Newsletter: April 2012

[Vosloo, Steven Edwin]

Dear all,

 

We hope you enjoy reading this third edition of our newsletter (below and in the attached PDF), with highlights, news, projects and resources related to using mobile learning for reaching the Education For All goals. Please do not hesitate to post your comments on the mailing list and tell us what you would like to see in the next edition.

 

Best regards,
UNESCO Mobile Learning Team

 

 

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UNESCO Mobile Learning Newsletter, April 2012

 

Highlight: Launch of UNESCO Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning

 

UNESCO will publish individual papers from this Series from mid April onwards.

The Series seeks to better understand how mobile technologies can be used to improve educational access, equity, and quality around the world.

 

It is divided into two broad subsets: five papers, scanning the five major regions of the world, examine illustrative mobile learning initiatives and their policy implications, and, similarly, five papers examine how mobile technologies can support teachers and improve their practice. Two additional “Issues” papers round out the Series. One paper considering key issues related to mobile learning policies and a forthcoming paper on how mobile technologies are likely to impact education in the future.

 

As a whole the UNESCO Working paper Series provides a valuable snapshot of what mobile learning looks like around the world. Collectively and individually, the papers consolidate lessons learned in different regions to provide policy makers, educators, and other stakeholders a tool to help them, now and in the future, better leverage mobile technology for learning.

 

The first two papers to be published will be Turning on Mobile Learning in North America and Mobile Learning for Teachers in North America. Both will be available on the UNESCO ICT in Education website on 19 April, 2012.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/

 

News & Events

 

EFA Crowdsourcing Challenge n°5: Gender Parity and Equality in Education

The EFA Crowdsourcing Challenge, now in its fifth stage, is eliciting ideas about how mobile technologies can help achieve EFA Goal n°5 that calls for the elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and the achievement of gender equality in education by 2015.

Goal on Focus ends: April 10, 2012 at 5pm EET (GMT+2)

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/single-view/news/efa_crowdsourcing_challenge_n5_gender_parity_and_equality_in_education/

 

Winner of the monthly idea award for the EFA Challenge n°4: Quality Education is « Mobile Education Framework » by Simon Botes

This idea is for a curated library of educational apps, along with social networking features built in. It is appealing as it recognizes that there are lot of resources and apps already out there, but which can be difficult to find.  An organized catalog, embedded in communication tools would allow easy access for students and teachers to appropriate existing resources.

http://www.ideasproject.com/community/en/efa/qualityeducation

 

ICTs in Education Prize: Call for nominations

Educating Youth for Responsible Global Digital Citizenship is the theme of the 2011 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education. Funded by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the US$50,000 Prize is divided equally between two winners. The deadline for submission of nominations is 16 April 2012.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/single-view/news/icts_in_education_prize_call_for_nominations-12/

 

Programmes & Projects (UNESCO and non UNESCO)

 

List of Mobile Learning initiatives

These initiatives were discussed during the webinar «  Dispositivos móviles y contenidos digitales » organised by IIEP UNESCO Buenos aires and FLACSO Argentina.

http://www.webinar.org.ar/iniciativas

 

FrontlineSMS:Learn

FrontlineSMS:Learn leverages ubiquitous mobile technology—SMS or text messaging—to support and strengthen education and training initiatives and human capacity development, and to make learning opportunities available anytime and anywhere. Using the application, knowledge and higher-order reasoning and decision-making skills can be developed, reinforced and assessed. This leads to improved transfer of learning, increased knowledge retention, long-term changes in behavior and, ultimately, improvements in service delivery.

http://www.frontlinesms.com/about-us/frontlinesmssister-organisations/

 

Resources (UNESCO and non UNESCO)

 

GSMA Reveals How Mobile is Set to Transform Education Worldwide, with the Meducation Market Valued at US$70 billion by 2020
‘Transforming learning through mEducation’, a new report from the GSMA and McKinsey & Company, reveals how a number of early trials in mEducation across diverse geographies and education segments have successfully improved education outcomes, indicating tremendous potential for mEducation in the future of learning worldwide.

http://www.gsma.com/articles/gsma-reveals-how-mobile-is-set-to-transform-education-worldwide-with-the-meducation-market-valued-at-us-70-billion-by-2020/23286

 

New Arab region technology report: Time to replicate the ‘mobile miracle’ in broadband

Data from ITU’s ICT Adoption and Prospects in the Arab Region 2012 report reveal that, over the past five years, the number of mobile cellular subscriptions in the region has almost tripled. The report calls for faster roll-out of high –speed Internet.

http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/14.aspx

 

Visit the ICT in Education website: www.unesco.org/new/en/themes/icts/

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UNESCOICTinEducation

and Twitter: twitter.com/#!/UNESCOICTs

 

[Herman Van Der Merwe]

Hi Steve,

 

Thanks for the Newsletter.

 

I am setting up a mobile learning hub of expertise in Vanderbijlpark (the North-West University).

 

Do you think UNESCO will get involved and or fund a chair in mobile learning here at the NWU?

 

I am in the process of setting up a Serious Games Institute and have three NRF rated researches working in my Multilingual Speech Technology research group. With the mobile group I wnt to establish a mobile learning froup doing exactly that.  If you know of someone interested to head uo this initiative please let me know .. If you think UNESCO would like to get involved or sponsor a chair .... pls call me :-)

 

Kind regards

 

Herman

+27 83 555 0052

 

Vrywaringsklousule / Disclaimer: http://www.nwu.ac.za/it/gov-man/disclaimer.html

>>> "Vosloo, Steven Edwin" <se.v...@unesco.org> 2012/04/06 03:21 PM >>>

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[George Odidi]

Thanks Steve. I wish you and others overthere a Happy Easter celebration. 

Best regards.

George Odidi