site offers an online example of self directed and collaborative learning where Informal education: the truly lifelong process users learn to identify and appreciate flora and whereby every individual acquires attitudes, fauna through sharing information on an online values, skills and knowledge from daily experience community (Box 1.1). and the educative influences and resources in his or her environment – from family and neighbours, As seen from the priorities set at Confintea from work and play, from the market place, the VI, ensuring that citizens have access to learn library and the mass media.4 It is often added that throughout their lives has become an object of a substantial element of informal education may policy and has been associated with efforts to not even be conscious on the part of the learner create a more just world. Beyond the formal Box 1.1: iSpot Nature The Open University iSpot website works well on mobile devices and provides a platform for anytime, anyplace, informal learning. The collaborative features of the site enables a community of over 33 000 users world-wide to share their knowledge. Nearly a quarter of a million images of flora and fauna have been uploaded to iSpot and the species have then been identified by one or more fellow users. Images have been submitted to iSpot from over 140 countries and can be uploaded directly from a mobile device. The community of users includes students and enthusiastic amateurs as well as teachers and academics. iSpot is a Citizen Science project run by The Open University in the UK but used worldwide. It was originally developed as part of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project 2008-12. Photo credit: iSpot. www.ispotnature.org/ 10 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong learning structures of UNESCO and national governments, three of these people are women. Even more the Non-Governmental Organisations have raised challenging is the fact that this figure only dropped their voices in support of lifelong learning in the by 1 per cent between 2000 and 2011, and name of social justice. The International Council UNESCO predict that, at present rates, it may not for the Education of Adults identifies this key role be until 2072 that 'the poorest young women in of adult learning in promoting positive changes. developing countries achieve universal literacy! The Council has as its mission: Seeking to address the need for reading materials to promote learning and education for adults in local languages, the World Reader WRM app and young people in pursuit of social justice is available in 53 countries and gives access to within the framework of human right in all its reading material in 43 languages (Box 1.3). dimensions, to secure the healthy, sustainable and democratic development of individuals, The problem may not even be solved through the communities and societies.5 current initial education system as UNESCO has also identified that around 250 million children are This role for lifelong learning resonates with the 'not learning the basic skills, even though half of approach to critical pedagogy championed by them have spent at least four years at school'. It the influential Brazilian educator, Paolo Freire follows that there is huge need to raise the skills who challenged the notion that learners were like and effectiveness of the current teaching work empty bank accounts waiting for deposits from force.7 the teacher but instead advocated the co-creation of learning. This notion of co-creation was central Whilst work on literacy in some countries may be to the foundation of the Workers Educational focussed on the widely used colonial languages, Association in the UK that set out in 1904 to there are also shrill calls for new technologies to ensure that 'teachers would be learners and the play their part in strengthening and celebrating the learners would be teachers.' The Folkbildning position of traditional and indigenous languages. movement of the Nordic countries has had a world-wide influence on approaches to lifelong South African teachers have shown the learning with its strong on the value of self effectiveness of using local languages to make organised Study Circles and the principles have audio recordings on mobile phones of key learning also been applied to online learning circles too. points from science lessons (Box 1.4). Participation rates in formal and non-formal adult The 2013 UNESCO Education for All Monitoring learning vary greatly. Even in the countries of Report sets improvements in quality of teaching as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and one of its six goals. Indeed the reports suggest that Development (OECD) the range is from 60 per 'in a third of countries the challenge of training cent of adults in Sweden and New Zealand to just existing teachers is worse than that of recruiting 15 per cent of the adult populations in Greece and training new teachers'. Examples of good or Hungary6. Informal learning is far harder to practice exist of use of mobiles for in-service measure but the World Wide Web is being used training for teachers and school leaders. extensively to seek instant answers to 'just in time' questions through search engines and topic based In addition to the need to improve literacy levels user-forums. and to address the closely-related issue of in- service teacher training, there are further global issues that should call upon mobile learning Global learning challenges to meet the challenges. The English in Action project in Bangladesh addressed the need for The ability to create and to read communication teacher training by deploying small memory cards using the written word remains vitally important containing training materials which could be skills. Without literacy skill, doors are closed to accessed through mobile phones equipped with further learning and to full participation in civil speakers (Box 1.2). society. It is therefore of real concern that UNESCO has identified that 774 million adults across the There remain gender disparities in accessing the world cannot read or write and that two out of benefits of education, with only 38 per cent of Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 11 Box 1.2: In-service training for effective language teaching in Bangladesh The English in Action seeks to raise the English language attainment levels in Bangladesh schools through in service training for teachers. The primary method is to distribute videos of actual Bangladeshi teachers, employing active 'communicative' techniques in their own classrooms. The training materials, developed by the OU and local partners in Bangladesh, are stored on tiny SD (secure digital) memory cards, supplied to the teachers pre-loaded on mobile phones with external speakers. The project wanted to use widespread available technology to get high-quality audio and video learning materials to teachers, even in remote rural areas, but without depending on costly, unreliable mobile internet access or intermittent electricity supplies. English in Action was developed at the request of the Bangladeshi Government, and funded by the UK Government Department for International Development’s UK Aid programme. It is delivered in partnership with development consultants BMB Mott McDonald. Box 1.3: World Reader The World Reader WRM app is available in 53 countries and gives access to reading material in 43 languages including Hindi, Yoruba, Kiswahili and Twi. The World Reader organisation provides over 6 000 digitised books including newly published African authors and existing material donated by top trade and textbook publishers. Support is offered locally to promote reading on mobile devices and World Reader also offers training for local project managers and teachers as well as e-reader repair training for local businesses. Source: West, M. (2014). Reading in the mobile era: A study of mobile reading in developing countries. Paris, UNESCO. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002274/227436E.pdf Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. countries in the world having achieved gender Another challenge is presented by the very parity of access to secondary education.8 Whilst technology of mobile, learning itself. As the there may also be some parallel gender disparity world becomes increasingly connected, there in access to mobile technologies, there has been is a need to understand the social and political some very encouraging work in use of mobile implications of these connections. Many countries phones to extend literacy material to women. across the globe are recognising the need to develop strategies and learning programmes Changes in global climate are increasing the need (often informal and non-formal) to minimise the to learn how this is happening and what can be disparities between those who have and those done as a result. Whilst UNESCO declared the who do not have access to information and Decade of Education for Sustainable Development opportunities to exercise freedom of expression. from 2004 - 2014 there remains an ongoing and It is right and fitting that mobile learning will increasingly vital task of raising the understanding play its part in delivering learning in Media and of the science along with the social and economic Information Literacy.9 consequences of changes in climate and other environmental changes. These in turn are When it comes to skills related to specific jobs, the fuelling a growing demand for new skills and new World Bank has identified that: technologies to support 'green industries'. 12 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong learning Box 1.4: Mobile learning through indigenous languages in South Africa South African secondary school physical science learners used mobile phones to create audio notes of their learning. The notes were in a mixture of English and indigenous languages and were uploaded onto a mobile learning system where they could be retrieved later for revision purposes (Figure 1.1). The content of these notes was composed from their own individual knowledge gathered from their daily physical science lessons and other sources of electronic and non-electronic learning resources including their text-books. Figure 1.1: Languages used by learners to create clips (in addition to English) Source: Jantjies, M. and Joy, M. (2013). Mobile learning through indigenous languages: learning through a constructivist approach. In: 12th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2013), Doha, Qatar, 22-24 Oct 2013. Published in: 12th World Con- ference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2013), Volume 2013 (Article number 14). Available at: http://www.qscience.com/doi/abs/10.5339/qproc.2013.mlearn.14 Accessed 19 Nov. 2016. “… the share of firms worried about inadequate available for people in employment to seek advice worker education and skills averages about from co-workers including those who are not co- 25% in the Organization for Economic located. Cooperation and Development and in Europe and Central Asia, 40% in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 50% in East Asia and the Pacific.”10 Lifelong learning as mobile learning Mobile learning has a distinct and powerful role When facing these global educational challenges, to play in initial vocational training, but also in the rapid increase in access to mobile technologies supporting the mix of learning methods and cannot be ignored. To illustrate this recent growth styles that help to keep a workforce flexible and in access to mobile devices Figure 1.2 shows how innovative. mobile phone penetration has changed since 2005 and how this has been most marked in developing Charles Jennings11 has famously proposed the countries where there has been more than a four- 70:20:10 ratio suggesting that for most jobs, 70 fold increase from 2005 to 2013. per cent of the skills, knowledge required are learned on the job, 20 per cent from other people Of course, some users have multiple accounts so and 10 per cent from formal training. Whilst the these figures cannot be taken to equate directly exact figures will vary, this does remind educators to the proportion of a population that has phone that formal training must be of good quality and access. However, this rapid rise appears set to relevant and that communication methods are continue and does indicate a vast increase in the number of mobile devices in circulation. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 13 Figure 1.2: Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2005-2016 Source: ITU. (2016). Key 2005-2016 ICT data for the world, by geographic regions and by level of development. Available at http://www.itu.int/en/ITU- D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx Accessed 18 Nov. 2016. * Estimate for 2016 These devices will have a variety of levels of on which they can build the skill, knowledge functionality and connectivity, and we illustrate and attitudes for successful economic and civic in Table 1 examples of the range of functions participation. The opportunities to enhance which can support learning. In addition to simple learning presented by the rapid growth in access mobile phones, 'Feature Phones' have more to hand-held communication should be seized. functionality, but smartphones with a computer style operating system are becoming more widely In order to gain the maximum benefit, it is used as their price reduces. Beyond mobile recommended that: phones, other handheld mobile electronic devices are also deployed for learning. These currently • strategies for improving literacy should include include tablets, video and audio recorders, games use of appropriate mobile technologies to machines, GPS units and industry specific devices, provide high quality learning experiences; but the market is dynamic and innovative. New devices with new combinations of functions are • policies should be developed for use of mobile being introduced regularly. technology to develop and celebrate the use of indigenous languages; Following the 2012 Paris declaration on Open Education12, there is a renewed commitment from • mobile learning should be employed as one publicly funded content providers to ensure that method in the initial training of teachers and the materials they create are licensed as Open Continuous Professional Development so that Educational Resources (OERs) and thus freely all educators can experience the benefits available for others to use, adapt and share. and develop the necessary technical and pedagogical skills to make best use; Our citizens deserve the best from • voluntary civil society organisations should be mobile learning given technical and pedagogical support to deploy appropriate mobile learning techniques Throughout the world, access to good quality in their delivery of non-formal learning; and relevant education is recognised as playing a key part in supporting economic and human • communication providers should promote development. The work of UNESCO and others their networks as gateways to new knowledge have shown how much still needs to be done to and to seek both to stimulate and to satisfy ensure that all citizens have a basic education the curiosity that motivates informal learning; 14 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong learning • mobile technology should be presented in rich and poor alike. Ambitious but achievable policy statements as a tool for all, offering a goals should be set for widening access to window on a wider world of knowledge to learning for all through technology. women and men, all ages, all abilities and to Table 1.1: Examples of range of learning-related functions that can be used on mobile devices Information provided by phone call Information provided by SMS text Text made available to read on the device Information delivery Instructional video provided through the device Instructional audio provided through the device Location-specific content delivery through QR codes and Augmented Reality Use of SMS message boards Collaboration Web based collaborative tools Voice connection to individuals or conference calls Assessment test / quiz activity undertaken on the device Assessment Feedback to learners via voice or SMS Recording of skill performance by video or audio Collecting evidence of a finished product of learning (eg photo, video, audio) Video Audio User-generated content Text Geo-specific information collection This is non exhaustive, as one of the significant features of this area of technology is rapid change and innovation. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 15 Endnotes 1 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2010). Lifelong Learning. Available at: http://www.uil.unesco.org/lifelong- learning-0 Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. 2 Schuller, T. and Watson, D. (2009). Learning for Life - Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning. Leicester: NIACE. 3 EFA: Education for All, MDG: Millennium Development Goals, UNLD: UN Literacy Decade, LIFE: Literacy Initiative for Empowerment, DESD: Decade for Education for Sustainable Development. 4 Combs, P.H., Prosser, R.C. and Ahmed, M. (1973). New path to learning for rural children and youth. New York: International Council for Educational Development. 5 International Council for Adult Education. (2013). About Us. Available at: www.icae2.org/index.php/en/about-us/mission Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. 6 OECD. (2013). Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing. Available at: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/ education/education-at-a-glance-2013_eag-2013-en Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. 7 UNESCO. (2014). Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013/4. Paris: UNESCO. Available at: http://en.unesco.org/ gem-report/allreports Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. 8 Ibid. 9 UNESCO. (2013). Media and Information Literacy Policy and Strategy Guidelines. Paris: UNESCO. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002256/225606e.pdf Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. 10 World Bank. (2010). Stepping up skills for more jobs and higher productivity. Washington, D.C.: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. Available at: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/06/ 12515032/stepping-up-skills-more-jobs-higher-productivity Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. 11 See Charles Jennings’ Blog: http://tinyurl.com/pm4sq9x 12 Available at: http://tinyurl.com/kzfmtqg 16 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Community and informal learning, and skills development By Agnieszka Palalas The mobile learning community has the accessibility have to be considered, including the potential and responsibility to bring informal and potential users’ digital literacy deficiencies and community-based learning to the hard-to-reach their preparedness to utilize mobile resources. and those experiencing socio-economic, cultural, It is equally imperative to ensure that, while and ecological uncertainty. The capabilities of “persuading and presenting” the benefits of mobile technologies, on their own or blended mobile learning interventions to individuals with other local and sustainable technologies, or communities, a partnership is established have opened up avenues for transformational respecting their specific interests, as well as change founded on personal, vocational, cultural, cultural and socio-economic contexts. Successful economic, social, and civic improvement of educational interventions targeting individual and individuals and groups. The exponential growth community learning necessitate attention to the in mobile penetration11 and handset ownership particular problems that they are addressing as across the globe coupled with expanding mobile well as their settings. More listening than telling network coverage, offered by competitive mobile is essential to achieve outcomes that benefit the network operators, creates an environment in learners. which the immense potential of mobile learning in overcoming the global learning challenges can be The next section of this article provides a realized. definition of informal learning before moving to a discussion of community learning and the pivotal Informal learning via mobile technologies creates a role of dialogue in the development and provision vehicle by which individuals and groups affected by of education for the community. Subsequently, natural disasters, warfare and conflict, economic examples of hard-to-reach communities and shocks, ill health, discrimination, and violence mobile learning interventions suitable for these can access information, ideas, opinions and groups are presented and then illustrated with knowledge. Mobile devices can thus open doors selected case studies. The latter sections focus on to equity and welfare by connecting people to aid, the key benefits, barriers, and recommendations resources, advice, supports, and by giving them a with regard to the usage of mobile devices for voice. Moreover, handheld devices can become an informal and community learning as well as skill engine of growth by facilitating equitable access to development. quality education for children, youth, and adults2, and consequently empowering them with literacy, numeracy, essential life and lifelong learning Informal learning and mobiles skills. The use of mobile technologies can now embrace members of marginalized groups and Informal learning occurs throughout life, and those who have suffered rejection and exclusion daily interactions with other people, including from education. Informal learning via mobiles individual and community activities, such as can permeate across many physically or culturally learning cultural norms, language, or even how impenetrable barriers to liberate, empower, to prepare a healthy meal. Informal learning is an provide, and help people reach their potential. integral part of life and has also been identified as a vital social phenomenon3. This article adopts Nevertheless, the magnitude of the challenge of Livingston’s4 definition of informal learning as all taking mobile learning to those in need cannot “forms of intentional or tacit learning in which be underestimated, especially when targeting we engage either individually or collectively those hard-to-reach. The various aspects of without direct reliance on a teacher or externally Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 17 organized curriculum”. Livingston refers to both themselves by increasing the capacity of self-directed and collective informal learning, individuals and groups of all ages to improve their as well as intentional and unintentional informal quality of life. The key to successful individual or learning. Tacit learning is so integrated in other community informal mobile learning is the ability activities that it is impossible to distinguish it as an to reach all community members and ensure act of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, their participation in the democratic processes of or skill, for instance when communicating via mobile content creation, selection, and delivery. mobile in a rescue operation. This discussion of the Moreover, such educational interventions need role of mobile technologies in informal learning to be developed through consultation with also includes incidental learning, which occurs communities and other stakeholders as well as unintentionally; however, eventually the learner with respect to the communal coherence and becomes aware that learning has taken place. local networks. Consequently, mobile devices Livingston explains that much of the informal should serve not only as a platform for delivery of learning occurs at irregular times and spaces, and educational interventions but also as a network at moments of transitions as well as at other major for communication and feedback exchange within influential events in life. While people commonly the community and with the outside participants. undertake informal learning to gain desired Effective community-based learning necessitates knowledge and skill, they also might engage in collective action requiring extensive personal learning ad hoc in response to a crisis or in search contact, regular interaction, and trust enabling for solutions to urgent issues or situational needs. mutual aid. All in all, learning “at any time and in any place, in everyday life”5 might arise from individual Community learning, although often associated and collective goals, either explicit educational merely with socio-economically disadvantaged objectives or plain survival goals brought about by individuals and poorer areas, has been adopted a random situation, when the aims and processes widely reaching members of regional and global of learning might be not explicit. Unintentional communities, especially those outside the formal mobile learning, from unanticipated learning education grid. Mobile devices add another opportunities or unforeseen events, can result in dimension to such informal learning, namely learning that is situated, contextual, and social. the possibility of linking dispersed communities, connecting them from virtually anywhere, and networking them on-demand in the time Community learning and mobiles when information or support is critical to their survival. Thus, networks among those with The community learning process, with or without similar problems or interests can be built, and assistance of technology, is principally about new ad-hoc communities created. The use of people helping other people and connecting mobile devices enables individuals and groups with them. Mobile devices provide an on- who, due to cultural, physical, socio-economic or demand link to others within and outside our health barriers, are prevented from participating own communities. They enable exchange of in learning activities and discussions in person, information and conversation, which can mediate to voice their needs, and contribute their learning and skill acquisition effecting personal perspectives. This may include women with limited growth and social transformation. Freire6 posited rights, young sex workers, and those with physical that the powerless could accomplish freedom or mental disabilities. Mobiles also become and change as a result of critical reflection indispensable in more urgent circumstances, such and informed action. He postulated that by as ecological disasters or military conflicts, when collaborating and sharing knowledge with the people join their forces to save lives and sustain least powerful in society, they become more their safety. Mobile technologies often serve as autonomous and empowered. From Freire’s the sole lifeline and source of lifeblood information perspective, change toward greater equality and for the people united in their struggles. As these social justice presupposes community-based people connect, cooperate, and support each learning based on listening to the community other, they co-create new knowledge and help and open dialogue. Community-based informal each other acquire new skills, in the course of a learning may enable people to transform rather informal and unintentional learning process. 18 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 informal learning Community and Many of these communities have limited resources Hard-to-reach audiences might be uninformed or such as money and expertise, technical savvy, information poor. They are liable to be distrustful expensive hardware, and reliable infrastructure, and uncooperative owing to their previous including Internet access or even electricity. experiences. Being disadvantaged in one way or However, they may have access to mobile phones another, the hard-to-reach often prove challenging through which they can form and enter their and expensive to connect with. They are likely to virtual community – their mobile community be underserved due to a lack of services available of practice that in turn becomes their informal to them or their difficulty in accessing the existing community of learners, who share needs, goals supports. Therefore, it is imperative to invest and beliefs, and who actively engage in learning creativity and out-of-the-box thinking in the from one another. Members of these communities development of strategies to reach and include are interdependent in that they have a joint these people. They need support to raise their purpose and responsibility for learning while awareness of the existing interventions and ensure sustaining a mutually respectful and cohesive their preparedness to utilize the mobile learning environment. Mobile devices can serve as the resources available to them or created specifically platform for their discourse and for sharing for them. resources. An essential component for successful learning of such groups and individuals is a two- way communication and flow of information - the ability to reach them through their mobiles. Hard-to-reach The target population depicted in this article can be characterized as hard-to-reach, for diverse reasons and to a varied degree. For example, the hard-to-reach could include illiterate adults in a remote village in Africa or Asia, victims of Exchanging aid messages after the earthquake in Haiti the earthquake in Haiti, and women trafficked and exploited in Canada; all who may be hard to Photo credit: DFID - UK Department for International Development. Licenced under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via reach using traditional and conventional methods. Wikimedia Commons The various causes for this inaccessibility can be grouped into five categories (Table 2.1): Using mobile networks to promote consciousness and knowledge facilitates personal and collective 1. demographics (e.g., dispersed farmers, the development, thus bridging socio-economic elderly, living in remote areas, nomadic, poor); and cultural differences. Once potential learners are willing and ready to join the virtual human 2. socio-cultural (e.g., minority ethnic groups, network, mobiles can be used as mediators of the illiterate, sex workers, homeless, immigrants, learning process as well as pointers to relevant drug users); resources and supports. Engagement in an effective learning experience fosters acquisition 3. behavioural and attitudinal (e.g., illegal of lifelong learning skills and, in turn, sustainable workers, homeless, the disengaged); personal or communal transformation. 4. health-related (e.g., the disabled, visually Table 2.1 provides an overview of the hard- impaired, autistic), and the less permanent to-reach communities alongside examples of category; subgroups and case studies demonstrating the positive impact of using mobile devices for 5. situational (e.g., earthquake victims, displaced, informal/community learning and skill acquisition. dispossessed). Selected case studies, representing a cross-section of hard-to-reach communities, are discussed below. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 19 Table 2.1: Hard-to-reach communities Examples Category Characteristics Case studies/Mobile tools and servicesa (subgroups) Common sense net 2.0: http://wiki.epfl.ch/csn2/ Widely dispersed description Gender, age, ethnicity, farmers, the Yoza Cellphone Stories: www.praekeltfoundation.org/ Demographics nationality, knowledge elderly, living in yoza.html The quantity and of languages, mobility, remote areas, the Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3F)- COL: http://bit.ly/ characteristics assets, employment status, rural, unemployed, 1fYC1d9, http://bit.ly/1do8vg2 of an individual/ location, income level, way women, nomadic, Dr Math on MXit: http://bit.ly/PVE4p6 group of living, educational level, poor, indigenous, faith/religion faith based Magpi: www.datadyne.org/magpi-mobile/ communities The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA): www. askmama.co.za/ Minority ethnic groups, illiterate, BBC Janala: www.bbcjanala.com/ Cultural background, sex workers, PAJE-Nièta: Youth Entrepreneurs Project: http://blog. social/cultural status, homeless, usaid.gov/2013/08/preparing-youth-for-employment/ Socio-cultural social visibility/ invisibility, immigrants, MASELTOV: www.maseltov.eu/ The way of life language spoken, social indigenous, FrontlineSMS: www.frontlinesms.com/ of an individual/ respect/acceptance or drug users, the Pesinet: www.pesinet.org/wp/ group prejudice, religious bias/ disempowered Sexual Exploitation Outreach with Text Messaging: intolerance, gender young, political http://bit.ly/1lxfeJ6 stereotyping refugees, victims Tell-it-True:http://bit.ly/1jPHfbY of violence, LGBT Distrust toward Behavioural and others, governments, attitudinal organizations, (un) Project Masiluleke: www.praekeltfoundation.org/ willingness, (un)awareness, Illegal workers, sex The manner projectm.html (ir)responsible, (il) workers, homeless, they function or legal, (un)stable, (un) MiFinder: www.mifinderapp.com/ the disengaged, operate, their Sexual Exploitation Outreach with Text Messaging: cooperative, dis(engaged), marginal beliefs, and http://bit.ly/1lxfeJ6 (dis)organized, (un) attitudes motivated, distressed, (non)aggressive, addicted Ill, mentally TxtAlert: http://www.praekeltfoundation.org/txtalert. disables, autistic, html visually/hearing MTN Kick Out Malaria: http://bit.ly/1hYxwjv Health-related Physically disabled, impaired Camp Discovery app: http://bit.ly/O74dzW Experiencing mentally disabled, ChatSalud: http://bit.ly/1gPxHuL limitations due to chronically ill, special Impairments CycleTel™: http://www.cycletel.org/; http://bit.ly/ health issues needs, victims of epidemics due to genetics, MLH4SK diseases, and/or Health and disability apps: http://www.disabled-world. accidents com/assistivedevices/apps/ Situational Victims and workers FrontlineSMS to improve service delivery after floods in Temporarily in places of natural Earthquake Pakistan: http://bit.ly/NS1GcV constrained disasters, warfare, political victims, displaced, FrontlineSMS to improve food aid delivery to refugees: by ecological, conflicts, socio-economic dispossessed, http://bit.ly/1f45bTE socio-economic, outbreaks, economic and disrupted, Refugees United: http://bit.ly/MLPARz political disaster/ ecological uncertainty and displaced Global MedAid (GMA): www.globalmedaid.com/ unrest stress about-us-2/ Note: a Not exclusive to the categories in which they are mentioned, many of these tools and services have multiple uses. Also, examples (subgroups) are not mutually exclusive to each category. Case studies: Harnessing the power of to support underserved people in emerging mobile devices markets in their pursuit of socio-economic growth, for instance mHealth, mAgri, mWomen Mobile devices enable learning and skill or mobiles for banking and for employment7 acquisition by connecting people to others and (discussed in more detail in Article 6). Some to information. Similarly, numerous Mobiles specific examples include the Magpi8 mobile for Development (M4D) initiatives have joined data collection system, used in more than 170 communities across regional and global networks countries; it provides low-cost access to real-life data for commerce, agriculture, conservation 20 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 informal learning Community and and education. It has been used to gather public community learning as well as skill development. health information for monitoring and assessment A handful of these solutions are presented as well as to prepare communities for disease below with additional ones in Table 2.1. In threats and prevent widespread epidemics. In terms of demographically hard-to-reach groups, the same vein, FrontlineSMS9 software, which projects like BBC Janala11, serving over 26 million collects and distributes information via text Bangladeshi, provide English language lessons messages, has been used for monitoring national through mobile phones and a combination of elections in Nigeria amongst other countries, to other media to increase learners’ chances of a report emergency information in the 2010 Haitian better future. Sesame Workshop Initiatives India earthquake, and for communication between Pvt. Ltd.12 has reached 1.9 million marginalized beneficiaries and aid providers to deliver food to children in India through community radio and refugees in the Western Sahara, amongst plentiful telephone-based systems to deliver literacy, other uses. Many mobile interventions address numeracy and healthy habits content and prepare the needs of farmers to cooperatively enhance them for school and life. The PAJE-Nièta: Youth the information flow and knowledge management Entrepreneurs Project13in Mali targets unemployed within their local and global community. One out-of-school youth to become more educated, of such projects is the Common sense net 2.010 economically productive, and civically engaged aiming to improve the livelihood of marginal in their communities. It serves over 12 000 rural farmers in India through a mobile application out-of-school Malians age 14–25 by offering designed for both illiterate and literate farmers to multimedia applications pre-loaded on their share ideas and vital information about agriculture. mobile phones. These and similar mobile learning Although not designed with explicit educational initiatives open opportunities to illiterate and out- goals in mind, such M4D and rescue programs of-school adults, youth, and working children who certainly contribute to knowledge and skill are often wage earners contributing a substantial building. By interacting with content and people in portion to the family's income. They cannot a variety of life situations relevant to their survival afford time or extra costs associated with formal and self-improvement, mobile users benefit from education; even if they could, for the most part an unintentional informal learning process bringing there are no schools to attend in the slums and about new knowledge and skills. villages they inhabit. The following case study (Box 2.1), the MASELTOV project14, further illustrates At the same time, numerous mobile interventions the barriers to learning and inclusion amongst are aimed specifically at supporting informal and those hard to reach for socio-cultural reasons. Box 2.1: The MASELTOV project The MASELTOV project, funded through a EU research grant to The Open University, aimed to foster local community building and integration of immigrant populations into the host country by improving the skills and local knowledge of immigrants living in European cities. The project targeted migrant populations with low literacy and at risk of remaining on the margins of society - excluded from full participation in their new country. The target group have access to mobile phones, but represent varied digital literacy levels. The project edto develop integrated mobile navigation, information, learning, gaming and social network services on smartphones providing assistance on essential topics such as the healthcare system or transport services. The final outcome of the project, namely the MASELTOV app offers an ecological suite of ten most relevant services, including, (1) forum, (2) help radar, (3) information service, (4) pedestrian navigation, (5) transportation navigation, (6) places of interest, (7) translation tool, (8) language learning, (9) serious game, and (10) recommendation service. It also provides help in moving around an unfamiliar city, making contact with people and learning about the local culture. “Through technology-mediated persuasion and social networking, we will offer support and help change attitudes and behaviours of migrant people living in Europe,” concluded Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, who led The Open University’s contribution. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 21 By the same token, informal and community following two examples can be gateways to learning via mobiles can reach people living on effective informal learning: apps for visually the street, the elderly, refugees, physically or impaired using text-to-speech technologies, and mentally impaired (using assistive technologies), MiFinder20 designed for diverse communities, or women in more restrictive cultures, who often including the disabled, to find each other, make do not even own phones and have to rely on friends, and gain social support in real time. Many others and their community for access to mobile other benefits of informal and community mobile technologies. In fact, according to Groupe Speciale learning are listed in Box 2.3. Mobile Association (GSMA) there is a "mobile gender gap" in low- and middle-income countries Depending on the tools in their pockets, there with 21 per cent less women than men owning are ready-available solutions as well as potentially a mobile phone (37 per cent in Asia)15. Many available resources to support and overcome mobile interventions have been launched globally barriers, to take learning to communities where with the aim of liberating and educating women; it has never been before, to cross the boundaries for instance, CycleTel™16 in India: an SMS-based of contexts and attitudes, to connect across family planning method available to women via personal, socio-economic, health-related, and their mobile phones, Pesinet17: a women-run cultural barriers. mobile service that brings healthcare to infants in Mali, and Praekelt Foundation projects18 in South Africa delivering vital health information to new Barriers and issues and expectant mothers through mobile phones. Another Praekelt Foundation mobile learning tool, As mobiles continue to be more accessible and which presents an unprecedented opportunity to reliable, sustainable models for extending and increase access to healthcare information and save supporting mobile learning should become lives, is described below (Box 2.2). increasingly feasible. However, there are several limitations to the ubiquitous nature of mobile Mobile technologies have also proven learning. Apart from multiple issues related to advantageous in extending learning to those who developing human capacity (shortage of tutors, have been underserved due to health reasons. experts, teachers) and educational content, the Selected mobile apps for autistic children can key challenges would still include the issues of serve as an encouraging illustration of how affordability and accessibility of devices and mobile learning engages people with disabilities services, connectivity and electricity (sometimes by enhancing their motivation and self-esteem solved by communities through home-grown – a catalyzer for improving their learning and solutions), and the limited usability of some of performance. The Camp Discovery app19 offers the cheaper devices. Many potential learners fun learning for children with Autism Spectrum cannot access mobile resources as a result of their Disorders (ASD) who learn by matching, sorting, inadequate literacies or phone access restrictions and completing receptive tasks. Likewise, the for reasons beyond their control, such as children Box 2.2: Young Africa Live (YAL) The mobile portal was developed by Praekelt Foundation, supported and hosted by Vodafone Live, and it was launched on Dec 1, 2009 - World AIDS Day. Its aim is to provide a space where young South Africans can talk about issues relevant to their daily lives: love, sex, relationships, gender and cultural issues, as well as HIV/AIDS. The three key objectives of the mobile platform are to share information and educate, generate discussion, and promote HIV testing. YAL offers a combination of regularly updated dynamic stories and live chats/blogs, as well as a series of permanent content pieces providing the essential facts around HIV and AIDS. It also includes helpline numbers and contact information for referral organizations who can support YAL-users in times of need. “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to an idea.” Seth Godin 22 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 informal learning Community and Box 2.3: The key benefits of informal and community mobile learning • Facilitates learning across demographic, socio-economic, behavioural/attitudinal, health, and cultural barriers. • Promotes connection, exchange of information and knowledge, dialogue over virtual networks. • Combines horizontal transfer of knowledge with vertical integration. • Reduces informational asymmetries and the educational gap. • Provides lifelong learning skills and self-directed learning competences. • Fosters digital inclusion leading to socio-economic inclusion and transformation. • Strengthens regional and global communities, their knowledge, and social capital. • Provides tools critical to transformative change and development. • Empowers underprivileged groups and improves their livelihoods. • Builds new networks and virtual communities, locally and globally. • Facilitates disaster response and rescue operations. • Eases disaster, socio-economic, cultural crisis impact. • Fosters participatory learning benefiting from diverse talents, resources, and perspectives. • Creates long-term networks of relationships. • Promotes trust, reciprocity, and cooperation of participants and stakeholders. • Aggregates actual and potential resources into knowledge repositories, self-help groups, advisory bodies, and community-based rescue/aid initiatives. • Complements the existing learning systems by delivering on-demand relevant and timely content and discussion. of poor families who, being at the bottom of the from the community and isolated (e.g., mentally “chain of command”, are prevented from using disabled in some cultures), therefore inaccessible. mobiles even if these are provided by a mobile Other barriers that limit or prevent connecting learning project. Related to the issue of access is to mobile learning resources could include lack the need for tutors to introduce supports available of mobility, security, confidence, awareness, or via mobiles to special needs groups, for instance privacy (e.g., women in patriarchal cultures). the disabled or illiterate, so that they can start on their path to informal learning. It has always In addition, addressing the needs of unfamiliar been an instructional challenge to provide learning and dispersed populations situated in unfamiliar supports and scaffolds to distance and dispersed cultural and logistical contexts without their learners, especially those with special needs. Some input is likely to generate unsatisfactory results. hard-to-reach groups are, in fact, hidden away Balancing out the right blend of regional Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 23 knowledge and global knowledge to provide involving Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), learning that is relevant in the local environment handset manufacturers, NGOs, educational and is another important consideration and solution government institutions, as well as local people. strategy. Disparities also exist in mobile technology Several of them have been grassroots initiatives, infrastructure and the handsets at the users’ benefiting from an invaluable insight into the disposal. What can be done to ensure that the local context and resources, however, often divide is not deepened between the haves and lacking the long-term capacity needed to sustain have-nots? Finally, the same mobile tools that can the intervention. In terms of sustainability, it be effective in liberating and embracing people takes innovative business models incorporating can become weapons of discrimination and the expertise and resources of all partners oppression. They can be used by the marginalized along with their commitment to long-term for dishonest or even criminal activities; hence, goals. Such interdisciplinary initiatives should be some of the possible destructive by-products aimed to construct, through in-situ testing and of people connecting over their mobiles must evaluation, a sound replicable framework for be considered. The next section offers some provision of community and informal learning recommendations on how to utilize mobiles to and also training. Locally-applicable frameworks solve rather than intensify regional and global should be then collectively tested for broader problems. impact by a consortium of projects. Proven models and frameworks should be shared and openly discussed by alliances of mobile learning Conclusions and recommendations practitioners, MNOs, corporates, agencies and organizations, such as mEducation Alliance, It does take a village to raise a child and it takes UNESCO, and the WISE platform, who should take a nation to sustain that village. In turn, it takes the ownership of the success of these mobile the global community to mobilize knowledge, learning frameworks and include them as their innovation, and people power to effect inclusive strategic goals. education and social change. Mobile technology is a real game-changer in terms of reaching On a related note, new funding avenues should the hard-to-reach and connecting them across be explored to involve more community-based the local and global communities. It has the organizations, angel investors, associations, potential to broaden access to information, charities, entrepreneurs, and businesses. In knowledge, people, services, and assistance some cases, local learners could contribute the by affording new channels for communication resources generated through the mobile initiatives and innovative forms of learning. It offers fast, enabled by these partnerships. It is imperative safe, and economical routes to deliver food, to engage local communities and learners also in medicine, and disaster relief in times of economic other aspects of the projects to ensure that the and ecological crisis or uncertainty. Mobiles mobile interventions are relevant, practical, and enable inclusive education, skill acquisition, sustainable in their context. Insiders can often entrepreneurial opportunities, and, in turn, point to the best solutions and help advocate personal, community, and global development. mobile learning opportunities to the community Through more transparent communication and members. Working closely with potential learners information exchange with governments and also promotes their motivation and learner community-based organizations, mobile networks agency. While consultation with the people is empower individuals and groups. In addition, they vital, the commitment of local governments encourage participation and a sense of security by and organizations is also needed to succeed. providing unique digital identities and membership States and regulators are accountable for their in virtual communities of practice. Harnessing citizens’ welfare. Therefore, it is advisable to mobile technologies to provide cost-effective partner, collaborate, and problem solve with non-invasive informal learning to marginalized local governments to provide mobile learning individuals and communities has proven feasible opportunities as a coordinated effort. through numerous collaborative projects 24 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 informal learning Community and Reports of mobile learning initiatives demonstrate and technological capacity should be leveraged to that people, even those living in extreme provide community and informal learning to those destitution, are willing to spend money on their who might otherwise remain at the margins of mobile devices21. Users do not consider mobile education. phones a luxury but rather a necessity. The social Box 2.4: More didactic recommendations • Focus on the needs of poor and marginalized communities, including people with disabilities as they have the most to gain from mobile learning. • Maximize the impact of mobile learning interventions - customize and ground them in the needs and cultures of specific targeted groups rather than applying blanket solutions. • Invest in sustainable educational goals rather than short-lived trendy approaches. • Avoid the perpetual pilot syndrome by building solid long-term partnerships. • Minimize the cost of interventions by utilizing the existing local expertise and human networks. • Communicate and collaborate with potential learners; include them in design and development decisions to create meaningful solutions reflecting their current realities, long- term and immediate needs. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 25 Endnotes 1 Mobile-cellular subscriptions penetration rates stand at 97% globally. The total number of mobile broadband subscriptions is expected to reach 3.6 billion by the end of 2016 (with the global penetration rate reaching 49.4%, a value that has increased 12 times since 2007. Mobile broadband subscriptions penetration rates: in developed countries – 90.3% and in developing countries - 40.9%. – ITU (2016). The world in 2016: ITC facts and figures. 2 As per the goals of Education for All Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2010). 3 Tough A. (1979). The Adult’s Learning Projects. Ontario: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. 4 Livingstone, D. (2006). Informal learning. In: Z. Bekerman, N.C. Burbules, and D. Silberman-Keller, eds., Learning in places: The informal education reader, 1st ed. Peter Lang., pp. 203-227. 5 UNESCO. (2005). NFE-MIS Handbook. Developing a Sub-National Non-Formal Education Management Information System. Module 1. Paris: UNESCO, Division of Basic Education, p. 4. 6 Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 7 Specific examples available at www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/ 8 www.datadyne.org/magpi-mobile/ 9 www.frontlinesms.com/ 10 http://wiki.epfl.ch/csn2/description 11 www.bbcjanala.com/ 12 www.sesameworkshopindia.org 13 http://blog.usaid.gov/2013/08/preparing-youth-for-employment/ 14 www.maseltov.eu/ 15 www.scientificamerican.com/article/mobile-phones-for-women/ 16 www.cycletel.org/ 17 www.pesinet.org/wp/ 18 www.praekeltfoundation.org/projects.html 19 www.centerforautism.com/resources.aspx#tab5 20 www.mifinderapp.com/ 21 For instance, in Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world, the mobile penetration in 2013 reached close to 60 % (TCRA, 2013); low-income earners often spend more than 30% of their monthly formal income on mobile phone use; they would forgo other important things to ensure access to mobile communications (Mpogole et al, 2008). Mpogole, H., Usanga, H., and Tedre, M. (2008). Mobile phones and poverty alleviation: A survey study in rural Tanzania. In Proceedings of 1st International Conference on M4D Mobile Communication Technology for Development. (62-72). Available at: www. diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:133042/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=69. TCRA (2013). Quarterly Telecom Statistics: Quarter 1 (September 2013) Report. Available at: www.tcra.go.tz/images/documents/telecommunication/telecomStatsSept13.pdf. 26 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The global mobile learning story so far By Helen Crompton Mobile learning can now be used to take learning was a difficult target for people living in countries to individuals and communities, who for reasons of the world that have little to no access to of geography, finance, culture, disability, or education, such as the countries of Sub-Saharan infrastructure, were previously unable to access Africa. UNESCO reported that in 2001, four out conventional educational opportunities. From of every ten primary-aged children in Sub-Sahara its conception, mobile learning has changed the Africa did not attend school. Despite advocacy learning landscape over a relatively short period of efforts from Department for International time. To gain an understanding of those changes, Development (DFID) UK, UNESCO and the World this article provides impressions of mobile Bank to use ICT for teacher training, resources learning across the globe since about 2002. This were not always available to support training and review of recent history presents examples of the encourage schooling. A study, aptly titled Deep achievements and the challenges during those Impact: An investigation of the use of information years. It also includes the work of global agencies, and communication technologies (Box 3.1)3 for such as UNESCO, USAID, and the World Bank and teacher education, was implemented. their role in articulating, reviewing, and promoting mobile learning. With stories of success, there In Bangladesh, a study on the use of basic phones are also often many challenges and hurdles to also focused on teacher professional development. overcome which is illustrated through examples. The phones were used for weekly conference The article concludes with recommendations. calls with a tutor to share photos and short videos of teaching practice, and communications with the tutor and other learners. The use of mobile Mobile learning initiatives - 2002-2006 phones in this study provided benefit to the teachers through the facilitation of contextualized, In 2002, a number of mobile learning initiatives constructive, situated, and collaborative learning were appearing in countries across the world. enabled by the use of the mobile devices. These initiatives typically used basic mobile phones as the device of choice, accessible to many Higher education students were the target in at that time. In 2003, a Text2Teaching1 program the Philippines for the Viability of Mobile SMS started in the Philippines. Supported by Nokia, Technologies for Non-Formal Distance Learning basic mobile phones were used by teachers to in Asia initiative4. To support distance learning access mathematics, science, and English videos. students and informal learning, the research These were then played to the whole class team developed SMS learning packs made up on television sets or portable projectors. This of booklets, cassettes, and CD ROMS for various initiative, MoMaths, has since expanded to Nigeria, subjects to support students. Colombia, India, Chile, and Nigeria, as a way of providing education to poor families living in rural areas with a low population density. In early Mobile learning initiatives - 2007-2010 2002-2003, SURF, a Netherlands based foundation, funded different types of projects that integrated In developed countries, activists and researchers practical field-work through mobile activities were interested in the potential for mobile learning blended with classroom activities, for example the to extend existing teaching practices. Learning2Go Manolo and Gypsy projects2. began in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2003. This project placed hundreds of Windows Mobile In 2000 the Dakar summit set the target of handheld devices into the hands of students providing primary schooling (UPE, Universal in Wolverhampton until 2007 and claimed to Primary Education) for all children by 2015. This be the largest collaborative mobile learning Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 27 Box 3.1: The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP) was a research project to investigate ways ICT could be used to improve access and quality of teacher education in the global south. This study included 12 schools in South Africa and 12 schools in Egypt. As part of the project, each school was provided with a laptop computer and the project teachers were given a powerful – at the time - pocket PC (206 MHz processor) and digital camera. DEEP professional development activities were loaded onto the pocket PC for the teacher to access. These resources included illustrated e-books, case studies and exemplar lessons. Using handheld computers Photo credits: Carmen Strigel Using a handheld computer was a new experience for all the teachers and the respondents to a questionnaire reported that they used the device on a regular basis for use in the classroom and at home. This was confirmed by observations, as the teachers typically used the devices for a) lesson preparation including photographs to show the students, b) writing and recording appointments; c) note taking during lessons; d) making calculations; e) recording events to use during lessons; f) recording and photographing students’ work; and g) recording student presentations and music for parents. The findings of the study report that these activities supported teacher professional development and the development of basic computer skills was unproblematic. In Kenya at about the same time, DFID funded an initiative, the SEMA project, to provide in-service teacher training to 400 000 primary teachers nationally to meet the challenge of UPE, using messaging to support and coordinate their distance learning (and incidentally to gather and process school enrolment data nationally). This project exploited teachers’ own mobile phones and, in terms of sustainability, contrasted with the DEEP project. Source: Traxler, J. and Leach, J. (2006). Innovative and Sustainable Mobile Learning. In Africa Proceedings of WMUTE (IEEE), Athens, Greece, November 2006. 28 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobile learning so project for students in the UK. The Learning2Go5 been implemented in South Africa during 2007- far implementation that began in 2003 moved to the 2010. Two large projects include the Dr. Math use of mobile Internet enabled smartphones in and Nokia MoMaths8. Dr. Math is an online the Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) initiative math tutoring service. Free live math tutors are of 2007. MoLeNET6, working in the UK TVET available to students via feature phones with sector, is the largest mobile learning initiative to GPRS connectivity. The low connectivity costs date. MoLeNET was a three-year project from are attractive to users and this service has been 2007-2010. Approximately 10 000 learners were used by 32 000 middle and secondary school involved in the project in 2007-2008 and this students. The Nokia MoMaths group used a number rose to 20 000 in 2008-2009. The findings proprietary mobile instant messaging service of this implementation show that using mobile (MxIT) on feature phones to provide access to phones for learning facilitated students’ retention over 10 000 math exercises. This project began and lower drop-out rates. in 2008 with the focus on mathematics students in grade 10. This program was of voluntary use The English as a Second Language (ESL) project7 and 3 958 students visited the service with 2 136 in 2010 was implemented at George Brown active users. The findings show that from the College Canada. Students practiced language grade 9 baseline, students who regularly used the skills outside the classroom walls using mobile service scored 7 per cent better on average than devices. Web-based mobile tasks, accessible peers who did not use the service regularly. The through student-owned mobiles, were developed. Nokia MoMaths program grew to include in 2011 Students used their mobile devices to mediate students in Finland. their communication and access supports for the mobile-assisted language learning activities. The A research team in the Ukraine began an initiative cross-platform mobile learning solution proved to in late 2009 to educate students about modern be effective in supporting the development of ESL means of communication. A mobile operator skills amongst immigrant and foreign students. worked in collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Finance, and Youth and Sports for this Around this same time, two universities in initiative and the lessons have reached over 4 000 Moscow provided mobile devices to the university students. North America also recognized the need students. They gave students Android tablets to focus on the effective use of technology. The as they enrolled at the university. These tablets International Society for Technology in Education were used to provide access to training materials, (ISTE) developed a set of teacher technology tests, and for connecting with peers and staff. standards (ISTE Standards; formally known as This mobile learning initiative has been viewed as the NETS) to provide a set of standards of good a step towards open education in Russia, offering practice9. North America has also extended learning opportunities that are flexible to the the use of mobile devices in learning with needs of the learner. external funding of the Federal Communications Commission Learning On-the-go10 programme Following the positive results of the earlier DEEP in 2010. This initiative aims primarily to increase project, other mobile learning initiatives have student access to educational content and to Use of mobile devices in learning: Child’s play Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 29 enable communications of teachers and students These goals provided a focus for future mobile through the use of online tools for educational learning initiatives. As information was shared access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. about mobile learning implementations, it became evident that a one-size-fits-all methodology was not effective. To be successful, the design of Mobile learning initiatives - 2011-2015 the initiative needs to connect with the culture, language, and needs of that society. Two examples Since 2011 there has been a rise in mobile learning of projects that were designed to better meet initiatives initiated by the primary stakeholders the needs of specific societies, and also align to such as district leaders and educators. There has EFA 1, were Project Urban Planet Mobile11 and been a shift from mobile devices being banned in Project Alphabetisation de Base par Cellulaire12. schools to the same devices being encouraged by Urban Planet Mobile designed a mobile literacy many educational leaders. For example, the district program for Ugandan parents and children in leaders at Williamson School district in Tennessee their native language Rutooro. Funded by USAID, saw the potential for mobile devices in the World Vision, and AusAID, the program uses teaching and learning of their students and started affordable, accessible mobile phones and SMS a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative in 2011. with audio to deliver daily literacy activities and This initiative was district wide by 2012 in grades related parenting education to rural parents and 3-12 (8–18 years old) involving approximately their young children. The messages are in text and 27 000 students. The district leaders report that audio so the parent(s) can access the messages in 15 000 personal mobile devices connect to the Rutooto regardless of their literacy level. guest network each day. Project Alphabetisation provided literacy and The mobile learning work of global agencies has numeracy lessons over a two-year period to 6 700 increased greatly since 2011 and those efforts adults in 134 villages in Niger. This initiative used include: the official and local languages of English, French, Hausa, Zarma, and Kanuri. Following the norms of a. drawing together mobile learning researchers the Ministry of Non-Formal Education, the literacy and scholars to better understand what is classes were split into separate classes for men known about mobile learning and how it can and women. Preliminary results revealed positive be used to extend and enhance learning and outcomes with average math scores higher in providing opportunities to access appropriate villages that were involved in this initiative than learning around the globe; and in villages not involved. Another underserved population were served in Afghanistan, as women b. produce publications to share what is known were targeted in a literacy initiative (Box 3.2). about mobile learning with policy makers, educational leaders, and other stakeholders. Figure 3.1: Education for all (EFA) goals Achieving gender . Improving levels of parity and equality in . adult and youth education: how Improving the quality . literacy: how mobile mobile technologies of education: how technologies can can support equal mobile technologies support literacy access to and can support teachers development and achievement in basic and their professional increase reading education of good development opportunities quality for all, in particular for women and girls. Source: UNESCO. (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action. Education for All: Meeting our Collective Committments. [pdf] Paris: UNESCO. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121147e.pdf Accessed 7 Nov. 2016. 30 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobile learning so far Box 3.2: Improving women’s literacy in rural Afghanistan The Mobile Literacy Program was a one-year program specifically targeted at improving the literacy skills of women living in villages in rural Afghanistan. Afghanistan has the lowest literacy rates in the world with an estimated 43.1 per cent of men and just 12.6 per cent of women. After mobile phone use rose from 1 per cent to over 18 million active mobile phone users in 2012, this telecommunication infrastructure was used to provide access to the under-served population in Afghanistan. This initiative used a combination of classes and literacy tasks using mobile phones. The students received written assignments and additional work texted to their phones and involved topics that were relevant to the daily lives of the women in the group. This helped the learners understand why literacy was a practical skill for everyday life. Mobile literacy programme Photo credits: UNESCO. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=14&programme=146 Students sent an average of 1 750 messages using the mobile phones. The mobile devices were used for the assigned tasks and were also used for communication with classmates. The mobile phones provided a method of communication for women who were typically confined to their homes. Four months into the program, 83 per cent of the students were able to meet the literacy level three test determined by the Afghan government curriculum, as they were able to use correct sentence structure and vocabulary. Source: UNESCO (2013). Mobile literacy programme in Afghanistan. [online] Available at: http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/?menu=4& programme=146 Accessed 7 Nov. 2016. Global agencies are also looking at ways to use women and girls. This project aims to answer three mobile learning to support women and girls who driving questions: are marginalized in segments of today’s society. Aligned to EFA 3, UNESCO started a project to 1. How should effective mobile learning answer questions on how mobile learning can initiatives for women and girls be designed? be used to appropriately and effectively support 2. How can they be created in gender-sensitive and sustainable ways? Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 31 3. What barriers need to be addressed and common trends appear. This list provides examples what pre-conditions need to be in place for of the challenges reported from mobile learning successful implementation? implementations since 2003. In reviewing the hurdles to a successful implementation, trends can One study that will provide a step towards be found among developing countries and similarly answering these questions is the Mobile Literacy across developed countries, though contexts Program in Afghanistan (Box 3.2). rather than countries might be a more accurate characterisation. Common issues faced by both Since 2003, there has been a rise in the number of groups can be found in Figure 3.2. mobile learning initiatives taking place around the world. In the later years, these projects became For the developing countries, or contexts, the more focused and more culturally appropriate than issues are often a lack of resources. As many their predecessors, with attention to language and developing countries have more access to the social norms of those communities and societies. hardware, software, and personnel resources As mobile opportunities become more attractive, needed for a successful mobile learning the collective knowledge and experiences can implementation, the challenges change to concern be used to offer communities and cultures richer about the use of mobile devices for educational learning opportunities, and the challenges and purposes. These concerns are due to insufficient hurdles faced in these implementations should information among government leaders, policy also be considered as they provide a depth to leaders, practitioners, and parents regarding the our understanding toward the design of future power and potential of mobile learning. This leads successful mobile learning initiatives. to a cyclical issue (Figure 3.3). This is a very simplified view of the problems faced Challenges by those initiating mobile learning, taken from a highly complex network of issues defined by the The challenges and hurdles reported during mobile identity, language, and practices of a culture. learning projects are arguably as important as the documentation of the achievements. Challenges This article provides an overview of some are often location specific and culture specific, of the initiatives since 2003. Over that short but as these reported challenges are aggregated, period of time it is evident that knowledge and Figure 3.2: Challenges for mobile learning projects Developing Countries Developed Countries A lack of governmental policies for the Student exposure to innappropriate content development of mobile learning Student exposure to innappropriate behaviors e.g. A lack of modern mobile phones cyberbullying, gaming addiction A lack of understanding of the potential of mobile A lack of understanding of the potential of mobile devices for educational purposes devices for educational purposes Perceived as a learning distraction by parents and those A lack of network coverage in education, or a method for student to cheat A lack of appropriate educational resources that A lack of teacher training on how to use mobile match a particular regional language devices for learning purposes A lack of local trainers familiar with technology to A lack of bandwidth in schools sustain technical needs Limited battery life and a lack of access to a High cost of mobile learning initiatives constant source of power 32 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobile learning so Figure 3.3: Problems faced by those initiating mobile learning far Challenges with mobile learning initiatives due to the lack of knowledge about mobile learning A lack of knowledge about mobile learning Mobile learning from not enough Initiatives mobile learning initiatives to provide that knowledge understanding are being built of how best to • Scale matters: Approaches that work in a support a variety of learners with the use of small-scale implementation may not work in a mobile devices in both formal and informal large-scale implementation. environments. • Return on investment matters: Funders need to see that initiatives have far reaching Recommendations benefits. These are a few recommendations for future • Sustainability matters: Can the current mobile learning initiatives: and future infrastructure and wealth of a community sustain a project in the long term? • Learn from failure as well as success: Gather all the available information to provide robust These recommendations are just a few lessons conclusions. from studying past implementations. The successes and failures and the challenges of each • Context matters: Local factors such as location implementation will provide further information and language, culture and individuals will have on how mobile learning can be used to meet the an impact on outcomes. needs of learners around the world. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 33 Endnotes 1 Text2teach: www.text2teach.org.ph/?page_id=2 2 www.wageningenur.nl/en/Publication-details.htm?publicationId=publication-way-333339313833 3 Leach, J., Ahmed, A., Makalima, S., and Power, T. (2006). DEEP IMPACT: An investigation of the use of information and communication technologies for teacher education in the global south: Researching the issues. Department for International Development. London, UK. Available at: http://oro.open.ac.uk/17802/ Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. 4 Baggaley, J. (2006). Information and communication technology for social development. [online ebook] Jakart: ASEAN Foundation. Available at: www.aseanfoundation.org/documents/ICT4D_book_v2.pdf Accessed 4 Nov. 2016. 5 Learning2Go: https://www.wolverhampton-engage.net/sites/anonymous/Learning2GoOld/default.aspx 6 MoLeNet: www.molenet.org.uk/ 7 Palalas, A. (2012). Design guidelines for a Mobile-Enabled Language Learning system supporting the development of ESP listening skills. Available at: www.academia.edu/2032959/Palalas_A._2012_._Design_guidelines_for_a_Mobile-Enabled_ Language_Learning_system_supporting_the_development_of_ESP_listening_skills_Doctoral_dissertation_Athabasca_ University Accessed 7 Nov. 2016. 8 Nokia MoMaths: www.meducationalliance.org/content/momaths 9 ISTE Standards: www.iste.org/STANDARDS 10 Learning on the go: www.fcc.gov/document/funding-schools-and-libraries-wireless-internet-projects 11 Urban Planet. MobiLiteracy Uganda: Testing and providing the efficacy of SMS with audio in developing literacy-rich home environments in central Uganda. www.urbanplanetmobile.com/mobiliteracy-uganda 12 Project ABC. (2010). Project ABC: Mobile 4 literacy: http://sites.tufts.edu/projectabc/ 34 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The basic platform By David Hildebrandt Mobile learning is about people learning while power of a simple phone call is often overlooked. being mobile. People are mobile not the devices A phone call can connect the caller with his or they carry1. While it is true that the devices are her learning community—support can be just a untethered, having no wires connecting them to phone call away. The learner can also register for networks, they still must rely on people to carry a course by dialling a phone number and verbally them. The technology behind mobile learning agreeing to enrol in the course by responding to allows the learner better access to information, voice prompts or by entering acceptance via the resources, and other people when and where he numbers on the keypad. or she needs or desires it2 3. Danaher defined a mobile learning community as “a group of people Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems enable a who are mobile for sustained periods of the year degree of interactivity by playing a pre-recorded or their lives and who recognize in themselves message (prompt) and listening for a response and others a common experience of mobility and either by voice or depressing keys on the phone a shared commitment to learning for themselves keypad. The power of IVR systems can be and other group members”4. This definition of harnessed to create mobile learning applications a mobile learning community does not mention when the learner may only have access to a mobile technology; the focus is on people that are mobile phone and an auditory response, such as when that have an interest in learning. The goal of learning to speak a foreign language. life-long learning is to provide access to learning resources while being mobile—which can take on Figure 4.1 shows a simplified view of a learner many forms. using a basic cell phone to make a call to an IVR system. An IVR system can be programmed to handle numerous learning objectives. The Mobile learning devices learner makes a phone call to the IVR system. The IVR server answers the call and plays the Today there are numerous devices that can initial message to the learner. The IVR could be used for mobile learning. Feature phones, recognize the learner’s Caller ID and by accessing smartphones, and tablets can all be used for the Learning Database determine which initial mobile learning. The features and functions message to play and what options should be described in this article are common across made available. The learner would then respond smartphones and tablets. A subset of the features to the voice prompts either by depressing keys and functions is found on feature phones. Google on the keypad or speaking his or her response— and Windows license their respective operating depending on the sophistication of the IVR system. systems to many hardware manufacturers, as such the functions and features enabled on these Language learners can call in and listen to a devices will vary by manufacturer. mini-lecture, listen to and practice the word of the day, or take a test to determine if they can pronounce the word correctly or to understand it Voice calls in a sentence. The menu options to support such a system are shown in Figure 4.2. The limitations of The ability to make, or receive, a phone call using an IVR system with a phone are limited only regardless of location is what started the by the IVR capabilities and the appropriateness of cell phone revolution. Making and receiving the subject matter to be learned. phone calls may not seem like an educational opportunity. However, being able to call an expert When coupled with an IVR system a basic cell for advice could be a form of coaching. The phone can become a learning tool. It is the Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 35 Figure 4.1: Learner using cell phone to communicate with IVR server Figure 4.2: Example flow of IVR call for foreign language learning inherent capabilities of the cell phone coupled Twitter limit the message length to 140 characters. with other learning technology that creates There is also the Multimedia Messaging Service a powerful learning platform. In addition, the (MMS) that allows text messages of unlimited IVR provides visually impaired learners with an length as well as rich media attachments. MMS opportunity to engage in mobile learning. There can be used to share images, video, audio and is also the ability to use this approach to reach other multimedia with other cell phone users. nomadic populations that are illiterate—being able Text messaging has become a ubiquitous form of to hear instructions provides a starting point for communications found on even the most basic cell their learning. phones. Text messaging can be enabled on a Learning Text messaging Management System (LMS). The learner, via SMS, can respond to the LMS initiated text message. Short Message Service (SMS), often referred to as Returning to the IVR example from the previous text messaging or just messaging, was designed to section on voice calls, the learner with the help allow brief messages to be sent over the cellular of text messages, could enrol in a class simply by network using the phone number of the recipient sending a text message. The learner could receive as the destination identifier. SMS is limited to 1605 the word of the day along with the definition via characters though some popular services such as text message, and then practice using the word 36 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The basic platform of the day in a sentence by sending and receiving Consider the cost of text messaging to learners text messages. Text messages could also be used when looking to implement a text messaging for learning assessment via true/false, multiple based mobile learning application. choice, or short answer quizzes. The SEMA project, mentioned elsewhere, used all these A powerful example of using text messaging is formats as well as creating groups for message- found in Edmonton, Canada’s Centre to End All based discussion, calendar alerts, administrative Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) that build a program reminders and study guide support. to use mobile text messaging as an outreach strategy (Box 4.1). The simplicity of text messaging makes it an attractive option for mobile learning. Text messaging as a learning platform is also simpler Text-to-speech/speech-to-text and less expensive to implement than an IVR system. The constraint of text messaging is that With the introduction of Siri6 and Google’s Speech there are still cellular service providers that Recognition for Android devices it is now possible charge for each text message. There are also to give voice commands to a smartphone. It cellular service providers that charge for text may be as simple as the smartphone reminding messages that exceed a monthly quota. Refer to its owner about a scheduled meeting, setting the discussion in the Tariffs section below for more an appointment for next Tuesday at 2PM, or information on monthly charges. Variable charges converting an incoming text message or email based on monthly usage can result in hidden costs to speech and reading it aloud. This ability to for the learner that they may be unable to pay. convert natural speech into text for a message Box 4.1: Reaching the sexually exploited in Edmonton, Canada via text messaging Recognizing the ability to send a text message that had sufficient information to be actionable by the recipient, Edmonton’s Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) decided to send text messages to a mobile phone list culled from an adult advertising site about the services offered by CEASE. The phone numbers were entered into FrontlineSMS, a free SMS management tool, and CEASE crafted the text message. FrontlineSMS sent the text message to the mobile phones informing the recipient that he or she could contact CEASE for counselling, training, income support, victim advocate, and peer coaching. The goal was to augment the work CEASE does in person as many sex workers are no longer working on the streets and a new way to access sex workers was needed. CEASE found that the work to gather the numbers using automated tools and to import the phone list into FrontlineSMS was about an hour. This gave them the potential to access hundreds of potentially exploited persons with ease. Though this was a pilot program the number of recipients that responded positively was encouraging. They did have a few individuals respond asking to be removed from further notifications. The positive responses either thanked them for the good work, or asked for more information. FrontlineSMS required a laptop running their software, and a GSM modem plugged into the laptop to send and receive SMS messages. The cost for sending the SMS messages was considered negligible, as it was part of the monthly service plan. FrontlineSMS is free. This case study shows that text messaging can be used to communicate with a group of at risk men and women that could not be reached easily any other way. Source: Gow, G., Quinn, K. and Barlott, T. (2014). Sexual Exploitation Outreach with Text Messaging: Introducing Project Backpage. Front- line SMS Case Study. Available at: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/56e1a99907eaa0941d037b0a/56e1aa9e06dcb7bbf42a70ce/ 56e1aaf306dcb7bbf42a7a35/1457629939677/frontlinesms_casestudy_Sexual-Exploitation-Outreach-with-Text-Messaging.pdf?format= original. Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 37 or email, or to issue voice commands by speaking the learner’s knowledge. It is also important to to the smartphone are powerful tools when ensure that selected content remains available as developing training for visually impaired learners. websites can disappear without warning or the While powerful, the technology is not perfect URL of a selected site changes due to a website and users may find it difficult to be understood redesign. by the smartphone. This can be mitigated somewhat when the smartphone can be trained to understand the owner. There may also be higher Apps monthly costs due to increased data consumption. Apps allow developers to create applications that run on mobile devices and access the hardware eMail subject to the device manufacturer’s security policies (see Hardware section below). In June Many mobile devices provide access to email. 2016, Apple had 2 million applications and Google While this may not be thought of as a learning had over 2.2 million applications available for solution, sending email messages to an automated download in their online stores7. With this volume system can engage the learner in educational of Apps there is a high probability that there is an activities. By responding to an email message and App for just about anything a mobile device user performing the task as directed a new email can wishes to do. There are even Apps that extend be sent furthering the exploration of the subject the functionality found in learning management being studied. Email should not be discounted as a systems to mobile devices. learning tool. Email can be used for performance support, sharing or exchanging resources, and With the introduction of HTML5, it is becoming keeping in touch with a community of practice. possible to develop applications that are browser However, email will require the learner to have a based. HTML5 implementation improves video, data plan on their mobile device so that they can audio, and offline capabilities for browser based manage the monthly cost. Designing an interactive applications. HTML5 is growing in popularity; learning environment without consideration however, the implementation of HTML5 is still of the potential to increase the monthly cost is inconsistent and not all mobile devices implement disingenuous to the learner. all the HTML5 features. Therefore, cross platform testing is still required for HTML5 based applications. HTML5 should not be confused with Internet the Apps being described here however. Apps in this article refer to software development where Internet over a cellular device provides the learner the App’s source code is compiled to run natively with access to the vast information on the World on the targeted smartphone. As the power of Wide Web. This also means that a Universal mobile devices grow and network speeds improve, Resource Locator, or URL, can be used to direct the this distinction may become irrelevant. learner to specific resources. By tagging specific resources with a URL the learning system can send The benefit of Apps is how they enable the a message to the learner and include the URL to a extensibility of mobile devices. If a need can resource to further the learner’s knowledge. URLs be identified an application can be written. The are the backbone of the Internet and they are challenge of Apps is that they are device specific. used to link to audio files, video files, documents, An App that is written for an iPhone will not run graphics, HTML pages, and websites. It is the URLs on an Android device and Apps written for iPhone that provide the connection to the plethora of or Android will not run on the Microsoft mobile social media sites and the Internet based tools. devices. This lack of portability means that Apps need to be developed for each platform that Leveraging the Internet for learning requires a will be supported. There are tools emerging that change of focus from content author to content allow developers to write code that is portable— curator. Rather than spending time developing but device specific refinement is still required. content from scratch for use in courses, the focus Overtime the portability of Apps will increase, but becomes that of locating high quality content on for now it requires additional effort to support the Internet that can be repurposed to further multiple smartphone operating systems. 38 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The basic platform Hardware that allows the player to navigate a maze just by tipping the mobile device side-to-side or up and This section will discuss the hardware that is down. The accelerometer provides data on the included on mobile devices and use with mobile learner’s movements allowing an application to learning. Not every mobile device will have respond accordingly. Simulations that require everything described in this section. It is difficult to hand-eye coordination are more realistic when talk about hardware and not mention software— the accelerometer is used to track learner actions. as software is what allows the mobile device’s The accelerometer is shared by other applications hardware to be utilized by applications. For the as well as the mobile device itself—and critical sake of simplicity, only the hardware is discussed movements could be lost due to other applications below. The modern mobile device can be thought accessing the sensor. of as a handheld computer—complete with internal storage for data, programs, temporary storage, and an operating system that controls Battery the basic functions. Of course basic functions of a mobile device are extensive—as they do much It is important to remember that a mobile device more than make and receive phone calls. relies on its battery and can only operate while the battery contains sufficient power. Individuals that do not have direct access to power to recharge Accelerometer their mobile devices must seek alternative ways to recharge their mobile device. With an estimated The accelerometer is a sensor that lets the mobile 1.6 billion people (Box 4.2) that do not have easy device know up from down. An example of this access to electrical power, individuals having to is when the accelerometer provides the device travel to recharge their devices should be taken orientation so that the screen can rotate as the into consideration. device is rotated. The accelerometer can detect small changes in the orientation of the mobile When developing mobile learning strategies, device—an example is the game Temple Run consideration needs to be given to learners that Box 4.2: Community power from mobile-charging services GSMA published a report on the high cost of charging mobile devices in locations that are off the power-grid (off-grid) in July 2011. It estimates that 1.6 billion people do not have access to electricity. Yet the number of individuals who live off-grid and own mobile devices is increasing each year. These individuals need to use alternative ways to charge mobile devices such as solar- chargers, car batteries, hand-crank chargers, or finding a small power generator. However, these all require purchasing additional equipment that may break, become inoperative, or be costly to access. For example, the cost for charging a mobile device in Kenya is around the same price they pay per minute of airtime (USD 0.18 – USD 0.25)a. GSMA noted that many of the cellular base stations in these remote areas operate off the power grid. In such locations the cellular providers have developed methods of generating power onsite either from a generator or from renewable “green” sources. Many of the cellular base stations generate more power than they need. This excess power could be made available to the local people. An example of this is Safaricom that had developed a mobile handset charging dock that is affixed near their cellular base station. Note: a GSMA. (n.d.). Green Power for Mobile: Charging Choices. [pdf] Available at: http://www.globaltelecomsbusiness.com/pdf/ charging_choices.pdf Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. Source: GSMA. (2011). Community Power from Mobile-Charging Services. [pdf] Available at: http://www.gsma.com/ mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/charging_services.pdf Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 39 do not have easy access to electrical power. A mobile device can even geotag the picture or Deploying mobile devices to learners when the video using the GPS (see below) coordinates. The learners will not have ready means for charging geotag adds metadata to the picture/video that the devices will lead to a failed program. In rural provides timestamp, geographical coordinates areas, learners may only access a generator, and of where the camera was when the picture was network coverage at a weekly market. taken, type of camera, and a plethora of other data relevant to the image. The geotag, in an academic context, provides validation that the Bluetooth learners were where they were supposed to be. On the other hand, if the learner is performing Bluetooth is a low-power personal network fieldwork, accurate documentation where the that is designed to allow electronic devices to pictures were taken is recorded automatically. communicate over short distances, normally around 10 meters (30 feet). The most common use Care should be used with geotagging. Pictures or of Bluetooth is pairing an earpiece to a person’s video that are taken at the learner’s home that are smartphone so that they can use the smartphone geotagged and then shared publicly provide the without having to hold the smartphone to GPS coordinates of where the learner lives. This their ear. There is no reason why other uses of may not be in the best interest of the learner. It is this capability cannot be developed. The auto best to have learners turn off geotagging unless industry has been adding Bluetooth capability it is needed for a specific assignment and never to automobiles for several years to allow the geotag from their home or any place that they vehicle owner’s smartphone to connect with the wish to keep private. It should also be mentioned automobile. Recently the sports industry has that video, and high definition images, result in begun to make wearable devices, such as the large files—and large files being sent over cellular Nike Fuelband, to monitor heart rate, steps taken, networks may result in higher data usage fees. and calories burned and share the data with applications running on a smartphone. QR Codes are an example of leveraging the built in Bluetooth provides a means for classroom camera with an App that equipment to communicate with the learner or also communicates with the teacher. Bluetooth capability can be built the browser on a mobile into field equipment allowing learners to connect device. The QR code shown once they are within range of the equipment and here contains the URL to the complete pairing (gaining access). Once paired ITU Publications page. The with a Bluetooth equipped piece of equipment ability to scan a QR Code provides a convenient the learner would be able to send commands method of providing links to additional learning and receive data for later analysis. Bluetooth resources without requiring the typing of long also allows learners to share data amongst URLs. QR Codes can be affixed to buildings, signs, themselves—creating a collaborative micro- and printed on paper or clothing. QR Codes can network. contain far more than a URL. QR Codes can encode about 4200 alphanumeric characters. Camera and video Global Positioning System Mobile device manufacturers have continued to improve the quality and capabilities of the built- The use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in camera and video recorder. With the built-in has changed forever the way people navigate flash and improvements to low light conditions, in countries where roads have been mapped in it is possible to take pictures or video without sufficient detail. The GPS signals can be received having to worry about the level of ambient light. by smartphones as long as there are unobstructed This has led to a rise in picture and video sharing views of the sky. using Apps/platforms like Instagram8 (picture) and Snapchat9 (photo & video). A smartphone can be turned into an orienteering compass by installing one of the many compass 40 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The basic platform applications. There are also Apps that let you While this may not seem like an innovation for enter the GPS coordinates of a location and then mobile learning, imagine a scavenger hunt where use the built-in GPS on the smartphone to aid the learner must navigate to the correct location the learner in navigating to the target location. using GPS and then scan the RFID tag that is By using a GPS recorder a person can engage in located there—retrieving the next clue all at geocaching or other forms of exploration of his or the same time. Another use could be for self- her environment and capture the exact location of guided campus tours or orientation to a school or observations or phenomena. university. An advantage of RFID tags is that they can be embedded in any material that allow radio waves to penetrate, thus creating semi-permanent Microphone and weather-proof installations. A microphone is required for voice conversations on a cell phone. There is an additional advantage Universal Serial Bus with smartphones—being able to record voice or ambient sounds. The only limit to the recording The Universal Serial Bus (USB) allows peripheral length is the available memory for storing the devices to be connected to a smartphone or recording. tablet, which allows device functionality to be extended. External storage devices, LCD The ability for learners to record themselves, to projectors, or connecting to a computer are all record others, or to record specific sounds enables common uses for the USB port found on many the learner to add another dimension to their smartphones and tablets. However, the USB port mobile learning. The ability to create an audio can also connect instrumentation packages such diary, interview a subject matter expert, or record as signal analysers. This extensibility means that the amazing sounds of the Australian Superb environments can be instrumented and the learner Lyrebird while researching in the field are all simply provides the smartphone to read data from powerful ways that the built-in recording feature the devices. The use of USB enabled devices is could be used to extend learning. Incidentally, another example of how the smartphone or tablet some apps can exploit the microphone for can be turned into handheld field equipment that measuring wind speed. is modified to meet the needs of a particular study. Near Field Communications Wi-Fi Near Field Communications (NFC) differs from The Wi-Fi capability on mobile devices makes the other forms of communication, as NFC does it possible to connect to the Internet over local not rely on active radio transmission as the other networks providing faster and cheaper access communication services (cellular signal, Bluetooth, than using the cellular network for Internet access. & Wi-Fi). NFC uses radio-electromagnetic Wi-Fi only devices are also available; they do not fields to exchange data with a radio-frequency have the capability to access the cellular network identification device (RFID). NFC devices must be in monthly cellular contracts are not required. As extremely close proximity—within 20cm (7.86 in) Wi-Fi hotspots grow the need for cellular access of each other. diminishes. Unfortunately, the growth of Wi-Fi hotspots is occurring at a far faster pace in the NFC technology can be found in credit cards Northern Hemisphere, which only exacerbates the and mass transit payment cards such as Oyster digital divide with the Southern Hemisphere. in the UK and CLIPPER in the San Francisco Bay Area. These cards with their embedded RFID tag allow instant payment, or account debit, with Security just a quick pass over the NFC card reader. NFC devices are not limited to read-only operation; it A mobile device that has access to sensitive is possible to update the content of certain NFC information creates a security risk when that devices. device is lost or misplaced. Knowing a mobile device that has confidential information is no Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 41 longer under the control of a trusted person is Tariffs cause for concern. While it is possible to have the mobile phone provider turn off the phone’s ability The data in Table 4.1 shows that the features that to make calls, they cannot easily remove access to are included in a plan vary greatly by country. Wi-Fi networks or remove files and data that are Many of the countries are offering unlimited plans, stored on the mobile device. yet there are still countries applying the pricing methods from last century when the price per call Modern mobile devices can access the Internet. was based on distance called and the duration Without proper network filters, it is possible for of the call. The same archaic pricing model is an adolescent to access Internet sites promoting also found with text message and data plans. pornography, hate, violence, and many other As competition increases in these countries it is websites that are inappropriate. Relying on hoped that unlimited plans will be rolled out. The network filtering is insufficient as the filtering only importance of unlimited plans is that they remove works while the mobile device is connected to the the financial risk from learners as they enrol in a organizations network via Wi-Fi. All that is required learning program or engage in informal learning to bypass the local network content filters is activities. While unlimited plans may appear to turning off the Wi-Fi and allowing the smartphone cost more, they allow the learner to treat the cost to connect via the cellular network. of the mobile device as a fixed cost. While there are some free apps that can be Depending on the design of a learning program the downloaded to mitigate this, they require learner may need to access voice, text messaging, the phone to be rooted—gaining full control and data. Data access may be the biggest cost the over the device. This is not something that learner will face on a monthly basis if the learning cellular companies want subscribers doing and program uses rich media—be it downloaded or rooting a device may void the cellular contract. streamed to the mobile device. This variability Furthermore, an app that a learner is directed in the costs borne by the learner needs to be to download and install can just as easily be understood and must be included as an indirect uninstalled. Thus, security and content control that cost the learner will face when enrolling in a is in the hands of the learner is only an illusion— mobile learning course. as the learner can circumvent the security and content settings easily. Creating rich video content may seem to be an ideal delivery method. However, it may put the There is also the challenge of knowing that a cost of completing a course consumed by the website can be trusted. Individuals that are learner on his or her mobile device out of reach unfamiliar with the Internet may mistakenly financially. If a course is designed knowing the believe that everything they read on the Internet is cost that will be incurred by the learner then true. For individuals that are engaging in informal the course price could be adjusted. Learners in learning activities, the lack of critical thinking urban areas may have access to Wi-Fi in cafes or skills could create misconceptions about the topic business centres. under study—thus interfering with the knowledge acquisition they are undertaking. Conclusion Recognizing the need to provide security and content filtering that is under the control of a This article has covered many features and trusted administrator has given rise to several functions of a feature phone, smartphone, and companies that are offering solutions while not tablet. At this time the only difference between being overly intrusive. These companies provide a tablet and smartphone is that a tablet does either full device control or create a walled off not have phone capabilities—everything else is storage space for sensitive data. While this does possible. There are some tablets that can use require the installation of an App, or family of Skype for 2-way voice conversations using voice Apps, once installed the Apps are locked and can over Internet protocol (VoIP). As competition in only be deleted by the trusted administrator. the tablet market continues to grow it is only a matter of time before the smartphone and tablet merge into a single powerful device. 42 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 The basic platform Table 4.1: Selected country tariffs for monthly mobile service for 2016 Monthly Cellular Plans Monthly Fee lncluded Voice Overage/Minute Data Overage Country Text Messages Monthly Data (Euros) Minutes Voice Charges BraziI € 28.19 1,000 n/a unlimited 2GB unknown Canada € 61.27 unlimited n/a unlimited 1GB € 3.40/100MB China € 18.62 500 € 0.03 10,000/Month 1GB € 0.04/MB France € 19.99 unlimited n/a unlimited 2GB speed reduction Germany € 34.99 unlimited n/a unlimited 2GB speed reduction India € 16.51 unlimited n/a 100/day 1GB unknown lndonesia € 8.71 75 € 0.10 150 5GB unknown Italy € 35 1000 n/a 500 2GB speed reduction Japan € 60.05 unlimited € 0.22 unlimited 7GB speed reduction Mexico € 54.95 unlimited unlimited unlimited unlimited n/a Monthly fee Monthly fee Nigeria € 5.81 2,560 charged to reset unknown 2GB charged to reset voice usage data usage Russia € 38.79 5,000 € 1.01 5,000 15GB unknown South Africa € 142.64 unlimited n/a unlimited 10GB € 0.07/MB Turkey € 13.94 1000 € 2.84/250 Minutes 1000 2GB € 2.84/GB United Kingdom € 39.00 unlimited n/a unlimited 12GB unknown United States € 91.50 unlimited n/a unlimited 10GB Speed reduction Source: Data from: Liberty Web. [online] Available at: http://pos.tim.com.br/?franquia=2gb&trk_source=tim&trk_medium=button&trk_campaign= pos.2gb&uf=sp; for Brazil. Smartphone Plans. [online]. Available at: http://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/smartphone-plans?ipn=1; for Canada. China Mobile. [online]. Available at: http://www.10086.cn/bj/index_100_100.html; for China. Zen Package with unlimited calls and SMS. [online]. Available at: https://boutique.orange.fr/mobile/forfaits-origami-zen; for France. o2 Free. [online]. Available at: https://www.o2online.de/tarife/ smartphone-tarife/; for Germany. airtel Infinity. [online]. Available at: http://www.airtel.in/myplan-infinity; for India. Telkomsel Samsung Galaxy Note 7. [online]. Available at http://www.telkomsel.com/galaxynote7; for Indonesia. TIM Special Start. [online]. Available at: https://www.tim.it/offerte/ mobile/voce-e-internet/tim-special/tim-special-start; for Indonesia. For Softbank Smartphone. [online]. Available at: http://www.softbank.jp/en/ mobile/price_plan/smartphone/; for Japan. Prepaid Talk, Text & Data. [online]. Available at: https://us.telcel.com/secure/ServicePlans; for Mexico. MTN Xtravalue. [online]. Available at: http://www.mtnonline.com/xtravalue; for Nigeria. Ultra. [online]. Available at: http://en.mts.ru/tariffs/ultra/; for Russia. RED VIP Plus. [online]. Available at: http://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/shopping/plans/red-vip-plus; for South Africa. Speaking Packages. [online]. Available at: http://www.turkcell.com.tr/paket-ve-tarifeler/tumu/faturali-hat; for Turkey. Mobile Phones. [online]. Available at: http://www. three.co.uk/Store/mobile-phones; for United Kingdom. Family Plans. [online]. Available at: https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html; for United States. All accessed 9 Nov. 2016. In developing countries it would be beneficial Finally, to revisit recommendations from earlier in to see partnerships between the MNOs and the the article: national education providers so that citizens could gain access to mobile device at a reduced monthly • Tariffs based on number of voice minutes used subscription rate. By providing another means and the number of text message sent creates to access learning the citizens can gain valuable a variable component to subscribers’ monthly knowledge and increased income—raising the bill. This may create a financial hardship for quality of life for everyone. individuals accessing learning through their mobile device. Cellular providers should The development of mobile devices is still in its consider a flat tariff structure with unlimited infancy and continuous innovation is expected. text and voice minutes. While devices are far more powerful today than the devices from three years ago, what they will be • NGOs that deploy learning solutions need like three years from now can only be imagined. to consider the financial burden they are With the powerful capabilities and extensibility creating for those accessing learning via of mobile devices with Apps, there is a large mobile devices. Designing content to reduce unchartered territory that is ripe for mobile the bandwidth required will save learners learning research. considerable money. If images and graphics are being sent to the mobile device, ensure the files are as small as possible to reduce data consumption. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 43 • Educational providers should partner with inappropriate. Today it is more of a hands- mobile network operators (MNO) when rolling off “not our problem” approach. Yet they out a mobile learning program. Establishing do nothing to enable content filtering by 3rd a partnership between the MNO and the parties. The little content filtering that there educational provider would allow for a is can be easily bypassed. An improvement negotiated subscription rate. would be exposing the DNS settings to that they could be set by parents or network • Mobile phones are full of toxic chemicals and administrators to a trusted DNS level content contain many small parts. Improper disposal filter such as OpenDNS. can lead to polluted drinking water and choking hazards to small children and wildlife. • Understand that devices deployed in areas that To ensure the environment is protected, are off grid need to be recharged. Bundling subscribers should be given incentives to devices with heavy duty batteries and self- recycle old and broken handsets. This is contained charging devices (solar, hand crank, necessary to keep the devices out of landfills etc.) could increase safety for women and and waterways. children that must travel to charging stations in dangerous and hostile regions of the world. • Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) must protect the youth from content that is 44 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Endnotes 1 Taylor, J., Sharples, M., O'malley, C., Vavoula, G. and Waycott, J. (2006). Towards a task model for mobile learning: a dialectical approach. International Journal of Learning Technology, 2(2/3), pp. 138–158. Available at: http://doi.org/10. 1504/ijlt.2006.010616 Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. 2 Ally, M., Lin, F., McGreal, R. and Woo, B. (2005). An Intelligent Agent for Adapting and Delivering Electronic Course Materials to Mobile learners. Paper presented at mLearn 2005, Cape Town, South Africa. Available at: http://auspace. athabascau.ca/handle/2149/216 Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. 3 Ally, M. and Stauffer, K. (2008). Mobile Learning to Bridge the Distance for Adult learners. Paper presented at mLearn 2008, Shropshire, England. Available at: http://auspace.athabascau.ca:8080/dspace/handle/2149%20/1753 Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. 4 Danaher, P. A., Moriarty, B. and Danaher, G. (2009). Mobile learning communities: creating new educational futures. New York: Routledge. 5 Balasundaram, S. R., and Ramadoss, B. (2007). SMS for Question-Answering in the m-Learning Scenario. Journal of Computer Science, 3(2), pp. 191-121. 6 See www.apple.com/ios/siri/ for information on Siri. 7 Statistica. (2016). Number of apps available in leading app stores as of June 2016. [online] Available at: https://www. statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/ Accessed 6 Nov. 2016. 8 https://www.instagram.com/ 9 http://Snapchat.com. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 45 Mobiles in the workplace By Dorothy (Willy) Fahlman The 21st century workplace is changing rapidly. development professionals spanning a range of 28 Global competition for advanced knowledge and industries and 44 nations: skills development coupled with societal changes are creating new demands in the workplace. • 71% of respondents used mobile devices but In response, business practices and processes this proportion rose to 83% of top learning are rapidly evolving leading to changes in the companies. places and times of work, increasing workloads, and greater workforce mobility. Furthermore, • Highest use of mobile devices in the private mobiles have penetrated the business world industry sector included commercial training opening the door to new approaches for providers (90%), manufacturing, science, and workforce development, across various contexts engineering (79%), professional and technical and career paths. This article examines mobiles services (72%), and finance and insurance for enriching work-based learning practices (69%). and supporting performance for those already employed in the business sector. The next section • There is little difference in the uptake of introduces the use of mobiles before progressing mobile devices for learning amongst those to a discussion on informal learning in the working in not-for-profit (74%), public (73%), workplace. The latter sections focus on work- and private (69%) sectors. Organizational size based mobile learning approaches with selected had little effect on mobile use. case studies, affordances and constraints, and recommendations for practice. • More single site organizations (79%) used mobile devices for learning than multinational organizations (72%) or multiple location, single Mobile use in the workplace nation organizations (67%). In the evolving workplace, employees are expected Mobiles can facilitate seamless learning but also to acquire knowledge and develop skills to provide decision-support tools for enhancing perform their jobs well and sustain a competitive workplace performance. Like a Swiss army knife, advantage. However, budget and time constraints, they are very portable and compact providing a mobile labour market, and work-life balance a readily accessible and adaptable toolkit. This demands are creating challenges for the delivery toolkit can also be used offline, when there are of traditional work-based education and training. connectivity or bandwidth issues, as in remote/ These limitations have given rise to mobiles as rural areas or during airplane travel to access the vehicles for workforce development across previously downloaded e-books, translators, different locations and times. mobile apps, or other tools. Based on the mobile type, this convenient toolkit can include the tools Towards Maturity1 reports the following on mobile shown in Figure 5.1. use in the workplace from 538 learning and Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 47 Figure 5.1: For many, mobile devices are the “most critical work device” Communication Asynchronous and real- time connectivity by phone, texting, emailing, Wi-Fi, or bluetooth for timely communication & access to Mobile Apps &/or online resources & cloud Games Navigation For supporting work GPS & compass activities & work-based learning Multimedia Cameras, video, and sound Administrative recorders for documenting Mobile Calendar, notebooks, work experiences plus accessing, creating & Toolkit calculators, contact lists, clocks & reminders sharing resources Informal learning in the workplace knowing or intuition and is often difficult to articulate by the learner)2. The workplace is a rich context for both formal and informal learning. Traditionally, work-based In the workplace, most learning is informal education and training has been delivered in a in nature and forms a part of everyday work teacher-controlled face-to-face format including activities. Although the employer may be the on-the-job training for vocational education impetus for some informal learning, most is self- and training (VET), continuing competence, directed and learner-motivated for knowledge and professional development (PD). However, acquisition and skill development. These learning the on-going feasibility of this delivery mode is experiences can be enabled and supported by questionable. Informal learning has emerged as a work-based mobile learning. critical element for advancing today’s workforce development. Work-based mobile learning Informal learning focuses on practical and everyday knowledge gained from experiences with The dynamic workplace has created demands for family/friends, leisure, and work, and includes the innovative learning practices. In response, work- following types: based mobile learning has emerged as a new and rapidly expanding field of practice combining 1. self-directed learning that is intentional by the work-based learning and mobile learning learner; approaches. 2. incidental learning (unplanned learning that Work-based mobile learning is: becomes conscious to learner only after the experience); “… the processes of coming to know, and of being able to operate successfully in, and 3. tacit learning (neither intentional nor across, new and ever changing contexts, conscious that corresponds to a sense of 48 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobiles in the workplace including learning for, at and through work, by teacher or the learning management system (LMS) means of mobile devices.”3 to the learner. It is often used for compliance training and on-going competency requirements, As Pimmer and Pachler suggest, this definition as depicted in Box 5.1. ties the affordances of mobiles in real workplace situations for mobile learning to the aspects of work-based learning that include: “Just-in-Time” work-based mobile learning • Learning for work – where learning occurs “off- Moving away from teacher-led approaches, the-job” and is preparatory or “just-in-case” “just-in-time” learning is self-directed at point- for future application; of-need as in Box 5.2. For example, healthcare workers can access short medical videos, medical • Learning at work – “just-in-time” learning that apps, or other mobile resources for constructing occurs at the workplace and is immediately spontaneous knowledge, reduce uncertainty, relevant; and increase self-confidence when faced with unfamiliar procedures or situations. Likewise, time- • Learning through work – learning that occurs starved business executives can pull immediate through work experiences as in social learning mobile information whenever and wherever they that connects learners. are situated to engage in informal learning for timely decision-making. Work-based mobile learning can occur, synchronously or asynchronously, to actively Additionally, mobiles can support individual engage employees in the learning process. Mobiles performance with on-demand access to are more widely used for work-based informal employer’s job aids such as checklists, procedural learning than formal learning. This is particularly information, price lists, product specifications, or prominent in resource-limited small and medium other documents so that employees can retrieve businesses. Mobiles also provide ‘performance them anytime or anyplace. support’, taking some cognitive load from workers. Social learning in work-based mobile learning Work-based mobile learning approaches Although much of work-based mobile learning This section provides an overview of work-based occurs individually, it can also connect employees mobile learning approaches beginning with the through social interaction, build mutual formal delivery method moving to the more understanding, and create new contexts for widely used informal approaches. Each approach is learning in communities of practice. Employees illustrated with a selected case study. collaboratively learn by sharing practical and professional experiences, problem solving, and providing peer-to-peer feedback that may draw Formal work-based mobile learning on deep tacit knowledge and leverage employees’ knowledge exchanges. They can interact using In formal work-based mobile learning, learners emails, text, and phone but also use tools such as participate using their mobiles in the classroom, or blogs, wikis, and Twitter, and social networking existing eLearning course content is converted to sites including LinkedIn, Facebook, or MySpace. fit handhelds. Either way, the focus is mainly on a The case in Box 5.3 illustrates mobile social teacher-centred instruction for learning to be used learning for problem solving and increasing the at a later time. The delivery is pushed out from the transparency of employee’s competency profiles. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 49 Box 5.1: Conversion of eLearning course: Case from US Department of Defense The US Department of Defense converted an eLearning course for mobile delivery for active duty military, civilians, and contractors. With the original eLearning course, learners were often challenged to complete the compulsory training requirements while dealing with distractions and attempting to balance mission-critical work responsibilities. The course was reformatted using HTML5 for the users’ smartphones and tablets. Flash animations were converted to static images, graphics were refined to reduce bandwidth, and some redundant content was removed to reduce size in the mobile version. Benefits reported by learners on the mobile version included: • reduction in time to complete the course from approximately 40-60 minutes in the eLearning course to less than 30 minutes with the mobile version; • more concise information, convenience, and training with no distractions; • high level of satisfaction with the mobile version, preferring it to eLearning. The U.S. Army - Official Army iPhone app Photo credits: Todd Lopez. Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. Source: Haag, J. (2011). From elearning to mlearning: The effectiveness of mobile course delivery. 1st ed. [pdf] Alexandria: VA Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. Available at: https://adlnet.gov/adl-assets/uploads/2015/11/e_to_mLearning_paper.pdf Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. 50 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobiles in the workplace Box 5.2: “Just-in-Time” learning: Case from Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover exports vehicles to franchises in 169 countries. Based on this global distribution, it was determined that mobile learning was needed to deliver training and resources to nearly 60 000 employees’ personal devices in multiple languages. Mobile Application Management (MAM) was used to deliver content in all languages, with the ability to remotely lock or wipe all corporate data off any device at any time from any location. Employees accessed mobile videos, product data sheets, and product specific apps at point-of- need for decision-support and/or seamless learning in their jobs. For example, mechanics could pull just-in-time resources when doing repairs. LMS integration tracked content interaction and objectives, and any updated content could be pushed out to the learners providing them with a personalized library. Employees using mobile resources while doing repairs Photo credits: The Repair Association: https://repair.org/ Source: Wigley, A. (2013). Considering Mobile Learning? A Case Study from Jaguar Land Rover. Development and Learning in Organiza- tions, 27 (4), pp.12–14. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 51 Box 5.3: Social learning in work-based mobile learning: Case from a British career advising business A British career company implemented semantic people tagging with 60 geographically distributed employees. Due to the wide distribution, there was a knowledge gap about overall employees’ expertise, skills, and competencies but also emerging career topics for advising clients. A mobile app was developed for a shared directory and vocabulary with a real-time editor to tag or bookmark colleagues. Employees tagged each other without restrictions and the taggers remained anonymous; no external organizational colleagues were tagged. Assigned tags were immediately visible by all employees. Socio-cultural organizational aspects were taken into account due to the sensitivity of people tagging. The tagging system was well received, achieving the following outcomes: • increased learners’ control and empowered them to contribute to a shared knowledge base; • simplicity and ease-of-use provided access and networking to more expertise and information Hot topic: Texting at work! Photo credits: Mid-Continent Public Library. Available at: www.mympl.org/blog/hot-topic-texting-work Source: Braun, S., Kunzmann, C. and Schmidt, A. P. (2012). Semantic People Tagging and Ontology Maturing: An Enterprise Social Media Approach to Competence Management. International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 8(1), pp. 86-111. 52 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobiles in the workplace Creating and sharing in work-based mobile a learning community. Whether it be creating learning and sharing a video, audio recording, or other job-related resource, it’s a bottom-up and learner- When employees create and share work-based centred approach. As the next case discusses mobile learning resources, it promotes peer-to- (Box 5.4), creating and sharing work-based mobile peer learning, active knowledge construction, and learning resources can empower and engage skills and vocational identity development within disenfranchised learners but also foster leadership skills for upward mobility. Box 5.4: Creating and sharing: Case from indigenous Australian park rangers Situated in Northern Australian, this four-year project focussed on workforce development of indigenous park rangers’ knowledge and skills in plant biosecurity management. Formal educational approaches had limited success in meeting their needs. Computers and Internet access was limited in these remote rural communities but the rangers’ mobiles were always with them. Therefore, handhelds were used to engage disenfranchised learners in indigenous workplace learning. Using mobiles, five indigenous rangers co-developed learning resources to document work practices. Multilingual digital stories using visual images of the rangers and their field equipment plus audio-recorded instructions were produced for collegial sharing and reuse when doing specific tasks, inducting new staff, or as refreshers from previous training. The rangers controlled workplace-learning processes and ensured cultural knowledge was maintained. The digital resources connected the learners in their own contexts and provided evidence of vocational competence, expertise in the field, and demonstrated their value as workers. This learning approach empowered the disenfranchised indigenous rangers as they assumed leadership roles in constructing knowledge, enhancing their vocational identities, and promoted peer-to-peer learning through situated experiences and social interactions. Aboriginal rangers trying out the new I-Tracker applications Photo credits: Coastal First Nations. Available at: http://coastalguardianwatchmen.ca/sites/default/files/Australia%20Newsletter.pdf Source: Wallace, R. (2011). The Affordances of Mobile Learning that can Engage Disenfranchised Learner Identities in Formal Education. In: N. Pachler, C. Pimmer and J. Seipold, eds., Work-based Mobile Learning: Concepts and Cases, 1st ed. Oxford: Peter-Lang. pp. 117-144. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 53 Bridging informal and formal work-based Collaboratively, employees can engage in social mobile learning learning using their mobiles where they interact and share work experiences building on their Mobiles can bridge the gap between informal previous formal work-based mobile learning. learning experiences and work-based mobile The case from the developing country of Peru learning, formal education and training for a illustrates bridging informal and formal work-based blended approach. This allows for differentiation mobile learning (Box 5.5). but also personalization of the employee’s learning, either individually or collaboratively. Work-based mobile learning affordances Individually, an employee may reflect on informal and constraints learning experiences in relation to their work- based formal learning, using an e-portfolio, blog, The workplace provides a learning environment or other mobile modes. Managers can mentor with competing affordances and constraints for an employee at a distance to provide timely work-based mobile learning, generated from support and feedback on their informal learning perceived needs of the business organization and experiences for decision-making and PD. Mobile also individual employees. As outlined in Table 5.1, mentoring may also have cost implications related the potential affordances of WBML enable learner to reducing the need for face-to-face meetings participation while the potential constraints and increasing the number of employees a impede the effectiveness of work-based mobile manager could mentor. learning. Table 5.1: Learning affordances and constraints Potential Affordances Potential Constraints Learning & skills development in businesses where access to Workplace cultures that are reluctant to change learning computers may be limited practices & adopt mobiles for workforce development Flexibility, convenience, & learner control over time for Lack of educators & trainers with the knowledge & skills to learning whether it be in the office, field, or other locations support & facilitate WBML Potential to increase multi-generational learner motivation, Lack of managerial support due to the blurring of mobile engagement, & performance from WBML opportunities device boundaries for personal and work use Facilitation of employee learning for those who are difficult to access due to the changing nature of work, roles, & Challenges with selection & costs in the provision of decreasing opportunities for face-to-face education & employees’ mobile devices & content in their work settings training IT & security issues including interoperability with different Enhancing personalized & contextualized learning in mobile platforms, limited connectivity & bandwidth in remote/ different locations; reducing limitations for learning & rural areas, & employees bringing their own devices in the improving performance for lateral or upward mobility workplace (BYOD) Boosting cost-savings as a result of increased efficiencies Ethical issues related to confidentiality, privacy, & security of & quality of learning processes supported over time & data captured on mobiles distance 54 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Mobiles in the workplace Box 5.5: Bridging informal and formal WBML: Case from Peruvian HIV/AIDS training Twenty doctors working in clinics with limited access to HIV/AIDS teaching resources participated in WBML. Their previously identified PD challenges included lack of access to training, training not meeting regional needs, limitations in the development of health personnel competencies, and high turnover rates of trained healthcare workers. A formal HIV/AIDs education program was developed and delivered via supplied smartphones incorporating 3D learning scenarios simulating interactive clinical cases. Portable and inexpensive solar chargers facilitated wireless connection to download materials and Internet access. A mobile platform supported the learning events, tracked doctor’s progress, and provided Facebook access for social learning, peer-to-peer sharing of experiences, and networking with experts. From the module discussions, smartphone accessible learning resources were created. In this resource-limited setting, the main WBML affordances identified were: • freedom to plan personalized educational activities; • quality of information received, applicability of the content to clinical practice, and the appropriate relevance of the learning resources; • equipment portability and easy access to content at the time/location of choice. Constraints were costs for the handhelds, service fees, and the need for IT support for troubleshooting, all of which may impact widespread use. The use of cell phones grew 7 percent in rural areas of the country Photo credits: Living in Peru. Available at: http://archive.peruthisweek.com/news-15363-business-use-cell-phones-increases-7-percent- rural-areas-peru Source: Zolfo, M., Iglesias, D., Kiyan, C., Echevarria, J., Fucay, L., Llacsahuanga, E., de Waard, I., Suàrez, V., LLaque, W.C. and Lynen, L. (2010). Mobile Learning for HIV/AIDS Healthcare Worker Training in Resource-limited Settings. AIDS Research and Therapy, [online] 7(1), pp. 35-40. Available at: http://aidsrestherapy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-6405-7-35/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 55 Conclusions and recommendations • Select and/or develop mobile content but also encourage creation, sharing, and collaboration There is no one-size-fits-all work-based of mobile resources to enhance informal mobile learning approach. As examined in this work-based mobile learning and support article, work-based mobile learning provides a performance. multifaceted learning approach for knowledge acquisition, skills development, and performance • Scrutinize the technological affordances and support for effective and efficient workforce constraints of work-based mobile learning development across different contexts and to determine the best mobile fit for the career trajectories. Therefore, the following workplace and employees. recommendations should be considered when implementing work-based mobile learning • Incorporate on-going managerial, learning and for enhancing rich learning experiences and development, and technical support for work- promoting best practices: based mobile learning sustainability. • Embody visionary leadership with a clear • Develop work-based policies, protocols, and strategy for work-based mobile learning advice to ensure confidentiality, privacy, and that includes collaborative stakeholder security of data captured on mobiles in the communication at all levels to optimize workplace. workforce development. 56 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Endnotes 1 Towards Maturity. (2014). Mobile Learning at Work. [online] 2nd ed. [pdf] Available at: http://towardsmaturity.org/shop/ wp-content/uploads/2014/06/In-Focus-2014-Report-Mobile-Learning-in-the-Workplace.pdf Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. 2 Schugurensky, D. (2000). The forms of informal learning: Towards a conceptualization of the field. 1st ed. [pdf] Toronto: ON University of Toronto. Available at: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/2733/2/19formsofinformal.pdf Accessed 19 Nov. 2016. 3 Pimmer, C. and Pachler, N. (2014). Mobile Learning in the Workplace. Unlocking the Value of Mobile Technology for Work-Based Education. In: M. Ally, and A. Tsinakos. eds. Increasing Access through Mobile Learning, 1st ed. [ebook] Vancouver: BC Commonwealth of Learning and Athabasca University. pp. 193-203. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/ 11599/558/ Accessed 18 Nov. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 57 Lifelong mobile learning for skills development in low- and middle-income contexts By Ronda Zelezny-Green When the topic of mobile learning arises, initial As the percentage of unique mobile subscribers connections tend to be made with use of mobile grows2 and the costs of mobile phone ownership devices to engage in formal learning activities, and use declines3, the number of people who while a learner of school-age is stationary or on stand to benefit from LmL4SD could be quite the go, inside the classroom or outside of it. Yet, high, especially among special populations such as mobile learning can take place not only across women and girls and out-of-school youth. contexts but also across lifespans – at any age – and for broad-ranging purposes (Figure 6.1). This article will begin by briefly revisiting the definition of non-formal learning to explore its Lifelong mobile learning for skills development links to what will be termed and defined as lifelong (LmL4SD) is one such purpose, and is a small but mobile learning for skills development in this growing area of interest within the mobile learning publication. Then, it will explore reasons why there community. In low- and middle-income contexts1 is an increasing need to explore mobile learning as LmL4SD is gaining traction as a mechanism to an emergent lifelong skills development medium in help people of diverse ages acquire skills that may low- and middle-income contexts. Subsequently, eventually lead to employment, the creation of brief case studies on LmL4SD will be shared from new business ventures, and/or improved business low- and middle-income contexts in the following practices. Mobile learning is uniquely placed countries: the Philippines, Tunisia, as well as an to facilitate skills development opportunities experience from the United States and Canada for people in low- and middle-income contexts that has global reach. The article will conclude because this learning process can help facilitate with recommendations for how local and national more flexible, cost-effective, and relevant learning governments and civil society organizations can and development experiences. (Figure 6.2). harness the potential of mobile learning for skills Figure 6.1: Learning across contexts Sources: Photo 1: Young female students at Samangan. (2006). Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_female_students_at_ Samangan.jpg; Photo 2: Jisc infoNet. (2007). Social Space Seating, Dungannon Campus (Formerly East Tyrone College), South West College. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jiscinfonet/434855667/in/album-72157600028008635/; Photo 3: Pierre Holtz for UNICEF. (2007). Girl Guides in the Central African Republic. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girl_Guides_in_the_Central_African_Republic.jpg. All accessed 11 Dec. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 59 Figure 6.2: The mobile learning context •...in where and when the learner undertakes skills Flexibility development with mobile devices •...since many mobile learning for skills development Affordability schemes are offered at a free or reduced cost to the learner •...to the learners' lives because the mobile learning experiencs are often localized to help people gain skills in Utility defined areas of work and enterpreneurship that are in demand. development to help empower people to achieve education settings. Non-formal learning and their learning goals throughout their lifetime. learning for skills development also help learners obtain knowledge that is not typically found in national curricula, which usually focus solely on Lifelong mobile learning for skills subject areas such as mathematics, science and development the language of instruction (although academic subjects may still be included to facilitate basic Earlier, the Organisation for Economic Co- education in the non-formal learning sector). operation and Development (OECD) definition of non-formal learning has been shared. This article Furthermore, like formal learning, non-formal will proceed with the following addendum to the learning, even for skills development, is led by an OECD definition in order to focus more on the organisation concerned with the area of learning learner and the things they may learn about with to be covered. Some examples of well-known mobile devices: non-formal learning organisations include the Girl Guides/Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the YWCA Depending on country contexts, it [non-formal and the YMCA. Yet, unlike formal learning, a rigid learning] may cover educational programmes instructional structure is not always imposed to impart adult literacy, basic education for with non-formal learning or learning for skills out-of-school children, life-skills, work-skills, development. Moreover, there may be no and general culture. Non-formal education formal examinations required in order to achieve […] may have differing durations, and may or official recognition for participation or successful may not confer certification of the learning completion of a non-formal learning or skills-based achieved.4 course. This presents the notion that learning for skills With a link between non-formal learning and skills development can be conceived as a subset of development established, attention will now be non-formal learning since a number of skills-based turned to elaborating what lifelong mobile learning educational programs take place outside of formal for skills development is. This will be achieved by Figure 6.3: LmL4SD Skills Mobile Lifelong Develop- LmL4SD Learning ment 60 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong mobile breaking down each component of this phrase as facilitating instruction through and with mobile learning illustrated in Figure 6.3. devices. Lifelong learning Contextualising mobile learning The Commission of the European Communities In other articles, the question of what mobile (CEC) embraced a definition for lifelong learning learning is has been touched upon. To that balanced social and economic perspectives contextualise mobile learning in this article, the on learning. Their definition also traversed the term will be briefly outlined. Mobile learning has three broad categories of learning in addition to undergone numerous definitional transformations seeking to remove age restrictions. Accordingly, that can largely be attributed to how the they collaboratively created the following relationship between people and technology is conceptualisation of lifelong learning: “all learning perceived and articulated (Figure 6.5), as well as activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim the growing sophistication in the technology and of improving knowledge, skills and competences the devices with which once can engage in mobile within a personal, civic, social and/or employment- learning. related perspective”5. Figure 6.5: Relationship between people and In the report to UNESCO of the International technology Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, lifelong learning is framed into four areas (Figure 6.4). Human- centred Figure 6.4: Four areas of lifelong learning Techno- centric Learning to live together Striking a balance in mobile learning In acknowledgement of the need to take a balanced yet future-proof approach to the Learning Lifelong Learning definition of mobile learning, this article borrows to be learning to know from the one formed by Sharples, et al,6 to position mobile learning (Figure 6.6). With this conceptualisation in place, it is clear that mobile learning has links not only to lifelong Learning learning but also to non-formal learning and skills to do development given the flexibility in what is learned where, with who and when. Source: International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. (1996). Learning: The treasure within. Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. Skills development Paris: UNESCO Publishing. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0010/001095/109590eo.pdf Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. Skills encompass the “know how” for performing By adopting inclusive definitions it becomes clear activities crucial to a person’s ability to earn that because a variety of people participate in a livelihood, and can include both so-called lifelong learning, diverse opportunities to know, soft skills (e.g. professional communication, do, be and live together must be made accessible negotiation, mediation) and hard skills (e.g. for all. One way that this is being done is by foreign or programming language fluency or basic numeracy). The World Bank7 believes that skills form the foundation of a nation’s growth as well Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 61 Figure 6.6: A definition of mobile learning Learning over time, at any time Mobility of the Mobility in who technology one learns with Mobility of the Mobility and learner and where learning mLearning variety in what is learned takes place Source: Sharples, et al. (2009). Mobile Learning: Small devices, big issues. In: Balacheff, N., Ludvigsen, S., Jong, T. de and Barnes, S., eds., Technology Enhanced Learning: Principles and Products. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 233–249. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44909945_Mobile_Learning_Small_Devices_Big_Issues Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. as a person’s ability to obtain gainful employment to find and obtain employment, create new during their lifetime. The OECD8 calls skills “…the businesses, and/or improve business practices. global currency of the 21st century”. The process While this focus is decidedly economic in nature, of developing skills is one that often does not these aspects form some of the personal goals take a one-size-fits-all approach. Nevertheless, and ambitions that people have for their lives. This guidance in the form of knowing which skills are section will explore why LmL4SD is becoming more in demand for employment and entrepreneurship common for such purposes. or which may be helpful for achieving personal fulfilment goals is a pertinent part of the skills development process. Sounding the alarm on the need for skills development Summarising LmL4SD For the past two decades, skills development has become an increasingly important area in the With the individual components of lifelong learning spectrum. The post-2008 global economic mobile learning for skills development explained, crisis caused not only a significant amount of job a working definition of LmL4SD for this article is loss but also an increase in what the International people using mobile devices, at any age, time or Labour Organization (ILO)9 terms ‘occupational place to develop new or existing skills by working mismatch’, whereby the jobs available to people alone, or in a group, on a course or on their own. are too high or too far below their present skillset. The ILO report10 also stated that in 2012, the total With this in mind, the next section of this article number of people without jobs globally had risen will discuss some of the reasons why mobile to 197 million people. Some population segments, learning is both a relevant and useful tool in the such as youth and females, were more severely push to help people in low- and middle-income impacted than others. contexts develop their skillsets. National governments including India, the United States, and South Africa, as well as regional bodies Why the need for skills development? such as the European Union, have taken critical Why go mobile? steps to grow and revitalize the opportunities for their citizens to access learning opportunities that As earlier mentioned, this article will focus on help them improve or build new skills (Figure 6.7). lifelong mobile learning for skills development 62 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong mobile Figure 6.7: Strategic skills development activities learning South Africa: The push to help citizens European Union: Launched a multi- develop skills is enshrined in nine stakeholder partnership in order to national policies, including the National provide ICT skills for citizens in Skills Development Strategy. preparation for digital jobs. Strategic Skills Development Activities United States: Approximately USD170m India: Created the National Skills of the 2015 fiscal budget will be given to Development Agency to coordinate the help teachers and learners develop skills skills development initiatives of 20 in STEM subject areas. government ministeries. Sources: For South Africa: UNESCO. (2012). Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work—EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012. [online] Available at: http://www.skillsforemployment.org/wcmstest4/groups/skills/documents/skpcontent/mwdf/mdix/~edisp/fm11g_021828.pdf.For European Union: European Commission. (2016). Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition. [online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/grand-coalition-digital- jobs-0. For United States: US Department of Education. (2016). Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership. [online] Available at: www.ed.gov/stem. For India: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. (2016). About us. [online] Available at: http://www. skilldevelopment.gov.in/aboutus.html. All accessed 11 Dec. 2016. Although these top-down efforts are while in middle-income contexts the issue is a commendable, more needs to be done at the lack of jobs, especially ones that youth qualify grassroots level if the most marginalised are to be for (Figure 6.8). Sustained skills mismatch for reached. The OECD11 asserts that in low-income youth in low- and middle-income contexts can contexts, youth unemployment is characterised lead to discouragement that affects employment by a prevalence of low quality jobs on the market opportunities and productivity later in life. Figure 6.8: Skills mismatch for youth Low-income contexts: low quality in available jobs High youth unemployment in low- and middle- income contexts Middle-income contexts: low number of jobs youth qualify for Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 63 Figure 6.9: Gender equality links Affordability Care responsibility Age •opportunities that are •a need for skills •a need to redress a lack of economically affordable for development schemes that skills development women who may have take into account care work opportunities for women low(er) earning power and timetables when who are older and may not scheduling have had prior experience with or equitable access to lifelong learning opportunities Source: ILO. (2010). A Skilled Workforce for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth: A G20 Training Strategy. Geneva: International Labour Office. Available at: www.skillsforemployment.org/wcmstest4/groups/skills/documents/skpcontent/mwdf/mdix/~edisp/fm11g_021626.pdf Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. In order to improve their skillset, youth face who can benefit today as well as where these barriers such as the cost of transport to and people are located), comparative ease of use, from skills development opportunities, lack personalisation, speed, and flexibility, mobile of awareness about what skills development devices are poised to help facilitate more benefits opportunities are available to them and how for more people in low- and middle-income development of these skills can lead to jobs, contexts seeking to develop their skillset than and even gender discrimination in the skills if postal correspondence, radios, television, or development opportunities available to them. telecentres were used on their own. Still, like all Research from GSMA Mobile for Employment12 other media before it, mobile devices could also corroborates these barriers through findings serve to amplify inequality among those who are gathered from youth in Bangladesh, Spain, very poor, disabled, have low or no literacy, or face Indonesia, and Ghana. cultural barriers to access and use mobile if care and planning is not undertaken in order to help The ILO13 points out that gender equality in skills minimise this undesirable outcome. development opportunities is directly linked to challenges shown in Figure 6.9. In many low- and middle-income contexts, mobile devices have become tools to help Potential female members of the workforce also achieve individual and collective empowerment experience difficulty related to the availability of by facilitating access to vital services from areas skills development opportunities that encourage such as government, health, banking and finance, women to enter non-traditional professions. and agriculture. Lifelong mobile learning for skills development is on its way to becoming an integral type of life-changing mobile device use for Mobile as a skills development medium education and learning, as the case studies in the next section will help illustrate. Given some of the aforementioned barriers to access skills development, lifelong mobile learning for skills development can present people in low- LmL4SD case studies from low- and and middle-income contexts with opportunities middle-income contexts that other print and electronic media are not as easily able to facilitate. The case study from the Philippines (Box 6.1) highlights a lifelong mobile learning for skills Undoubtedly mobile devices (their cost, development initiative to benefit out-of-school availability, and technological affordances), youth with inelastic wallets and a government network reception, and usage costs are issues that is adopting LmL4SD as one of many pathways that still impact the ability of a number of towards redressing the availability of skills people to benefit from LmL4SD. Nevertheless, development opportunities despite its own in terms of reach (both in the number of people resource limitations. 64 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong mobile learning Box 6.1: Philippines Facing a constantly expanding “youth bulge”, the Philippines has approximately 6.2 million people under the age of 35 who lack employment or are under-employed. With an estimated population of nearly 101 million people in 2015a (12th largest country in terms of population in the world), the government’s ability to address the youth unemployment challenge through provision of skills development opportunities is daunting given the country must also grapple with yearly, devastating natural disasters which take significant funding from the national budget. Beginning in April 2013, a coalition of government agencies created and offered support to a national programme known as “Abot Alam,” whose goal is to help return or help facilitate first encounters for millions of youth to some form of education or training. With the desire to support the potential reach of this initiative, all three mobile network operators in the country, Digitel Mobile Philippines (Sun Cellular), Globe Telecom, and Smart Communications took the decision to unite to develop innovative LmL4SD products and services to help the government reach its target, competing on the content and quality of their offerings instead of brand recognition or loyalty. This partnership was cemented in September 2013 with a MoU signingb. In February 2014, the first skills development services, both based on interactive voice response technology, were debuted at Mobile World Congressc. Filipino youth reads training content on mobile phone Rural Filipino community watches an app Photo credits: Globe Telecom demonstration on a smartphone Photo credits: Smart Communications One service provides basic education in the English language to help people acquire basic English skills, and the other is for people to acquire English for employment within the business process outsourcing industry, an industry that provides a large source of employment in the Philippines. Both services were launched in 2014 with the support from LmL4SD subsidies made by the Department of Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Agency. Notes: a Philippine Statistics Authority. (2016). Highlights of the Philippine Population 2015 Census of Population. [online] Available at: https:// psa.gov.ph/content/highlights-philippine-population-2015-census-population Accessed 11 Dec. 2016. b Luces, K. (2013). Telcos, gov't agencies to collaborate on 'mobile education' for 1 million OSYs. GMA News, [online] 25 September. Available at: www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/328130/scitech/technology/telcos-gov-t-agencies-to-collaborate-on-mobile-education- for-1-million-osys Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. c Gallardo, C. (2014). Apps aim to help educate millions of young Filipinos. SciDev.Net, [online] 28 February. Available at: www.scidev.net/ global/education/news/apps-aim-to-help-educate-millions-of-young-filipinos.html Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 65 Figure 6.10: Youth unemployment Source: World Economic Forum, (2013). The Challenge of Youth Unemployment. [online] Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/tools/gac/youth- unemployment-visualization-2013/ Accessed 11 Dec. 2016. The next case study (Box 6.2) comes from North opportunities in fields where they are traditionally Africa, an area of the world that, when coupled underrepresented was referenced. The final case with the Middle East, has the highest rate of youth study (Box 6.3) comes from the United States and unemployment (Figure 6.10). Canada, where this challenge is being approached with backing from major tech companies. Earlier the challenge of encouraging women and girls to pursue skills development 66 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong mobile learning Box 6.2: Tunisia While some people viewed the so-called Arab Spring as a victorious fight for democracy and a better life, for many youths, that reality has not yet materialised. So is the case of Tunisia, where youth unemployment for people under 30 is a staggering 30%, and countless young women and rural inhabitants in particular have gone many months and even years without a professional placementa. In a collaboration between civil society organizations (PRO-INVEST, Edupartage, Silatech) and the private sector (Tunisiana), two services to support Tunisian youth with their skills development needs and job search hopes were launched, Najja7ni m-English and Najja7ni Employment, in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Najja7ni m-English is promoted as a low-cost way for youth to improve their English language abilities to increase their chances of obtaining a good job, and without the expense associated with hiring a tutor. The service uses USSD technology and users can use short codes to initiate access. When launched (also using USSD technology), Najja7ni Employment was the first youth skills development service of its kind in North Africa. Young Tunisian woman tells her friend about the Najja7ni service for the first time Photo credits: Tunisiana. (2013). 300,000 customers using Najja7ni in one month! Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= oDsN27ZKzxg The service provides access to information on entrepreneurship, available skills development opportunities, and even the possibility for job matching, all on basic handsets and without the need for Internet service. With carefully planned targeting, outreach and marketing efforts to youth, especially young women (see photo above), and people living in rural areas, as of February 2014 Najja7ni Employment has reached over 1 million Tunisiansb. Notes: a Atkinson, S. (2013). Revolution brings no job hopes for Tunisia's women. BBC News, [online] 11 December. Available at: www. bbc.com/news/business-25262847 Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. b GSMA. (2014). Najja7ni: Mobile learning services for improving education, English language skills and employment opportunities in Tunisia. Available at: www.gsma.com/connectedliving/wp-content/uploads/ 2014/02/2013-2014-Q4-Tunisiana-Najja7ni-services.pdf Accessed 9 Dec. 2016. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 67 Box 6.3: United States and Canada The women in global science and technology (wisat) completed a national assessment on science, technology and innovation that found that even in a G8 country such as the United States, women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, and among six countries the US ranks the lowest in enabling policy environments to support women in STEM fieldsa. It is thought that if this situation continues, it will have long-term negative or depressed impact on the employment sector. Technovationb is one organisation working to change this. With backing from Twitter, Google, and DropBox, among others, Technovation gathers girls ages 10-23 from around the globe (primarily from the United States, where the programme originated, and Canada; a total of 1,300+ girls from 38 countries in 2014) to stimulate their confidence and interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics subject areas. A team of girls build their mobile prototype using Android App Inventor Photo credits: Technovation. (2009). Available at: https://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/future-female-engineers-come-together. html Adopting curriculum standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education, girls, working with female mentors who are established in a STEM profession, complete free, intensive 12-week course that focuses on mobile app development to help solve local community issues, including educational challenges, among others. No prior coding experience is required. At the end of the course, teams compete for the best app, with the team with the winning app being awarded a cash prize. Technovation Challenge finalists selected to pitch in San Francisco, CA in June 2015 Photo credits: Opportunity Desk. (2015). Available at: http://opportunitydesk.org/2015/05/24/technovation-challenge-finalists-selected- to-pitch-in-san-francisco/. 68 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Lifelong mobile learning Yet all participants are indeed winners since they gain sought-after skills in a well-paid area, have networking opportunities with some of the top STEM companies in the world, and between 2010-2013, 94% of more than 800 graduates of the programme have expressed an interest in a technology career. Notes: a WISAT and OWSD. Gender Equality in the Knowledge Society: National Assessments in STI. [pdf] Available at: http://wisat.org/ data/documents/GEKS_KeyFindings_onepage-Feb13.pdf Accessed 9 Dec. 2016. b www.technovationchallenge.org/home/ activities are key. The best structured Conclusion and recommendations programme will not benefit target groups regardless of their age, location, or language if Lifelong mobile learning for skills development is they do not know they exist or do not think the showing potential to complement existing efforts programme or service is for them. to help people in low- and middle-income contexts gain the skills they need to realise the personal and 3. Partnerships for skills development are a must professional goals they have. As the case studies when working in low- and middle-income have shown, there are strong challenges for youth, contexts for lifelong mobile learning for skills rural inhabitants, and women and girls who wish to development. Governments, the private develop skills across a spectrum of areas. sector, and civil society organisations all have areas of expertise, strengths, and limited To help people address these challenges, it is resources that will be amplified by working recommended that: with partners who share and commit to similar goals. Especially when applying a top-down 1. Governments prioritise experimentation approach, the work of CSOs becomes crucial with innovative methods to facilitate skills in making sure LmL4SD efforts reach the development opportunities for people in low- intended recipients. and middle-income contexts. Digital literacy skills that can be gained through LmL4SD can 4. See everyone as a potential beneficiary of serve to supplement the skills learned with lifelong mobile learning for skills development. mobile devices. Learners of every age, gender, location and culture ultimately have the desire for self- 2. Ensure that outreach efforts of government, improvement. Skills development is one way private sector, and civil society organisations to do that, and mobile learning is one medium are coherent yet adapted for the people that can help facilitate this development. you are trying to reach. Awareness-raising Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 69 Endnotes 1 In this article, low- and middle-income “contexts” is not synonymous with low- and middle-income “countries” in acknowledgement that both developed and developing countries contain areas where low- and middle-income households can be found. 2 GSMA Intelligence. (2014). Available at: https://gsmaintelligence.com/ Accessed 8 Dec. 2016 3 GSMA. (2014). GSMA and Facebook announce joint initiative to connect the unconnected, [online] 25 February. Available at: http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-and-facebook-announce/ Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 4 UNESCO. (2016). ICT Applications for Non-Formal Education. [online] Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/ unesco/themes/icts/lifelong-learning/non-formal-education/ Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 5 Commission of the European Communities. (2001). Communication from the Commission. Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality, [pdf] p.9. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2001: 0678:FIN:EN:PDF Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 6 Sharples, et al. (2009). Mobile Learning: Small devices, big issues. In: Balacheff, N., Ludvigsen, S., Jong, T. de and Barnes, S., eds., Technology Enhanced Learning: Principles and Products. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 233–249. Available at: https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/44909945_Mobile_Learning_Small_Devices_Big_Issues Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 7 World Bank. (2010). Stepping up skills for more jobs and higher productivity. Washington, D.C.: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. Available at: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/06/ 12515032/stepping-up-skills-more-jobs-higher-productivity Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 8 OECD. (2012). Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives: A Strategic Approach to Skills Policies. OECD Publishing, p.3. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264177338-en Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 9 ILO. (2013). Global employment trends 2013: Recovering from a second jobs dip. Geneva: International Labour Office. Available at: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_202326. pdf Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 10 Ibid. 11 OECD. (2012). Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives: A Strategic Approach to Skills Policies. OECD Publishing, p.3. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264177338-en Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 12 GSMA Mobile for Employment. (2013). Mobile Services for Youth Employment. Available at: www.gsma.com/ mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Mobile-Services-for-Youth-Employment.pdf Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 13 ILO. (2010). A Skilled Workforce for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth: A G20 Training Strategy. Geneva: International Labour Office. Available at: www.skillsforemployment.org/wcmstest4/groups/skills/documents/skpcontent/ mwdf/mdix/~edisp/fm11g_021626.pdf Accessed 8 Dec. 2016. 70 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Educational aspects of mobile impact, uptake and usage By Mar Camacho Societies and individuals around the world Mobile learning in the global knowledge increasingly recognize that investment in education economy: Emerging topics and is an investment in future growth, particularly in economic, social and personal areas. With the opportunities growing availability and related infrastructure of low- cost mobile and wireless technologies, According to the World Bank’s report Information massive opportunities are emerging for learners, and Communications for Development 2012: teachers and institutions in developing countries. Maximizing Mobile, in developing countries, In particular, mobile connectivity can facilitate citizens are gradually using mobile phones to new ways of teaching and learning that are cost- create new livings and improve their lifestyles, effective and better personalized to the individual’s while governments are using them to expand needs and context. Mobile technologies also service delivery and promote citizen feedback offer potentiality for contextual learning, and mechanisms. have unbound learners from classroom walls while also enhancing collaborative processes “Mobile communications offer major in informal contexts. These features of mobile opportunities to advance human and economic learning are particularly relevant to developing development – from providing basic access to country contexts since mobile learning can only health information to making cash payments, take place outside of school as there remains an spurring job creation, and stimulating citizen in-school ban on mobile phone use by learners. involvement in democratic processes,” (…) The Nevertheless, mobile learning still must overcome challenge now is to enable people, businesses, conceptual, practical, and organizational and governments in developing countries challenges before people can fully benefit from to develop their own locally-relevant mobile this learning medium. applications so they can take full advantage of these opportunities.” This article will begin by exploring three broad areas: (i) mobile learning in the global knowledge Mrs. Rachel Kyte economy, with its emerging topics (teaching and World Bank Vice President for Sustainable learning scenarios, the essential skills for a specific Development, 20121 mobile literacy and culture…), (ii) the challenging dimensions of mobile learning in developing Mobile phone use in developing countries has countries, and (iii) current uses of mobiles for exceeded that of developed areas, according to teaching and learning, including a revision of the report. The developing world is using mobile tools for the construction of learning. The article apps to help build, educate, and even entertain. includes some recommendations based on the need to develop overarching visions for mobile A recent report by We Are Social2 includes learning that move beyond implementations statistics that illustrate 3.79 billion unique mobile that cannot be replicated and advocates for the users, representing 51% global penetration. development of a best-practice framework to While still a long way to go before everyone guide future action and thinking. in developing countries has access to mobile communications, the push to increase access in underserved regions of the world is being made by organizations such as the Alliance for Affordable Internet. Currently, there are as many mobile subscriptions as people in the world, and every Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 71 second, 20 new mobile broadband subscriptions content can be made, received or exchanged are activated. In addition to the rise of subscribers, is increasingly widespread and sophisticated. data consumption also continues to increase3. The Similarly, Fitzgerald5 states the following: “If we number of mobile subscriptions is continuously can embody an effective pedagogy within user- growing across regions. Greater device generated content, we can provide learning any affordability is encouraging new subscribers in time and at any place”. developing regions, whereas an increase in mature markets is due to individuals adding more devices. According to Ericsson, local economic conditions also have a significant impact on the uptake of subscriptions in different regions. The growth is fueled by the strong uptake of mobile broadband subscriptions across most regions. Mobile broadband subscription growth is expected to be particularly strong in the Middle East and Africa due to a young and growing population, rising GDP and smartphone uptake. Several countries in the Asia Pacific region will also experience a strong mobile broadband subscription uptake over the next five years, while more mature regions like North America and Europe will have more moderate growth. By harnessing the use of mobile devices people are enabled to participate in education, too. The new teaching and learning scenarios in developing countries Any time any place learning Mobility is understood as a great catalyst of change, and together with digital media, offers learners in developing countries previously The fluid nature of mobility is a critical element of inaccessible tools to develop knowledge, skills many mobile learning scenarios and possibilities and social practices. The impact that mobile for people in the Global South. Mobility enables technologies can have on learners’ lives can a shift from one-to-one to many-to-many lead them to situations where educational communication, individual to collaborative undertakings are driven by both personal needs. interaction, and centralized to decentralized Kukulska-Hulme introduces the concept of systems. All of these shifts can occur when a "context-aware learning,” which alludes to the learner is at home, when they are walking to possibility of enabling learners to use personal school or a local market, or even when they are and social technologies to draw on aspects of stuck in traffic on a form of public transport. Yet, their environment, including people who can a key question is how to utilize this fluid nature join in or help, approaching the environment as a of mobility to design spaces where learners dynamic learning resource4. While Kukulska-Hulme “on the move” are shifting between various primarily works with examples from Global North communication and interaction modes in a educational settings, her description of context- seamless way that still enables informal learning to aware learning is readily applicable to countries in take place. the Global South as well. It could be said that there is a shift towards a With mobile learning, learners in developing diverse learning milieu in which learning adapts countries can be immersed in their “environment- to each learner instead of each learner adapting cum-classroom”, and learning can occur at any to the prevailing learning model where they time and at any place since the means by which live – which in many developing countries still 72 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Educational aspects remains a static, uni-directional experience as amplified through the power of the mobile web, whereby the teacher transmits knowledge to his has become a key literacy.”6 or her students with no response from students expected. Mobile learning can help transition this Successful practices, which allow the development learning model type into one where the following of a distinctive mobile literacy, together with traits can be realized: the power of mobile learning to blur formal and informal boundaries, could account for new • The personalization of learning teaching and learning scenarios as well as the reshaping of traditional education patterns in • Schools will take on new forms developing countries (Figure 7.1). For a nation to cultivate a skilled workforce, people require skills • Learning will no longer be defined by time or that prepare them not only to thrive but also place to collaborate and innovate in such a way that they can benefit both themselves and potential • A variety of digital network and content employers. To be at the vanguard of this new resources will help learners to connect and world, educational systems need to enact policies learn that empower students in developing countries to take advantage of the affordances of technology • Geographic and virtual communities will take so that learning can happen across contexts and ownership of learning in new ways with diverse subject matter. This, mobile literacy becomes of importance when considering a • Social innovation will help address resource serious and significative implementation of constraints and other challenges technology in teaching and learning processes (Figure 7.2). Mobiles for lifelong learning and skill Given that the first experience that many people development in developing countries in the developing world have with the Internet is via the mobile web, the future that these “We are already at the moment in which the ability students will inherit is likely one that will be to use social media, and particularly social media mediated and stitched together by the mobile web. Learners will need to master effective usage Figure 7.1: Are we wired for mobile learning? Source: Mobile Learning Infographic. (2013). How Digital Natives Are A Bit A Head. [online] http://elearninginfographics.com/mobile-learning- infographic-how-digital-natives-are-a-bit-a-head/ Accessed 12 May 2015. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 73 Figure 7.2: Teaching mobile web literacy The new Sense of Information access Hyper-connectivity Space •The skill of quick •Encouraging new students •Geo-location and the information access and to twitter during class can mobile web will change our credibility detection, will be used as both a daily practices. Web be, according to this author collaborative note-taking services like Gowalla useful throughout their exercise and an example of (http://gowalla.com/) and lives how conversation can be FourSquare extended beyond the (http://foursquare.com/) classroom boundaries will substantially alter how we can intermingle with space. Students need to begin to understand how one "can use a mobile device to both create and access spatial information" Source: Parry, D. (2011). Mobile Perspectives: On teaching Mobile Literacy. [online] Available at: www.educause.edu/ero/article/mobile-perspectives- teaching-mobile-literacy Accessed 30 Sep. 2015. of these technologies so that that the digital necessary for the nature of schooling to adapt divide is erased. In places like Kenya, Peru, and the and to work towards objectives that contribute to Philippines, teaching mobile web literacy seems the development of people. to be as crucial as teaching basic literacy. Since the mobile web opens up a host of pedagogical possibilities, David Parry sketches out a few Empowering teachers with mobile literacies that teachers need to understand and devices ought to be striving to teach students7. The critical importance of teachers in the Thus, as a distinct mobile learning culture arises, new teaching and learning scenarios must be learners can take mobility and context-awareness underscored. According to UNESCO8, there as a departing point to become more visible and are two important areas to consider regarding involved as innovators, creators and mediators teachers and mobile learning in developing of learning. Such meaningful and learner-centred country contexts: “1) professional development participation will help learners develop new skills that instructs teachers how to use mobile and literacies, facilitated by mobile technologies, phones to improve teaching and learning; and in order to provide additional opportunities to 2) professional development that is delivered extend their learning beyond the classroom and through mobile phones”. Indeed, a major with formal learning as only one way of knowing problem with regards to education in developing (Figure 7.3). Teacher training will need to take countries is the lack of qualified teachers. With the place so that educators in developing country introduction of mobile phones in the developing contexts can be included in the vision of using world, areas that were once isolated are now new technologies in ways that will enable 21st more enabled to communicate both locally and century competencies and skills such as critical globally. Additionally, mobile phones enhance thinking and problem solving, effective oral and teachers’ professional development by supporting written communication, initiative, curiosity and not only mentoring and observation, but content imagination, etc., to be reinforced or to develop creation and the reshaping of teaching practices. in the first instance. Although there is a prevalent Mobile learning allows teachers in rural areas to opinion that the school as a social institution connect and collaborate with teachers outside plays a central role in the life of learners, and their regions so that they may obtain advice and that in the future it will remain a key component encouragement from experienced professionals. to a person’s educational experience, it will be By involving teachers in such opportunities, it can 74 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Educational aspects Figure 7.3: Skills and attributes of today’s learner Source: Northern Art Teacher. (2013). Skills & Attributes of Today’s Learner. [online] Available at: https://northernartteacher.wordpress.com/2013/07/ 25/a-thank-you-note-to-skype/skills-attributes-of-todays-learner/ Accessed 20 Nov. 2016. serve as an illustration of what is possible to be from learning materials that are more up-to-date, enacted with their students (Box 7.1). which could lead to an increase in the quality of teaching and learning9. Compared to print materials, mobile content can provide a wider reach and can even be more affordable; for example, with the Worldreader Current uses of mobiles for teaching and (2014) mobile phone application, a learner in learning: Tools for the construction of Kenya can read a book via mobile for about 3 learning Kenyan shillings, while purchasing a print book can cost at least 100 Kenyan shillings. Use of mobile Texting, microblogging, video creation or mobile content therefore can enable access to learning storytelling are instances of new educational materials that promote new ways of knowing. possibilities that mobile technologies can offer to learners in developing countries. Many mobile learning initiatives have a teacher Successful integration of traditional teaching and professional development component with learning processes with more learner-centred, built-in teacher training designed to enhance experimental processes made possible with teachers’ subject matter knowledge as well as mobile technology will be key to realizing the full their technological skills and to specifically train potential of what mobile learning can facilitate for teachers in using mobile phones effectively in people in the Global South. As previously stated, their instruction. Mobile learning is used for both successful practices which allow the development training teachers in the technological aspects of a distinctive mobile literacy, together with of mobile learning as well as providing teachers the power of mobile learning to blur formal and knowledge in the subject matter that they teach. informal boundaries, account for a new teaching Indeed, through mobile learning, teachers in and learning scenarios that can serve to reshape developing countries have the hope of learning traditional patterns of teaching and learning so Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 75 Box 7.1: Empowering teachers with mobile devices: the UNESCO-NOKIA project Teacher training with mobile devices Photo credits: CC Marie-Lise Bourcier Mobile learning offers promising opportunities to combat inequality and to provide teachers with empowering solutions and strategies for their day-to-day classes. In October 2010, UNESCO and Nokia signed a partnership to use mobile technologies to support education which concerned the implementation of four pilot projects to support teacher development through the use of mobile technologies in four different countries: Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and Senegal. Each project was designed based on the countries’ respective educational needs, telecommunication infrastructure, and existing mobile learning tools. Results showed a significant increase in the teacher’s motivation as well as the possibilities for scaling-up the initiative to other contexts. that the learner has both more ownership and activities that will enhance the student experience responsibility for their learning (Figure 7.4). and contribute to the academic life of their institutions. There are examples of best practices with mobile learning which could provide an overview on Another example of international and multicultural the potential of mobile technologies and what collaboration, the iCollab project (Box 7.3), impact these might have on learning and teaching constituted by an international community of practices in developing country contexts. Some of practice of students and lecturers started in 2011 these examples include the use of SMS-enabled which aims to explore and evaluate which mobile treasure hunts designed to facilitate peer learning web tools, pedagogic strategies and learning as students need to quickly interpret cues and scenarios can be effective to support international exchange ideas to reach the prize (Box 7.2). student collaboration, participation in decision- making as part of curriculum development and the Other interesting experiences include the development of 21st century skills. exploration of mobile devices to support social work students and mentors when students undertake their placements (REMORA), the use Conclusions and recommendations of pocket PCs to support portfolio development by teaching (WoLF), and the use of augmented Living in a world in which the number of connected reality to enhance teaching and learning (SCARLET) mobile devices already exceeds the world’s simultaneously allow students to experience the population, the inclusion of mobile technologies in magic of original materials, whilst enhancing the education should be seen as a unique opportunity, learning experience. The FAVOR project Open rather than a threat, that will lead educational Resources showcases the work of language systems to promote change. The advantages teachers in universities, by engaging them in of using mobile technologies for educational purposes are manyfold: ubiquity, personalization 76 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Educational aspects Figure 7.4: Why smartphones work for students Source: Science's Alphabet Soup. (2013). APPS & B.Y.O.D. in Education. [online] Available at: https://scottbgoldscher.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/apps- b-y-o-d-in-education-infographics/ Accessed 11 May 2015. of learning, skill development… and they provide 2. New competencies and skills that may develop new insights with which to face education in the through the use of mobile technologies 21st century framework. As mobile technologies demand a very specific mapping between continue to grow, their usefulness as powerful what is expected of learners and how these educational instruments will continue to expand technologies may be of help to achieve those in the near future. The following considerations objectives. intend to summarise key aspects to be considered when facing mobile impact, uptake and usage. 3. Educational institutions and related stakeholders need to take ownership of 1. A deep understanding of mobile culture and change and be able to reshape their landscape mobile literacy defined in terms of context- as it is being challenged by the mobile awareness, mobility and of learners’ specific revolution. needs happens to be genuinely important for a successful implementation of mobile 4. Mobile and wireless technologies can technologies and ground-breaking design for provide flexible and timely access to learning learning. resources, instantaneous communication, portability, active learning experiences and the Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 77 Box 7.2: SMS to deliver course materials in Nepal There are more than 6 million GSM mobile phone subscribers in Nepal and about 7 million mobile phone users. This is much higher than the number of households with access to the Internet (about 630 000, 2009 data). Nepal’s mobile phone users are not concentrated in any one part of the country. The market has shown growth across the whole country, even in rural areas without proper roads and means of transportation, although compared to urban areas the rate of growth is slower. This presents an opportunity for mobile learning in Nepal. Education institutionsa – profit seeking or non-profit – can develop course materials and send them via text messaging to subscribers. Incoming messages are provided free of charge. The messages, which are 160 characters long, may not be suitable for subjects requiring analysis or calculations like economics, pure science or mathematics. Yet for basic courses in English, civics, history, and geography, the characters constraint is not as limiting in terms of what can be taught with a mobile device. With the mobile Internet, institutions can provide an option for students to take online courses, as a supplement to the text messages. Educational messaging can be a useful service, especially to students in rural areas who have little or no access to the Internet or a library. The messages can supplement their classroom instruction. They can also be a way to spread awareness about diseases, social issues and natural disasters in hard to reach areas. School kids at Ranighat, Nepal Photo credits: Argenberg, via Wikimedia Commons a Future Challenges. (2011). Nepal: Opportunities and Challenges For Mobile Education. [online]. Available at: https://futurechallenges. org/local/nepal-opportunities-and-challenges-facing-mobile-education/ Accessed 23 March 2014. empowerment and engagement of learners, 5. Due to their portability, low cost and flexible particularly those in dispersed communities. features, mobile technologies have the However, despite the almost ubiquitous potential to provide teachers in developing ownership of mobile phones, there is a lack countries with teaching and learning strategies of research that informs its real impact upon that can empower them to transform educational practices in developing country educational practices. contexts. 78 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Educational aspects Box 7.3: The iCollab project: Building global learning communities via mobile social media The iCollab project (icollab.wordpress.com) is an international community of practice of students and lecturers started in 2011. The project aims to explore and evaluate which mobile web tools, pedagogic strategies and learning scenarios can be effective to support international student and lecturer collaboration, participation in decision-making as part of curriculum development and the development of 21st century skills. The partner universities in iCollab project are: AUT University (New Zealand), Beuth University (Germany), Salford University (UK), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain), National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland), Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick (Ireland), University of Wollongong, Wollongong (Australia). iCollab educational affordances and research interests include: • Exploring mobile tools for international collaboration of teams of students • Engaging students in participatory curriculum development by means of social and mobile media • Exploring the creation of digital identities in social and mobile media • Using mobile media for situated co-creation of student-generated content • Use of mobile web 2.0 as catalyst for pedagogical change/innovation • Collaborative research in mobile social media integration in education 6. Mobile phones are already being used 8. It is important to take into account the informally in many cases to support learning increasing impact that informal learning activities (e.g. communication with friends will have upon skills development. Informal about homework assignments, recording of learning represents a special aspect of lectures, discussion of an education lecture via education and training nowadays and greater SMS, etc.). However, to date, these informal recognition should be given to it due to the learning activities have not been to skills skills with which it provides and the part it development needs in a manner that will help plays within the learning process. ensure that people are equipped for entering the workforce prepared to make meaningful 9. The quality and diversity of non-formal and contributions. informal learning should be acknowledged so as to recognise its social and economic 7. Texting, microblogging, video creation added value. In this sense, new educational or mobile storytelling are instances of approaches that could be attractive for educational possibilities that mobile different groups of learners should be further technologies offer to learners in the Global developed. South. Evidence is growing to support the inclusion of such technologies into the teaching and learning processes. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 79 Endnotes 1 World Bank. Information, Communication Technologies, & infoDev (Program). (2012). Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile. World Bank Publications. 2 We are social. (2016). Digital in 2014. [online] Available at: http://wearesocial.com/uk/special-reports/digital-in-2016 Accessed 16 Dec. 2016. 3 Ericsson. (2016). Ericsson Mobility Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2016/ericsson- mobility-report-2016.pdf Accessed 11 Oct. 2016. 4 Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2010). Learning Cultures on the Move: Where are we heading? Educational Technology & Society, 13(4), pp.4-14. 5 FitzGerald, E. (2012). Creating user-generated content for location-based learning: an authoring framework. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(3), pp. 195-207. 6 Parry, D. (2011). Mobile Perspectives: On teaching Mobile Literacy. [online] Available at: www.educause.edu/ero/article/ mobile-perspectives-teaching-mobile-literacy Accessed 30 Sep. 2015. 7 Ibid. 8 UNESCO. (2013). Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning [online]. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/ 002196/219641e.pdf Accessed 26 Nov. 2015. 9 UNESCO-NOKIA. Teacher Development. [online] Available at: www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/ teacher-development/ 80 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Stakeholder, corporate, and policy perspectives By David Parsons Those who work to promote the use of industry (e.g. mobile infrastructure providers) and mobile tools for teaching and learning do so other relevant institutions (e.g. teacher education in a complex environment. There are many institutes). These multiple actors have various different stakeholders who can have a profound effects on the way that mobile learning policy is influence over the acceptance and support applied and its impact on those at the receiving of such innovations. To what extent these end; learners, teachers and parents. An additional stakeholders choose to either promote or influence, not referred to directly in the UNESCO constrain mobile learning depends on their own guidelines but potentially significant, is the role of perspectives, driven by financial, political or social philanthropy, both individual and community. considerations. As policy is debated, formulated, applied and interpreted by these stakeholders, Figure 8.1 summarises the various stakeholders their differing perspectives may have positive or in this overall process. It should be noted that negative effects on policy and its progress towards there are many subcategories within these its intended goals. main stakeholder roles. For example, ‘Learners’ encompasses groups who may need special Taking UNESCO’s mobile learning policy guidelines1 consideration in terms of mobile learning policy. as its starting point, this article identifies the major These include female learners and those who stakeholders in mobile learning policy. Through a are physically or otherwise challenged, such series of case studies taken from the informative as deaf, visually impaired or dyslexic learners, New Zealand context, which embodies global or those from marginalized cultures. Schools, themes in challenges facing both developed too, fall into a number of different categories, nations and indigenous peoples, it explores since they vary widely in size, socio-economic some examples of how these stakeholder roles profile and geographical isolation. These factors have engaged with policy. The article identifies a can have a major influence on the selection number of important issues and challenges facing of appropriate mobile learning strategies. The policy makers, and concludes with a number of interests of industry stakeholders are equally policy recommendations for those involved in diverse, spanning concerns about the education mobile learning. of a suitably skilled workforce, acting as suppliers of goods and services to education, and the provision of work-based training within their own Identifying mobile learning policy organisations. Thus they may be both the suppliers stakeholders and consumers of mobile learning. Perhaps the most important feature of this role analysis is the UNESCO’s mobile learning policy guidelines wide range of stakeholders that may influence suggest a number of key stakeholder roles both top down and bottom up policy. These in the development and delivery of mobile may be quite specialised in their focus, such as learning. These roles include principals, teachers, international bodies and subject disciplines that learners, parents, national and local leaders are only concerned with specific teaching subjects. and community-based organizations. Some Developers of software and content affect the stakeholders are engaged in the formulation of supply side of mobile learning as do, in a very top down policy (e.g. national and local politicians, different way, teacher education institutes. Such telecommunication regulators and education a disparate range of forces is likely to lead to authorities) while others are engaged in bottom up complex and conflicting demands on policymakers policy (e.g. schools). Further influences come from that may lead to inequalities of effect on those ultimately impacted by mobile learning. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 81 Figure 8.1: Stakeholder roles in policy Top Down Policymakers National Educational Policymakers District/State Educational Policymakers Policy Influencers Subject Disciplines International Bodies Industry Impacted by Policy Service Providers Learners Developers Parents Teachers Teeachers Training Institutes Researchers Philanthropists Communities Bottom Up Policymakers Schools Principals Governors The New Zealand context predominantly of European origin, New Zealand is a bicultural society with a significant indigenous This article takes all of its examples and case population of Māori, numbering approximately studies from New Zealand. The main justification 600 000 (15 per cent of the national population). for this approach is that New Zealand has been The bicultural relationship between the Crown and described as the world's laboratory for progressive the Māori is embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi. digital legislation; “if a policy maker, public servant More broadly, New Zealand is a multicultural or politician comes to me and asks me who to talk society. About 7 per cent of the population to around digital policy, I increasingly find myself identify themselves as being of Pacific origin, with looking at New Zealand as the place that is the the largest group being Samoan (Samoan is the most compelling”2. third most commonly spoken language in New Zealand, after English and Māori). New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is often referred to as the The New Zealand economic and social world’s largest Polynesian city. Of its 1.3 million landscape inhabitants, 11 per cent are Māori, 13 per cent are of Pacific Island descent, and there is a growing New Zealand’s economy has some unique Asian population of around 12 per cent. The Māori characteristics but shares others with many and Pacifica communities are disadvantaged developed nations. It has been transformed from from a socio-economic perspective, and their an agrarian to a more industrialized, free market educational achievement, as measured by formal economy, but in the process has deepened qualifications, is significantly lower than other socio-economic divisions, suffered from mediocre social groups. economic performance and is heavily indebted internationally. Although its current population is Changing economic patterns and complex socio- economic divisions, compounded by clashes of 82 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Stakeholder, corporate indigenous and immigrant cultures, where various schools in remote areas given wireless or satellite social and digital divides impact negatively on services. learners from disadvantaged communities, are challenges faced by large numbers of countries The UFB project brings fast Internet connections across the world, and radical changes to education into the school grounds, but does not directly are frequently seen as essential to address these address how that connection may be used inside challenges. Recent major policy initiatives in New a school. To address the next stage of broadband Zealand in the area of digital teaching and learning, provision the School Network Upgrade Project intended to tackle some of these problems, may (SNUP) has the objective of upgrading internal thus provide us with globally relevant insights into school networks, and includes a wireless option the role of mobile devices in education. to support mobile learning. The estimated cost of these network upgrades, which are mostly funded by the government, with some contribution from The school decile system schools, is estimated at USD 400 per student. New Zealand has around 750 000 school students, so For funding purposes, schools in New Zealand are if all schools were upgraded the approximate cost categorised by the socio-economic status of their would be around USD 320 million. catchment areas, using a decile system (from 1 to 10). Two of the case studies in this article are taken A further initiative is the Network for Learning from contrasting areas of Auckland. Orewa College (N4L), a USD 150 million government-owned is in an affluent area north of the city (categorised agency tasked with providing teaching, learning as decile 9) whilst the Manaiakalani Trust serves a and support services on these new broadband cluster of twelve schools in East Auckland from the networks. Thus the total technology investment lowest socio-economic category (decile 1A.). in digital teaching, learning and administration across these three initiatives is somewhere in the region of USD 500 million over a period of Educational broadband policy 5 years, approximately 0.5 per cent of annual implementation GDP. Whilst mobile learning is only one aspect of these investments, they open the door to a huge A fundamental enabler for mobile learning is a expansion of opportunities in mobile learning pervasive and reliable wireless infrastructure, provision. supported by wired broadband networks. Governments across the world are supporting the Given that the policy landscape around mobile deployment of such networks, with educational learning is complex, with multiple stakeholders, usage a major consideration. The Digital and the investment required to deliver mobile Agenda for Europe, for example, aims to expand learning infrastructure and services is substantial broadband access to enhance digital literacy, skills and multi-layered, the following section introduces and inclusion. There is general agreement that three brief case studies to illuminate some of the policy should encourage broadband deployment main initiatives and challenges that characterise and reduce digital divides. This means that the current mobile learning policy in New Zealand. vast majority of the policy debate is about how the potential benefits of broadband access can be realised3. The New Zealand government is taking Case studies major initiatives in providing national broadband for schools and internal school networks (including These case studies have been chosen to illustrate wireless). The overall investment in ultra-fast various aspects of the stakeholder landscape. broadband (UFB) is approximately USD 1 billion, Previously in this article, the direct influence of top the government contributing around 90% with down policymakers has been outlined. Our case private co-investment. Of this sum, USD 20 million studies therefore focus on policy influencers and is for fibre connections from school boundaries bottom up policymakers. into the schools. As a result of this infrastructure build, 97.7 per cent of schools and 99.9 per cent The first case study (Box 8.1) looks at mobile of students will receive ultra-fast broadband learning apps for the Māori language and culture. capability, with the remaining 2.3 per cent of It provides an example of policy influencers, more Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 83 specifically researchers and software developers, working in conjunction with the Māori community. Box 8.1: Mobile learning apps for the Māori language and culture Te Pūmanawa Kura Hika Explorer Photo credits: Te Pūmanawa (image courtesy Maori Multimedia Ltd), Kura (image courtesy Te Kura Māori), Hika Explorer (image courtesy Hika Group) An indigenous language is not just a language but also an important part of an overall culture. As the King of Samoa stated in 2013, if the uniqueness of the Samoan language is lost, “we should be strangers, culturally and spiritually, in our own land. If we lose our language, we lose the meaning of why we are here today.”a Unlike Samoans, Māori do not have independent nationhood, so perhaps sustaining an independent language is even more essential to cultural identity. The Māori language (Te Reo Māori) is currently spoken (not necessarily fluently) by around 30 000 - 50 000 people, down from 50 000 - 80 000 in 2006. With this rate of decline there is a danger that the Māori language could be extinct in two generations. Sustaining a language requires that language to be embedded in the present, not just the past, and technology can play an important role in this. There are a number of Māori language apps available on mobile app stores. Perhaps the most significant of these are Te Pūmanawa, Kura, and Hika Explorer. All of these apps have had researcher input to their content. The Te Pūmanawa mobile learning app for the Māori language and culture was the first mobile app to provide a complete mobile learning course in Te Reo Māori. It is certainly more extensive than any previous mobile learning app for the Māori language, with nine interactive modules, voice recognition functionality and more than 100 educational games and quizzes and assessments. It can lead to a certificate approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The Kura app focuses on game based learning, and supports both single player and multi-player modes. Hika Explorer has been supported by Vodafone, who offered free downloads of the ‘Lite’ version of the app during Māori Language Week in 2012, and aims to provide a fresh approach to learning by using modern technologies, audio, visual and kinaesthetic functions. Such innovations may help to support the survival and dissemination of the Māori language through informal mobile learning. Note: a Ah Mu, A. (2013). Head of State takes battle for language eastward. Talamua Media. Available at: www.talamua.com/11925/ Accessed 23 Nov. 2016. 84 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Stakeholder, corporate The second case study (Box 8.2) looks at Orewa learning. This example helps to illuminate the College, a school in a relatively affluent socio nature of policy that is developed in a bottom up economic area that was a pioneer of the Bring manner from school leadership teams. Your Own Device (BYOD) approach to mobile Box 8.2: Orewa College – school driven policy Orewa College is a decile 9 school north of Auckland. It was the first state school in New Zealand to launch a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) teaching and learning strategy based on recommending a specific tablet device (the iPad 2). Previous 1 to 1 device initiatives in New Zealand had involved devices supplied by the school, or BYOD laptop or netbook schemes, mostly (but not exclusively) pioneered in private schools. The choice of the iPad was significant for a number of reasons, but particularly so from a mobile learning perspective. The use of tablet computers rather than laptops or netbooks has enabled learning to become mobile both inside and outside the classroom. As one example, students in PE classes now take their tablets outside and use them to video sports activities for later analysis. Initially, year 9 students (aged 13-14) were expected to bring their own 1 to 1 digital learning device into the classroom for the 2012 academic year. Following this pilot year, the initiative has now expanded across the school. The school’s influence on policy has been significant, as they have disseminated their message and experiences through a series of conferences held at the school for teachers and other stakeholders. Policy questions raised by the BYOD scheme at Orewa College include the ethical and social impact of mandating that pupils must bring their own 1 to 1 digital device to school for learning. Another potential issue is that other schools may be tempted to follow their lead without going through the long term planning and local negotiation processes that were put in place before the first pilot was launched. Orewa College students use iPads to record and analyse activities in physical education classes Photo credits: Image courtesy Orewa College Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 85 The third case study (Box 8.3) looks at the that has attracted high profile philanthropic Manaiakalani Trust, a community based initiative support. Box 8.3: Manaiakalani (‘Hook From Heaven’) Trust – community, philanthropy The Manaiakalani Trust serves a cluster of twelve schools in East Auckland, most of which are classified as decile 1A, the lowest socio-economic decile. The ethnicity of students in the schools is approximately one third Māori and two thirds Pacifica. The name ‘Manaiakalani’ reflects this ethnic profile, originating in Polynesian legend where it signifies a safe passage, prosperity, strength and good fortune, emphasising the aims of the trust in raising student achievement through digital inclusion. The trust’s activities began with a four-year project in 2007 to use e-learning to raise student achievement in one of New Zealand’s lowest socio-economic communities. Since then it has evolved into an on-going effort to bring digital equity and opportunity not only to the students in the schools but to the community. Although the trust activities did not begin with a mobile learning perspective, the choice of lease devices is reappraised every year, and these have become increasingly portable. From a community perspective, the devices, supported by the community wireless network, are diffusing into the local area, supporting informal and lifelong learning in the families of students who have previously suffered from a lack of access to digital resources. The trust believes that for any time, any place, any place learning to be a reality, home access must be provided at an affordable cost with appropriate safety and security measures. The trust was the recipient of high profile philanthropy when hip hop star will.i.am visited Point England School in Auckland and presented the Manaiakalani Education Trust with a USD 70 000 donation from his i.am.angel Foundation for trust schools to put towards science and technology. This is not the only philanthropic support made to the trust. To expand its broadband network across the local community, Housing New Zealand has supported the installation of Wi-Fi routers on its properties, and the Telecom Trust has made sustained investment in the trust. Telecom (now called Spark) is one of New Zealand’s principal telecommunication providers. Will.i.am at Point England School Photo credits: Image courtesy Laura Heathcote, NewstalkZB 86 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Stakeholder, corporate One of the policy problems faced by the trust is that its intention to pioneer a community based approach that could be copied and implemented elsewhere has been a victim of its own success. Its high media profile and success in improving outcomes for disadvantaged students has attracted philanthropic support that could not be replicated across other similar initiatives. It also faces issues in that some of its projects are funded as short-term ventures that may be unsustainable if further funding is not forthcoming. arrangement, or supplied by the school. Other Policy challenges schools have banned any kind of mobile devices from the classroom. In theory, parents and Mobile learning policy faces many challenges in students have a choice about whether they choose the context of multiple stakeholder influences to participate in mobile learning, by selecting and a rapidly changing technological, economic which school children will attend. In practice, and social global environment. It has to be of course, choice of school is strictly limited by formulated and enacted in an education system physical location and competition for places. that is constantly changing, with new forms of learning and assessment developing rapidly. An associated question is to what extent central Policymakers must address the future needs policy should drive local procurement and of economies that are hard to predict so that practice. Central procurement is often seen as worthwhile employment opportunities can be a major benefit of national policy, since this is offered to future school leavers. This at a time generally expected to reduce costs (along with when most developed countries face a shortage of streamlining of administration, this is projected to skilled workers in high-technology industries, while recoup half the cost of bringing fibre to the school often also suffering chronic youth unemployment. gate) but it also reduces choice. An additional risk Challenges to those who have to create and is that intervention strategies can lead to failure deliver policy include how to get adequate levels of competition where a single supplier achieves or of participation from the wider community, retains a monopoly. including minority cultures, and tailoring the detail of policy so that it provides concrete tools A particularly difficult challenge is the degree to for action without being too prescriptive or which policy can embrace both today’s questions restrictive. Underlying all these concerns is the and tomorrow’s. A solution designed to address multi-faceted and long-term nature of attempting current problems may lock us into approaches that to create social equity, particularly in the context are inflexible to future needs. However, there is of disadvantaged indigenous peoples. little value in attempting to address the perceived needs of the future while ignoring pressing issues of the present. The question of teaching digital Policy questions skills relevant to the current ICT employment market is one of these dilemmas, which leads us Given the policy challenges outlined in the on to the issue of the creation of ICT artefacts. previous section, a number of important questions need to be asked by policymakers of all types. From the perspective of industry stakeholders, a critical issue is to what extent people are Issues of personal choice often come to the fore educated to be able to create ICT artefacts using in policy debates. To what extent should policy the same tools that are used by the professional drive people towards ICT usage, or give them community, to prepare them for the workplace. the option? Currently, the use of mobile learning This addresses a number of aspects of digital in schools is supported, rather than mandated, teaching and learning. One is the question of how by national policy, but is either mandated or creative modern digital tools actually are, and prohibited by local policy. Some schools have whether they are really devices for consumption moved towards a compulsory mobile learning rather than creation. Even where tools are policy, whether BYOD, by some kind of lease Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 87 designed for the creation of software artefacts, so far endured less scrutiny, but may be equally those that are increasingly used in schools tend unhelpful. Defining a 21st century skill is largely towards the drag and drop approach that often meaningless, in the same way that defining a obscures a real understanding of the processes 20th century skill would also be meaningless. of software development. An example from the The concept of ICT is too broad and embedded mobile learning space is the use of Hopscotch in the infrastructure of society to mean very for developing mobile software on iPads. School much as a distinct entity, and mobile devices are students can learn to develop mobile software only ephemeral artefacts. Perhaps if there are using a mobile platform, but it is unclear to what underlying changes in the needs of education, they extent such skills are transferable to other types are to some extent represented in 21st century of IT knowledge. This is particularly important views of high level learning objectives where, at in a context where the routine tasks of software the risk of over-simplification, synthesis becomes development are often outsourced, and higher- creation. Although the emphasis on creativity level design, architecture and strategy skills are should not make us think that the other types required by employers. Another issue that arises of learning are less important, it is also true that is whether the software tools that students modern digital tools enable them to be more easily experience in their formal education prepare delivered direct from source to learner, without them adequately for the software tools used by necessarily requiring the mediation of a teacher. industry, particularly an issue if students only use mobile devices. Policy recommendations In any innovative approach to digital teaching and learning there is a potential tension between The policy background and case studies outlined moving ahead with pioneering projects and the in this article support certain recommendations maintenance or enhancement of equity. How is for mobile learning policymakers, based on a range it possible to ensure that ‘all boats rise on the of evidential sources. The following list provides same tide’ while not being held back by the valid a brief summary of policy recommendations that needs or attitudes of minorities. There seem to are drawn from the literature and case studies be two aspects to this issue. First, before a new reported in this article. innovation is launched there needs to be extensive dissemination and discussion of information • Policy must take proper account of return in order to ensure the maximum possible buy- on investment. Not just in hard currency in, while implementation strategies must also terms (profits and savings) but in long-term ensure that mechanisms are in place to bring all economic and social benefits that may be hard stakeholders along with the main tide. As some of to predict but are nevertheless demonstrable. the examples highlighted in this article indicate, this includes supporting minority indigenous • Policy must be flexible enough to ensure cultures as well as providing disadvantaged social that grassroots approaches are not stifled or groups with the ability to engage in informal derailed by centralised assumptions. Often it is learning by building community infrastructure that the local community that is the best driver of can support mobile learning. educational policy. A question that should be asked when looking • Policy must take account of all stakeholders, to the future is whether concepts such as ICT, including employers, though this does not mobile devices or 21st century skills are still mean taking a short term of view of skill relevant to debates about future education policy. requirements and human potential. Our thinking about the future of education is based around some concepts that have common • Policy must be careful to ensure that currency, having been well established over the arguments around personal choice are heard last 20 years or so. The debate about whether the and catered for where possible. concept of the digital native is real or imaginary has already led to some critical commentary • Policy must be adaptive to concepts of equity; on how today’s young people learn. However, there are many types of digital, social and there are other commonly used terms that have educational divide. Issues of gender, relative 88 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Stakeholder, corporate poverty and minority/indigenous culture all is equally important as it allows communities, have to be accounted for. cultures and regions to adapt to their specific needs. These may be driven by local industry, • Policy must balance both short-term and long- socio-economic profile, indigenous language, term goals. demographics, or a range of other factors. The case studies in this article may be drawn Conclusion from one national context but their lessons can be translated to other countries and regions. The main message of this article is that mobile They demonstrate the importance of diversity learning policy is dependent on a complex of approach and commitment to develop mobile interaction of stakeholders in its formulation and learning at all levels of society, from national implementation. It requires a major commitment government, to local community, to individual on the part of national government to provide school and individual person, whether millionaire infrastructure and services, but the process cannot philanthropist, teacher, student or parent. only be one of top-down policy. Bottom-up policy Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 89 Endnotes 1 UNESCO. (2013). Policy guidelines for mobile learning. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002196/ 219641e.pdf Accessed 23 Nov. 2016. 2 Eaves, D. (2013). New Zealand – The World’s Laboratory for Progressive Digital Legislation. Tech President [online] 18 September. Available at: http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/24353/new-zealand-worlds-laboratory-progressive- digital-legislation Accessed 23 Nov. 2016. 3 Bauer, J., Kim, J. and Wildman, S. (2005). An integrated framework for assessing broadband policy options. Michigan State Law Review, 21. 90 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Challenges and policy options By John Traxler The progress and the challenges infrastructure, leap-frogging some of the intervening development phases encountered It has been noted how lifelong learning plays a in developed countries such as installing powerful role in enabling individuals and nations extensive electricity power grids, and building to reach their full potential. Without widening multiple computer rooms in educational and deepening access to lifelong learning it will institutions.” be increasingly hard to meet the challenges of the Education for All goals and adapt our economies The subsequent decade has not seen the progress and lifestyles to take account of climate change. that this publication suggested was so obvious The article will discuss the recommendations and attractive. It has seen a wealth of pilots and at the end of each of the earlier articles and projects but these may not have produced the articulate the reservations and limitations that evidence base that would change commercial or come along with such recommendations. It ministerial policy. A more recent paper2 looking at is often tempting to make recommendations this lack of progress, asked, for low-hanging-fruit, for quick-easy-wins. This too is understandable since these create early • What do examples of small-scale successes tell credibility and momentum, and a straightforward us about large-scale programmes? account of cause-and-effect, but they should be integrated within a wider, more coherent • How relevant, trustworthy and credible are the and consistent framework and direction. This is inferences and outcomes of earlier examples? not straightforward. Our incomplete examples, experiences and evidence will always support a • How do earlier subsidised examples with variety of different interpretations and apparently provided devices inform future sustainable plausible explanations that persuade us to programmes with users’ devices? construct the rationale and the narrative and discard the anecdote and the accidental. • How does funding and policy skew the choosing, siting, sampling, evaluation and A publication in 2005 from the Commonwealth reporting of examples? of Learning, Mobile Learning in Developing Countries1, sketched many of the possibilities and • What is the impact of project evidence and challenges, saying outputs from earlier examples on corporate and government policy, priorities and “Mobile learning, or m-learning, is a personal, resources? unobtrusive, spontaneous, “anytime, anywhere” way to learn and to access These questions hint at the problem of realising educational tools and material that enlarges the potential of mobile learning and help to access to education for all. It reinforces explain the lack of progress. The earlier policy learners’ sense of ownership of the learning recommendations and documents now clearly experience, offering them flexibility in how, promote and endorse the idea of learning with when and where they learn. In developing mobiles; so, what are the remaining barriers? countries, mobile technologies potentially What more is needed? What is the policy deliver education without dependence on recommendation that would unlock all the other an extensive traditional communications recommendations? Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 91 Evaluating the evidence There are some reservations about the scientific and academic press in which career academics The researchers and the activists might feel that describe and evaluate their own projects and real progress and impact will only happen if the review those of their peers. Even academic mobile learning community can produce the right research budgets seldom allow for external kind of evidence and arguments, presented in evaluation, sophisticated data gathering and the right way, to convince corporates to invest analysis, the qualitative methods that would in creating viable commercial models and to help understand motivation as well as behaviour, convince governments to change policy priorities and for the novelty of being observed using new and reallocate public funds. The recommendation technologies to wear off. would be for better evidence and this better evidence must come from evaluation. Evaluation Much of this research literature of mobile learning is however always problematic, in terms of its comes from English-speaking communities and execution and its relevance. It is tempting to comes from a handful of hot spots and patron assume that evidence and evaluation from the saints, often and originally South Africa and UK, past and evidence and evaluation from elsewhere broadening out to Western Europe, parts of Asia will be sufficient to inform the here-and-now and Pacific and latterly to USA; much can be attributed will inform priorities and resource allocations, that to dedicated individuals rather than universities small-scale fixed-term subsidised projects run by or companies. The breadth and diversity of our enthusiasts in one context can inform national experience is considerably narrower than we think. programmes in a different context, that delegates and readers take away no more than plenary Digesting, comprehending and synthesising panels and case studies can actually substantiate. complex, incomplete and heterogeneous However, there are limitations to our accounts information and accounts from research journals and analyses. These limitations are varied, is not easy. Consequently there is always an complex, often obvious and usually over-looked audience and an appetite for simpler explanations or ignored. Our recommendation is thus not for and more generalised findings. Less demanding more evidence and more evaluation but for more resources, such as project reports, vendors’ white scrutiny and more scepticism, perhaps a practical papers and ministry bulletins, come with different level for improving the communication between problems, those of partiality and more obvious practitioners, researchers and policy-makers so vested interests. In both cases however, endemic that they better understand each other’s needs, challenges for the reader include understanding processes, languages and roles. the siting and sampling of interventions, trusting the confidence and reliability in reported results One of the obvious limitations of our accounts and distilling causes from anecdotes. and analyses is the consequence of the rapidity of demographic and social change as people adopt Furthermore, only recently and still infrequently and adapt each new technical development; whilst has failure been seen as the mark of persistence technical predictions may be linear and rational, and innovation - the FAILfaires organised by social changes are not. In addition, these changes MobileActive have been ground-breaking in take place with increasing rapidity and with challenging the prevailing success-driven mind- increasing complexity, synergy and interaction, set. Generally it has been success that has making the lessons from history, even very recent been noticed and emulated and consequently history, of little value as guides to the future. Were most accounts of mobile learning discuss its it not both time-consuming and expensive, there successes not its failures. Our capacity to learn would be a strong case for a systematic review of from experience is reduced when half of our the scientific literature of mobile learning, a review experiences are invisible. that would make explicit what had been searched, using which search terms and for how far back Seeing the prestige, publicity, resources and in time. Sadly the field is developing too fast for momentum invested in some projects at their this process to give a valid snapshot and to get a launch creates a concern that they are doomed to balanced judgement, so expertise and experience succeed. will inform future policy and practice. 92 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Challenges and policy options The team responsible for this publication is very and lifelong learning is a reflection of the changing aware how individual perspectives shape individual and more mobile and connected nature of our contributions. The development of mobile societies, communities and businesses. The mobile learning has been uneven and opportunistic, and learning space is only a corner of the wider mobile activists have responded to local needs and local space; mobile activity represents vast amounts of conditions rather than manifesting any specific assets, commodities, resources and transactions bias. This has resulted in an uneven and haphazard at a community, informal and personal level, at an spread of expertise and experience. The issues of organisational, institutional and corporate level, transferability and relevance are the critical issues and at a national and supra-national level. Mobile here. Every account will be incomplete and lack technologies are sweeping away the wristwatch, the full facts on which to make the judgments the analogue camera, the postcard, the diary, the necessary to decide about transferring ideas, calculator and the CD. Banking, music, journalism technologies and techniques from one time, place and politics are mobile and because of this and culture to another. Simplistic assumptions they reach more people. Other areas of human should be avoided and the net should be cast wide activity will follow. The Capability Approach and when looking at useful work with disadvantaged the lives that people could live that would value people and communities from wherever it must now be seen in the context of a mobile happens. The current publication contains case and connected world. The argument for using studies and gives space to some projects that have mobile technology to support skills development not received their share of exposure. Contributors and lifelong learning is that this is the best, the talk about failure as well as success and focus on most appropriate way to enhance their choices critical incidents and counter-intuitive outcomes. in this mobile and connected world. When the The point of this is not to weaken the publication ‘why should?’ question is asked (for example, by complicating its message but to draw attention ‘why should the government do something?’), the to the on-going need for rich, honest and varied answer is not that the evidence is compelling but accounts and rigorous analysis of data, methods that the morality is, and this publication unpacks and findings. the nature of responsibilities and opportunities in a changing world. Reading recommendations It is a mobile, connected and rapidly changing world. Certainly, livelihoods and business are Life-long learning is growing in importance and increasingly mobile, connected and rapidly as is the potential for mobile technology support changing, and for communities, cultures and and delivery. Earlier articles have documented countries to survive and compete then education different aspects of this work and have made must be mobile, connected, flexible and recommendations designed to take this forward. responsive, and it must be life-long. In very general This article attempts to draw these earlier terms, it is the responsibility of governments and recommendations together into over-arching ministries to reflect and represent their societies, recommendations that are meaningful, robust and in terms of national expectations about the use realistic but also sustainable and transferable. of technology and in terms of the mission to build national capacity. This means economic capacity, The recommendations in this publication, by attracting inward investment and by nurturing and others, are phrased in terms of ‘should’ home-grown entrepreneurs and micro-businesses, (for example, ‘the government should do by increasing and extending connection with something’), but why not ask ‘why should?’ the global information superhighway and (for example, ‘why should the government do knowledge economy, and by extending national something?’). One response would be ‘evidence’, educational opportunities. It also means the the response that the evidence supports these underlying cultural, social and personal resilience, and other recommendations. The evidence, once adaptability and capability, especially as the pace examined critically, might indeed support such of technical change and social adaptation means recommendations but there is an alternative, that governments and societies must be ready for comprehensive and more resilient argument. Using continuing and increasing change in ways that will mobile technologies to support skills development be difficult to predict or control. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 93 Many of the team’s recommendations show a • the social enterprise activist. concern for equity and fairness, that voluntary civil society organisations, rural areas, indigenous These are not only groups with most need but also peoples, poor and marginalized communities, are generally groups with the biggest potential people with disabilities, do not get overlooked, for impact and improvement, both socially and disempowered or ignored by universal mobile economically. technologies, that the skills development and the lifelong learning not only reach them but Perhaps the final recommendation to corporates, recognise and involve them. Alongside these agencies, institutions and ministries is that they recommendations are others that remind us look out of the window, look into the street and that mobile technologies will not remove digital think about their roles and responsibilities in the divides but will in fact complicate and reconfigure changing world. them, and other recommendations that recognise that mobile technologies are often ethically problematic. So whilst the team completely Top priority recommendations endorses the potential of mobile technologies for enhancing, supporting and delivering skills development and lifelong learning, the team also Vision and policy recommends vigilance and caution. Policies for adoption of mobile learning should There are also recommendations from the team be underpinned by a vision shared between that encourage educators, managers and officials stakeholders (government, employers, learners, to recognise that the mobile technologies are communities, network providers, education and changing the world in fundamental ways, ones that training advisors, NGOs) of the ways in which require flexibility and imagination, and the courage mobile technology can widen access to learning, to work outside the old norms, procedures deepen and enrich learning experiences and place and practices. Other recommendations ask us more control in the hands of learners. to think about the totality of mobile lifelong learning and mobile skills development, to think Policies for implementation of mobile learning of tariffs, bandwidth, pollution, electricity supply, should take account of all key stakeholders, such participative design and sustainability alongside as community representatives, government, technology and pedagogy. network providers, formal and non-formal education and training providers. Given that resources are always finite, the obvious priorities for national policy makers, institutional Policies for implementation of mobile learning programme managers and the donor community should identify bold but achievable targets for should be: educational attainment and for inclusion of groups with least access to education and training. Special • local language / indigenous culture / nomadic account should be taken of the power of mobile peoples; learning to widen access to learning for women, ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, rural • women and girls, especially mothers; communities and people with disabilities. • rural learners / agricultural workers; Strategy for implementation and evaluation • unemployed youth; A mobile learning policy should be backed up • refugees and displaced persons; with an implementation strategy that includes measures of return on investment in financial • the older or disabled learner; terms but equally recognises social and health benefits. • the micro business person, the start-up entrepreneur; Strategies for implementation should include robust evaluation processes to inform future plans. 94 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Challenges and policy options These should enable the reporting of failure as infrastructure that will widen and deepen access well as success, and the understanding of culture. to learning. Strategies for implementation should take account of resource implications such as connectivity Role of training and education providers costs, bandwidth limitations, technical support and ensure safe access to electric current in 'off- Training should be provided for educators in the grid ' areas. formal and non-formal sectors. This should include selection and creation of content that reflects Strategies should deploy technical solutions to local contexts, workforce needs and uses local ensure privacy of personal data and to protect languages where appropriate. vulnerable learners from inappropriate content and intrusion, but also incorporate online safety Educators and trainers should consider into training programmes. employing the full range of applications of mobile learning including participative design, learner collaboration and user-generated content. Role of network operators Network providers (MNOs) should adopt a shared Environment values approach and seek to balance business benefit with their corporate social responsibility As mobile devices contain toxic materials, planning and develop pricing policies and network should include collection and safe disposal when devices become redundant. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 95 Endnotes 1 Traxler, J., and Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2005). Mobile Learning in Developing Countries (G. Chin, Series Ed.). Vancouver, BC: Commonwealth of Learning. 2 Traxler, J. (2013). mlearning Solutions for International Development - Rethinking the Thinking. Digital Culture and Education, 5(2), pp. 74-85. 96 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Additional readings Additional Readings ADL. Mobile Learning Handbook. Available at: https://sites.google.com/a/adlnet.gov/mobile-learning-guide/ home Ally, M. (Ed.) (2009). Mobile Learning: Transforming the delivery of education and training. Edmonton: AU Press, Athabasca University. Available at: www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120155 Ally, M. and Tsinakos, A. (Eds.) (2013). Global Mobile Learning Implementations and Trends. Beijing, China: China Central Radio & TV University Press. Available at: http://en.crtvu.edu.cn/images/stories/ globalmobilelearning.pdf Ally, M. and Tsinakos, A. (Eds.) (2014). Increasing Access through Mobile Learning. Commonwealth of Learning. Available at: www.col.org/PublicationDocuments/pub_Mobile%20Learning_web.pdf Berge, Z. and Muilenburg, L.Y. (Eds.) (2013). Handbook of Mobile Learning. New York: Routledge. Brown, E. (Ed.) (2010). Education in the wild: contextual and location-based mobile learning in action. A report from the STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous workshop series. Nottingham, UK: Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Nottingham. Available at: www.lsri.nottingham.ac.uk/ejb/preprints/ARV_Education_ in_the_wild.pdf Crompton, H. and Traxler, J. (Eds.) (2015). Mobilizing Mathematics: Case Studies of Mobile Learning being used in Mathematics Education. New York: Routledge. Danaher, P., Moriarty, B. and Danaher, G. (2009). Mobile Learning Communities - Creating New Educational Futures. London: Routledge. Herrington, J., Herrington, A., Mantei, J., Olney, I. and Ferry, B. (Eds.) (2009). New technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education. Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong. Available at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/newtech/ JISC. (2009). Emerging Practice in a Digital Age. Available at: http://jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/ programmes/elearning/digiemerge/Emergingpracticeaccessible.pdf JISC. (2005). Innovative Practice with e-Learning Guide. Available at: www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/ publications/innovativepe.pdf JISC. (2011). Mobile learning. A practical guide for educational organisations planning to implement a mobile learning initiative. Available at: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/mobile-learning Keegan, D. Mobile Learning: A Practical Guide. Ireland: Ericsson. Available at: www.ericsson.com/res/ thecompany/docs/programs/incorporating_mobile_learning_into_mainstream_education/book.pdf Kinshuk, Huang, R. and Spector, M. (Eds.) (2013). Reshaping Learning - The Frontiers of Learning Technologies in a Global Context. Berlin: Springer. Kukulska-Hulme, A. and Traxler, J. (Eds.) (2005). Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Educators and Trainers. London: Routledge. Marshall, S. and Kinuthia, W. (Eds.) (2013). On the Move: Mobile Learning for Development. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 97 McConatha, D., Penny, C., Shugar, J. and Bolton, D. (2013). Mobile Pedagogy and Perspectives on Teaching and Learning. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Metcalf, D. and De Marco, J. M. (2006). Mlearning: Mobile Learning and Performance in the Palm of Your Hand. Amherst: Human Resource Development Press. Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G. and Sharples, M. (2005). Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning, Futurelab Series Report 11. Bristol: NESTA Futurelab. Available at: www2.futurelab.org.uk/ resources/documents/lit_reviews/Mobile_Review.pdf Needham, G. and Ally, M. (Eds.) (2008). M-libraries: libraries on the move to provide virtual access. London: Facet Books. Pachler, N., Pimmer, C. and Seipold, J. (2011). Work-based mobile learning: concepts and cases. A handbook for academics and practitioners. Peter Lang: London. Parsons, D. (Ed.) (2011). Combining e-Learning and m-Learning: New Applications of Blended Educational Resources. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Parsons, D. (Ed.) (2012). Refining Current Practices in Mobile and Blended Learning: New Applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Parsons, D. (Ed.) (2013). Innovations in Mobile Educational Technologies and Applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Quinn, C. (2012). The mobile academy: mLearning for higher education. San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass. Retta, G. (Ed.) (2010). Mobile Learning: Pilot Projects and Initiative. Santa Rosa, CA: Informing Science Press. Retta, G. (Ed.) (2009). The Evolution of Mobile Teaching and Learning. Santa Rosa, CA: Informing Science Press. Ryu, H. and Parsons, D. (Eds.) (2009). Innovative Mobile Learning: Techniques and Technologies. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Traxler, J. and Kukulska-Hulme, A. (Eds.) (2015). Mobile Learning: The Next Generation. New York: Routledge. Traxler, J. and Wishart, J. (2011). Making Mobile Learning Work: Case Studies of Practice. Bristol: ESCAlate (HEA Education Subject Centre). Available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/14768/1/8250.pdf Vavoula, G., Pachler, N. and Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2009). Researching Mobile Learning: Frameworks, Methods and Research Designs. London: Peter Lang. Wexler, S., Brown, J., Metcalf, D., Rogers, D. and Wagner, E. (2008). Mobile learning: What is it, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into your learning strategy. Available at: www.elearningguild.com/ research/archives/index.cfm?id=132&action=viewonly 98 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Contributors About the About the Contributors Mar Camacho Educational aspects of mobile impact, uptake and usage Mar Camacho is a Doctor in Educational Technology, Lecturer and researcher at the Department of Pedagogy of the School of Education at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Catalonia, Spain). Author of several publications about the use of ICT in teaching and learning processes, her latest research streamlines have been the use of Web 2.0 tools and resources and the use and implementation of mobile learning and emerging technologies as tools that help to transform, enrich and extend the learning experience. She is a co-author of the first monograph on mobile learning in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, published in 2011. During recent years she has been working on research projects concerning educational methodologies and mobile learning and the design and development of teacher capacitation programs for international educational institutions. At the same time, in the last years she has actively participated in international seminars, round tables and conferences such as Online Educa Berlin, EDUTEC, IADIS Mobile Conference, EDEN, ECER, PLE Conference, e-Challenges, Ed-Media and DisCo Conference. From April 2013 to October 2013 she has worked at UNESCO'S Paris headquarters in the Division for Teacher Development & Higher Education (ED/THE) Education Sector, as invited Visiting Scholar, collaborating with the Mobile Learning Team. Her current research topics include mobile learning and teacher capacitation, mobile learning design, methodology and content creation. Alastair Clark Lifelong learning Alastair Clark has a career history in lifelong learning where he has worked in informal, non-formal and formal learning programmes. He held national leadership roles in the UK at Becta (government lead agency for technology in learning) and the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) where he is now a Senior Research Fellow. He is also a trustee of the Association for Learning Technology and director of Stirring Learning Ltd. His post-graduate research explored the learning experiences of adults following vocational courses in UK and France. He has subsequently specialised in the use of technology to enhance learning opportunities for adults. For this work his team was awarded the UNESCO ICT in Education award in 2010. His training programmes include the use of handheld mobile technology for formative assessment and for learners to create their own content. He has delivered keynote speeches in English to conferences in UK, Germany, Russia, Qatar and Korea and in French to conferences in France and Switzerland. Helen Crompton The global mobile learning story so far Helen Crompton (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at Old Dominion University, Virginia. She gained her PhD in educational technology and mathematics education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Crompton’s research focus is on mobile learning and a particular interest is in a sub category of mobile learning called context-aware ubiquitous learning. This research often connects with the teaching and learning of mathematics in the elementary and middle grades. During the time she spent at UNC-Chapel Hill, Crompton was awarded the National McKeachie award for improving university teaching. Helen Crompton draws from 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher, working with students K-10 in England, her home country, and the United States. While working as a full time classroom teacher, she has worked as an Information, Communications, Technology (ICT) Coordinator, and is also a faculty member for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), teaching the ISTE Standards leadership academy, consulting, and recently designing ISTE self–paced Mobile Learning Academy, and the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy. She holds various awards in the United States and Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 99 England, for her service to the field of educational technology and the innovative ways she has extended the boundaries of traditional pedagogies with the effective integration of technology. These awards include two awards from the British Educational Communications Agency (BECTA), the NAACE MARK and the National ICT Mark as well as the 2012, 2013, and 2014 Presidents Volunteer Service award for her work in mobile learning. Dorothy Fahlman Mobiles in the workplace Dorothy (Willy) Fahlman (EdD) earned her Doctor of Education in Distance Education from Athabasca University, Canada. Her doctoral research investigated informal learning using mobile devices in the healthcare workplace. Willy is an experienced online practitioner and researcher in the field of distance education, plus a registered nurse. She facilitates distance learning in the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies at Athabasca University, and also blended learning as an eHealth Educator at Alberta Health Services in Alberta, Canada. Willy has published scholarly articles and presented at international conferences pertaining to mobile and informal learning in the workplace, e-learning leadership, and distance learning. Her current research interests include work-based mobile learning, informal learning, mobile learning, nursing, informatics, and e-learning. David Hildebrandt The basic platform David Hildebrandt is an adjunct professor in the School of Education at Northcentral University, Arizona, USA where he teaches classes in adult learning strategies, technology futures, mobile devices for teaching and learning, and global training and development. David has spent over 20-years developing global training programs for Fortune 200 companies. He has implemented online learning programs as well as corporate universities for his employers and clients. After a career in high technology he returned to school to earn his PhD in management from Walden University. David earned his MAED in instructional technology from San Jose State University. His academic research is on the use of mobile devices to increase engagement in adult learners and methods and tools to improve online learners’ sense of belonging leading to improved retention of online learners. Agnieszka Palalas Community and informal learning, and skills development Agnieszka Palalas (EdD) is an experienced educator and researcher of technology-assisted learning and teaching with focus on mobile learning. She holds a Doctor of Education degree from Athabasca University. Agnieszka (Aga) has been teaching graduate courses in the area of mobile learning and instructional design at the University of New Mexico and Athabasca University. She has shared her expertise in mobile learning through a variety of teaching, research and consulting activities both locally in Canada and across the globe. Her most recent cross-cultural assignments include a mobile learning collaboration project between Ghana, Canada, and the USA as well as a Mobile Learning MOOC (Mobiles for Development-M4D) offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Commonwealth of Learning. Agnieszka has also published a number of articles and book articles pertaining to mobile, online, and blended learning. She has been active in international mobile and blended learning associations and is a regular presenter at local and international conferences. Her current research interests include the pedagogy of mobile learning, formal and informal learning, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, mobile learning design principles, and mobile learning for diverse educational and cultural contexts. David Parsons Stakeholder, corporate and policy perspectives David Parsons is Associate Professor of Information Technology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. He holds a PhD in Information Technology and a Master’s degree in Computer Science, and 100 Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 Contributors About the has wide experience in both academia and the IT industry. He is the founding editor in chief of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL) and author of a number of texts on computer programming, web application development and mobile learning. His work has been published in many leading journals, including Computers & Education, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, IEEE Software and Software Practice and Experience. He chaired the Conference on Mobile Learning Technologies and Applications in 2007, was research track chair for the World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning in 2013 and was co-editor of Innovative Mobile Learning: Techniques and Technologies (Information Science Reference, 2009). He also edits the compilations of papers from IJMBL that are published as a regular series of books. He is a member of the International Association for Mobile Learning, a committee member of Australia New Zealand Mobile Learning (ANZMLearn) and a professional member of the British Computer Society. John Traxler Introduction Challenges and policy options John Traxler is Professor of Mobile Learning, the world’s first and a full UK professor, at the University of Wolverhampton. He is a Founding Director and current Vice-President of the International Association for Mobile Learning and Executive Committee Member of the USAID mEducation Alliance, as well as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning and of Interactive Learning Environments. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Progressio, South African Journal for Open and Distance Learning Practice, of Research in Learning Technology and of IT in International Development. John Traxler has co-written a guide to mobile learning in developing countries for the Commonwealth of Learning and is co-editor of the definitive book, Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Educators and Trainers, with Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme. They are completing a second book, Mobile Learning: the Next Generation, due 2015. He is co-authoring books, Mobilizing Mathematics: Case Studies of Mobile Learning being used in Mathematics Education and Mobile Learning and STEM: Case Studies in Practice, with Dr Helen Crompton. Ronda Zelezny-Green Lifelong mobile learning for skills development in low- and middle-income contexts Ronda Zelezny-Green is a mobile technologist, language educator, teacher trainer, consultant, researcher and learner who has lived and taught on four continents and visited more than 40 countries. She is a PhD student in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) at Royal Holloway, University of London, and the UNESCO Chair in ICT for Development. She is an expert in gender, learning and mobiles, and advocates participatory and sustainable approaches to the use of mobiles for educational purposes. Ronda has completed a Master of Science in Practising Sustainable Development with ICT4D specialism, a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics with a foreign language pedagogy concentration, as well as a graduate certificate in Instructional Design with a focus on mobile learning. During her studies, she has specialized in the use of technology for educational and development purposes. Ms Zelezny-Green has published and presented on topics related to mobiles for development (M4D), most recently an article in Gender & Development on the links between girls, mobile learning and school attendance in Kenya. Previous M4D reports authored by Ronda have received media recognition from the GSMA, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia, and infoDev (World Bank). At present she works as the Ecosystems Manager (mLearning) on the Connected Living Programme and as the Strategic Partnerships Manager for the Mobile for Development Economic Inclusion team at the GSMA. Ronda enjoys reading, traveling and volunteering. Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2017 101 International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Development Bureau Place des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland www.itu.int ISBN 978-92-61-21611-5 9 789261 216115 Printed in Switzerland Geneva, 2017 Photo credits: Shutterstock