Mobile phones revolutionizing education in Africa
Kevin James Moore
In parts of Africa where traditional classroom
education is inaccessible, people have taken education into their own hands by
utilizing mobile phones and laptops. This innovative way of garnering
information, known as eLearning, provides great potential to expand education.
“Interest in technology-supported learning is constantly increasing in
Africa,” Rebecca Stromeyer, managing director of International Conferences,
Workshops and Exhibitions (ICWE), told MediaGlobal. “eLearning supports lifelong
learning, providing access to a global knowledge base and facilitating
cooperation and information-sharing.”
ICWE is involved with eLearning Africa (ELA), which will hold its fifth
annual conference in the Zambian city of Lusaka. The conference discusses
technology-enhanced learning across the continent with a range of informative
and innovative sessions held between 26 to 28 May.
Utilizing mobile phones for informal learning will be the focus of a seminar
at ELA titled African Digital Diaries lead by Adam Salkeld and Stephen Haggard.
Salkeld and Haggard’s session spotlights success stories through informal and
incidental eLearning.
“Mobile phones offer great potential for learning,” Salkeld, a documentary
filmmaker, told MediaGlobal. “The main reasons for this are [mobile phones]
ubiquity and the acceptability and accessibility of them as technology platforms
for the widest range of Africans.”
“Laptops are, sadly, still way out of the reach of most Africans,” explained
Salkeld. He expressed that mobile phones offer the optimum way to disseminate
information of any kind over distances great and small in Africa. “The
extraordinary explosion in mobile use has had the most impact on ordinary
African people and the potential they have to learn.”
Salkeld described two examples of people using phone technology for learning.
The first story he tells involves a former colleague in Zimbabwe who uses
SMS/text messaging to pass on vital information to rural farmers to improve
their agriculture. The second story is about a young man from Zanzibar whose
passion for Liverpool Football Club motivated him to learn computer skills.
The young Zanzibari “will beg or borrow computer time and online access to
find about his club and connect with other fans worldwide,” said Salkeld. “His
bank of knowledge, his ICT (information and communication technologies) skills,
his mastery of English and his ability to interact globally have all been
developed using this informal mode of eLearning.”
People such as the young man from Zanzibar are what Salkeld deems Africa’s
online heroes. Salkeld’s ELA session follows many more of Africa’s digital
citizens. “I am inspired by the ingenuity with which Africans access technology,
the way they adapt to less-than-perfect circumstances, the passion for learning
and the hope for improvement.” Salkeld added, “I hope that focusing on a few of
Africa’s online heroes will encourage the many more I know are out there,
quietly working away, overcoming barriers and building a better future.”
Nations across Africa are trying to make it possible for everyone to be an
online hero. “Many countries in Africa are expanding national and regional ICT
infrastructure, in order to improve access to education and training for large
sections of the population,” said Stromeyer. “Most governments have concentrated
on expanding access to ICT, strengthening the capacity of the population to use
new media and harnessing the potential for modern technology for teacher
training.”
Stromeyer is a strong believer in the lifelong-learning process and the
valuable role ICTs can play in education. However, she is “deeply convinced that
nothing can replace a fantastic teacher in a face-to-face learning environment.”
Training more teachers can be done through eLearning. “In Africa, capacities
for higher qualification are very limited; eLearning, which includes online and
blended learning possibilities, is thus an indispensable measure to widen the
scope of training possibilities,” said Stromeyer. “Professional education is a
crucial development issue too.”
As eLearning continues to spread education through mobile phones, and online
communities provide valuable sources for learning, it is crucial to get
eLearners more information. Salkeld has some advice, “Now the learning content
providers need to catch up and produce suitable materials to use on mobile
phones. It is happening, but not fast enough.” -Mediaglobal
More information:
 Article
courtesy of www.mediaglobal.org
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