by Sukanti Iyne-Husain

"The mobile revolution is going to be bigger than the revolution of the PC plus the Internet - squared!"

Elliot Soloway made this very bold statement at the first Mobile Learning conference in Washington, DC in February of this year. As I sat in the audience listening to him, I began to think of all the opportunities that mobile learning could offer a country like Sri Lanka. As someone involved in the development of educational technology I felt it would be useful to share what I learned with other developers and learning professionals in this brief post.

What is Mobile Learning?

Mobile learning or mLearning as it is sometimes called, is very simply learning that occurs through the use of portable mobile devices. From a student downloading and then reviewing course material on their Nokia to a young child playing math games on their parent's iPhone to a professor doing a webcast via Skype on his netbook mobile learning offers some interesting opportunities for “Anywhere, Anytime learning.”

Mobile Phone Penetration&GDP

It was very interesting to see the level of enthusiasm and excitement each panelist projected regarding the possibilities of mobile learning. Unlike the US and Europe, the penetration of computers and access to the internet in Sri Lanka is relatively low. However when you look at the penetration of mobile phones, you have a different story. From corporate executives in suit and tie to the trishaw driver with the 'call for trishaw' service there is evidence that Sri Lankans ‘get’ the benefits of mobile communication.

Many studies have concluded that PC, Internet and mobile penetration are closely linked to GDP and income growth. According to research, for every 1% increase in a country’s internet penetration, GPD per capita increases by US$493, and a 1% increase in mobile penetration results in a per capita increase of US$240. Read that line one more time. This is an opportunity that students, the government, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka should be playing close attention to.

Mobile Learning Development – a Six Step Process

For anyone considering developing applications for the world of mobile learning I offer the following 6 steps based on work that I've done with other educational technology projects:

1) Research - like any good student knows, your first step before development should be research. I have provided some links at the end of this post to get you started. If you begin by learning about the current state of mobile learning you will be much better prepared to create something that can revolutionize Sri Lanka…or at least get you a review on Digit.lk! :). You never know, you could be the next Iqbal Qadir (see reference to video at the end).

2) Network – This is an often neglected step but one that is extremely important. Believe it or not you cannot learn everything through a Google search – though it does count as a top research tool! Reach out and follow others who have already done some groundbreaking work in the field of mobile learning. If you do not have a Twitter or Facebook account now is the time to get one. You never know when someone will post a 140 character “tweet” that leads you to a new insight or brainwave! Also consider face to face collaboration. In the US, I use a website called meetup.com to search and find informal local groups that meet around various topics that I find interesting or like to learn more about like user experience design and search engine optimization. Facebook could easily be used to coordinate such a group in cities like Colombo, Kandy etc. Remember to share and collaborate - don't just ask for help and information.

3) Prototype – Once you figure out which platform, which device and which tools you want to work with, save yourself some sweat and tears and build a prototype - but do it rapidly. Often great projects get stuck for lack of momentum. Create some paper prototypes (black felt pen and white paper is still the number one best way that many design experts recommend). Then use whatever tools you have to map out screens and interactions (balsamiq is great and there’s a free trial version). Iterative designing and development will save you time and money in the long run. I've worked on projects that wasted thousands of dollars when this methodology wasn't followed. Do yourself a favor and make sure to get some form of feedback every step of the way.

4) Test - Once your prototype is ready to be deployed, make sure you do some quick and dirty usability testing. Grab your friends, your colleagues, your mother, your nephews, even the guy who makes tea in your office and have them test your prototype. Try to be more of an observer and less of a guide. Watch what they do and write it down or video tape it (you will forget!)  An hour spent observing a student or child using your mobile application is worth ten hours on your computer trying to guess what a user will do.

5) Deploy – Once you’re ready invite a select group of trusted friends and people to try your product. Remember, not everyone will share the same enthusiasm for your “baby” so do not let a less than enthusiastic response discourage you. Develop a thick skin and press on. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google did not become successful without perseverance and determination.

6) Promote - If you already have found a school, group or university to work with the product, great! Chances are that sometimes people will not climb on board until they see a finished product and this is where your Facebook group, Twitter following and blog can be really useful. Create YouTube videos or SlideShare presentations about how your mobile learning application works

Conclusion

The tools exist now that allow anyone with a great idea to rapidly get it into the hands of those who can benefit from it. As developers and designers I strongly feel that it is not just a priviledge but a responsibility to create and work on stuff that matters (read Tim O’Reilley’s call to the tech community on this http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/01/work-on-stuff-that-matters-fir.html) Only time will tell whether Elliot Soloway’s prediction about the mobile learning revolution comes to pass.  What is clear is that this is one revolution that we don't want to miss out on.

Resources

While this article does not mean to be exhaustive about the history or the benefits and effects of mobile learning (all of which you can research on the internet) I've compiled a list of resources based on my notes at the conference and my own research. The list is not meant to be comprehensive but to be used as way to get you started.

Twitter

http://twittgroups.com/group/mlearning - if you don't have a twitter account you can still read the posts but I highly recommend joining twitter as a way to very rapidly increase the size of your Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Facebook

Handheld Learning group - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2427277892
Mobile HCI - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26953635272

Videos

TED - There is YouTube and then there's TED. TED is hands down, my number one way to get inspired and motivated. If you are not familiar with TED talks, I have to warn you they can be quite addictive!

Iqbal Qadir - The power of the mobile phone to end poverty -http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/iqbal_quadir_says_mobiles_fight_poverty.html

Jan Chipchase - Our Cellphones, Our Selves
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jan_chipchase_on_our_mobile_phones.html

eBooks

Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training – free downloadable eBook from Prof Mohamed Ally at Athabasca University, Canada (http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120155)

Associations&Groups

SIGHC - Handheld Computing SIG

(http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Membership/SIGs/SIGHCHandheldComputing/SIGHC_Handheld_Computing_.htm)

International Association for Mobile Learning

(http://www.iamlearn.org/)

Mobile Learning Conferences

mLearn - http://www.mlearn2009.org/ - 8th annual world conference on mobile learning will be held for the first time in the United States from Oct 26-30, 2009.

Research on Mobile Learning

Industry Brief: Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center (http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/publications/index.html)

A comprehensive document regarding mobile learning with students and well worth a read. Particularly useful are the reviews of research and case studies.