Mobile education projects haven't replaced face-to-face teaching, but they can be a valuable addition to lessons. The Mobile Learning Toolkit, written by Jenni Parker and developed for my.coop (an organization that teaches agricultural cooperative management techniques to people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America), is an adaptable work that outlines techniques for using mobile technology in educational training systems.
The Mobile Learning Toolkit is broken down into four sections, focusing on Delivering Content, Gathering Feedback, Assigning Tasks, and Providing Support. Although the toolkit was designed for agricultural training sessions, it is open source and can be adapted to other areas that would benefit from using mobile technology to connect with beneficiaries before, during, and after on-location training sessions.
An important point reiterated throughout the toolkit is the importance of face-to-face trainings, and how mobile technology is not a replacement for face-to-face education, but rather an enhancement to it. Many of the SMS, voice, and photo-based modules ask participants to report on and gather data from their daily experiences before attending face-to-face sessions, and the trainings are built around content that comes directly from participants. Making the m-learning sessions more about learning and less about mobile helps training leaders understand what participants want and need, and shifts the focus back to locally relevant education.
What Is In The Mobile Learning Toolkit?
The toolkit has 15 individual training modules that explain how trainers can incorporate mobile technology into agricultural education. Each section has lessons that focus on engaging participants before, during, and after the session through SMS, voice calls, IVR, and mobile web, and each module explains preparation for the lesson, how the lesson will be implemented, the technology necessary for the lesson, and how the lesson can be customized.
An important theme that is repeated through the toolkit is that trainers should adapt the technology to the needs of their participants. For example, if a training session calls for participants to document their daily routine with photos, trainers should be aware that not all participants will be able to send photos via MMS or email due to technological limitations. The 15 modules are pick-and-choose, so anyone adapting the toolkit to their training session doesn't have to follow the organizational structure or lesson plans of the original.
What Does It Mean For Other Organizations?
The Mobile Learning Toolkit outlines the benefits of using mobile technology in conjunction with face-to-face educational meetings. Some of these benefits include:
Participant Buy-In: Creating buy-in among participants is necessary for any project or educational effort. By using mobile technology to reach out to participants before and during trainings to ask what they want and need, trainers can tailor their lessons plans to local needs. Parker writes, "Shifting the generation of discussion topics from the trainer to the participants can give them more ownership," as it allows participants to direct the topics.
Locally Focused Training Sessions: The Mobile Learning Toolkit outlines the importance of asking well-structured questions, focusing on key concepts, and avoiding misunderstandings in participant outreach. Using SMS and voice technology to send updates and ask questions of participants ensures that content is locally applicable. Asking participants about issues that relate to their everyday lives and experiences means that each lesson is applicable to the local operational environment.
Confidentiality: A benefit of conducting polls and outreach before group training sessions is the confidentiality of mobile submissions. By having participants privately submit discussion topics before sessions, trainers can encourage a more open atmosphere during face-to-face training sessions. If participants are reluctant to speak up during sessions and ask questions, mobile technology can provide another outlet for outreach.
Sustained Follow Up: Several of the modules focus on keeping sustained contact with training participants after the initial face-to-face sessions. One module, called "newsflash," uses SMS to send updates on new developments after the originial training. Mobile technolgy can help maintain communication between trainers and participants even when distance could otherwise prevent regular meetups to share information.
The m-learning field still has a long way to go, but combining face-to-face educational trainings with mobile technology is a good start. The Mobile Learning Toolkit is worth a read for ideas on how to reach out to participants and create stronger relationships and sustained communications between trainers and trainees.
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