The fourth annual mobile learning conference, mLearn 2005, will take place from 25 to 28 October at the BOE Conference Centre in Cape Town.
The conference will examine strategies for the large-scale deployment of mobile learning (m-learning) technologies that can be used to support open and distance learning.
The role of m-learning in supporting informal and lifelong learning will also be examined.
Bringing the event to Cape Town pays tribute to the fact that Africa is one of the leading continents in terms of growth in the development of wireless ICT infrastructure, says mLearn chairperson Mike Sharples. He says m-learning has already started to play a very important role in e-learning in Africa.
The success and impact of m-learning does not depend solely on the technological developments and the possibilities they provide, says Dr Tom Brown, deputy director at the Telematic Learning and Education Centre, University of Pretoria. The ability of educators to design and develop sound m-learning opportunities and environments, which enhance learning, is also imperative, he says.
It is important to identify mobile technologies applications that contribute to the optimisation of teaching and learning in the new learning environment, he says.
The conference is jointly organised by the Tshwane University of Technology, the University of South Africa and the University of Pretoria.
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