This presentation was made at the Center for International Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on 11.15.11 by David J. Rosen, Ed.D. The topic is Mobile Learning (MLearning) and it includes introductions to several international adult learning projects that use mobile (cell) phones.

1. MOBILE PHONES AND TABLETS
FOR LEARNING
IN POOR AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES,
AND IN THE U.S.
David J. Rosen, Ed.D.
Newsome Associates
Jamaica Plain, MA
Djrosen123@gmail.com

2. THE CHALLENGE
• 20% of U.S. adults are functionally illiterate
(National Assessment of Adult Literacy)
• Up to 50% lack the basic skills now expected of
a high school graduate
• In some poor and developing countries in Africa
and Asia, for example, the great majority of
adults are low-literate or illiterate

3. AN OPPORTUNITY
• Adults with low literacy or poor basic skills may
have access to mobile phones.
• Recently some projects have focused on basic
literacy and/or language skills instruction
delivered in a blended model in which Mlearning
has played an important role.
• Let’s look at some of these projects.

4. OBJECTIVES
• Objective 1: Learn about the extent of
the adult illiteracy challenge, and the
potential of these services for adults
• Objective 2: Learn about and see several
mobile phone solutions to this
challenge

5. OBJECTIVES
• Objective 3: Learn how teachers of
English to adults in the U.S. use mobile
phones with their students
• Objective 4: Discuss some of the
challenges that must be overcome for
Mlearning to succeed with low-income,
low-literate adults

6. MLEARNING PROJECTS

7. BBC JANALA IN BANGLADESH
• BBC Janala on Asia Today

8. BBC JANALA IN BANGLADESH
• BBC Janala Adverts

9. BBC JANALA
• BBC Janala (‘Window’), launched in
November 2009 as a unique multi-
platform project that harnesses
multimedia technology to provide
affordable education to potentially
millions of people in the Bangladeshi-
speaking community.

10. BBC JANALA
• There are over 50 million mobile
phone users in Bangladesh today – and
the number is growing.
• By dialing “3000” any of these users
can access hundreds of English
language audio lessons and quizzes.

11. BBC JANALA
• Content, updated weekly, caters to all
levels of experience with ‘Essential
English’ for beginners, ‘Pronunciation’
for intermediates and ‘Vocabulary in the
News’ for the more advanced
• Each lesson lasts three minutes and
costs less than the price of a cup of tea
from a Dhaka tea stall (3 pence).

12. BBC JANALA
• At the end of December 2009 – a month
after launching – over 750,000 calls had
been made to the mobile phone service.
• It is accompanied by a web site and a
TV show, BBC Buzz, a weekly youth
entertainment show that places English
at the center of young people’s
everyday lives.

13. BBC JANALA
• The project is funded by the UK
Department for International
Development as part of English in
Action , a major educational initiative
launched in 2008 to raise the language
skills of 27 million people by 2017.

14. USING MOBILE/CELL PHONES IN THE U.S.
• 15 strategies for
using mobile
phones in adult
education classes
• http://
mlearninginadulte
d.wikispaces.com/

15. CELL PHONES HELP PAKISTANI
WOMEN LEARN TO READ
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?
storyId=126395475&jump=14
• http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/

16. SPACEDED
• Short courses in
language
learning
– English Idioms
and Expressions
– English
Grammar
• Introduction to

17. SHORT STORIES WINKSITE
• Each story has
several pages
• Unfortunately,
advertising has
been added
(some of it in
poor taste)

18. SHORT STORIES WINKSITE
• http://
winksite.mobi/
djrosen/
shortstories

19. LEARNER WEB
HTTP://RICHMONDLEARNS.COM
RICHMOND CALIFORNIA PUBLIC
LIBRARY

20. LEARNER WEB

21. http://polleverywhere.com

22. The amazing Pomegranate
phone
http://
www.pomegranatephone.com/

23. THE MLEARNING WIGGIO GROUP
• An international online community of
practice, not sponsored by an
organization, launched in November,
2009
• Purpose: Share and discuss information
about Mlearning, for example SMS text
messaging education projects or
practices, that is focused on adult
learners in the U.S. and on adult learners,
out-of-school youth, and teachers in
developing countries
• To Join: email David Rosen