Findings of the Shuttleworth Foundation's m4Lit (mobiles for literacy) pilot project, released this week, reveal there is real potential for engaging teens in reading and writing via their cellphones.
The m4Lit project, headed by Steve Vosloo, 21st century learning fellow for the Shuttleworth Foundation, aimed to gauge whether SA's youth were interested in reading on their cellphones. It released an interactive m-novel called Kontax, featuring the adventures of a teenage graffiti crew, in September last year.
“In SA, teens don't read and write enough, due in part to the fact that 51% of South African households don't have a single leisure book, and only 7% of public schools in SA have functional libraries of any kind,” states the foundation.
Kontax appeared in a series of 21 chapters, of approximately 400 words each, in both English and isiXhosa. It was accessible on a mobisite and the popular cellphone platform MXit so teens could read Kontax on their phones, with prizes offered for the best comments and ideas for a sequel story.
Overall, 63 000 subscribers signed up to read the story, including 28 000 teens, aged from 11 to 18 years old. It's estimated 7 200 teens read the whole story, according to the Shuttleworth Foundation, which says it will continue the project to explore the potential of mobiles for literacy.
Vosloo explains the idea for an m-novel arose because teenagers are not reading enough long texts. “Most digital reading is done on cellphones, but these are often just one-liners. So if teens are on the device already and it's a viable distribution platform, it makes sense to get them reading longer texts on there.”
He believes Kontax was popular because it was relevant to teens' lives and experiences. “We held story development workshops in Langa and Khayelitsha, and also gave them a platform for interacting with the story.”
Innovation generation
According to Vosloo, more innovative use is being made of existing technologies. “On one hand, people are building new systems and sites, but on the other they're using available systems more innovatively.”
He cites the Dr Math live tutoring service as an example. “You, as a learner, can chat to Dr Math on MXit and ask any math question on any grade,” says Vosloo. “The tutor (a local university student) then goes through the question with you step by step, until you arrive at an answer.
“It's a great example of using an existing infrastructure and commercial service as a learning tool.”
Another project is the ImfundoYami/ImfundoYethu platform, a collaborative initiative by Nokia, MXit and the Department of Education to deliver maths education to Grade 10 learners. The teacher can log onto a Web-based management system to send tests to learners and provide personal support. They can also monitor test results and determine how often learners have been using the system.
“So, instead of doing their homework on paper, students complete a multiple choice quiz, and the teacher can immediately see which questions have been answered and are right,” explains Vosloo.
He notes that learners have much higher access to phones than computers and even books. “Only around 10% of people in SA have access to a PC with Internet connection, while this percentage is much higher for mobile access, especially in urban areas.”
According to Vosloo, a cellphone is an effective learning tool, because it's an intimate device. “It's very personal and you carry it with you all the time. So, from an educational perspective, there are opportunities for contextual learning.
“If a learner goes on a field trip, they can take photos of soil erosion, for example, and information can be delivered to them based on their location.”
He adds that cellphones can be a powerful multimedia device, with the ability to record images and sound. “Mobile phones offer communication and interactivity capabilities which books don't have, which also brings opportunities for collaborative group work.”
Digital difficulties
Vosloo hopes to see teenagers reading and writing more on phones, and an increase in interactive quizzes and curriculum-based tests on mobiles. “I really think, given the high uptake of cellphones in the country, and the immense potential for mobile, not enough is happening in this space.”
He says part of the problem is that adults don't adapt to technology as fast as learners do, and that this can cause a bottleneck in teachers using mobile as a learning tool.
“Also, there's a distraction factor around cellphones - if students are all pulling out their phones in class it could be disruptive.” He adds, however, that providing good, practical examples of ways for teachers to use cellphones in the classroom could help.
Other challenges include cost and access. 'It's not free and not everyone has access to a phone, or to airtime for accessing interactive learning materials. There are also issues like privacy and cyber bullying, which we don't fully understand yet and which can be quite scary,” notes Vosloo.
He adds that in future, mobiles could be used not only in an educational context, but to provide support for teachers. “It could do more than just content delivery and take on an administrative and support role - which is a good way to get teachers onboard and using the technology more.”
Share