While following a mobile learning list, I found a conversation on using mobile phones for adult ESL and literacy. The project director for mobile learning for Stepping Stone, an open source software java based mobile content creation platform responded to the conversation.
You can see a sample lesson and the desktop authoring interface here.
The following are comments from Scott Isbrandt the project director:
Pre-development, we initially surveyed the types of mobiles available in the local market in Mali along with the purchasing power of the project youth. Based on this analysis, we decided to target the low end java feature phones that could play back simple multimedia (text, image, sound, and later video). We developed stepping stone as two products: a desktop content authoring tool (runs on windows) that allows a non-programmer (teacher, writer, or Ministry person) to build lessons for java-based mobiles. The second component of stepping stone is a phone based media player (in J2me). You can see a very basic walk through of a sample lesson and the desktop authoring user interface at: http://paje.edc.org/demo
Our research in Mali indicated that the purchasing power for a mobile phone for youth entrepreneurs to be ~ $50, so we went with a Nokia S40 phone (initially the C1-01 and then Nokia 111 for final field use) for basic education youth kits. The project provides basic education learning materials for project youth – a basic feature phone is part of that kit. Quick background on the project %u2013 the project provides basic education, work readiness, and technical training to Malian out-of-school youth (14-25 years old) to support their choice of an income generating activity based on skills and interest. The mLearning lessons distributed on the phone increase the time on task for learning. Lessons developed for the mobile phones are based on the PAJE integrated curriculum that contains: reading, writing, math, functional French and entrepreneurship (all in local language). Due to a few unforeseen events in 2012 in Mali, the mLearning lessons (pre-loaded on the phones on microSD cards) are only just making it out to project youth this month %u2013 about 1.5 years behind schedule. About 3,000 project youth from the first two cohorts will now be able to access the first unit of content in rural Mali.
Another key aspect of the mLearning design with stepping stone is the fact that the distribution mechanism is intended to be by offline distribution on microSD card not by a GPRS/browser connection. With Stepping Stone, you save content on a microSD card with the stepping stone media player and distribute. One key issue that I have with many (if not all) mLearning initiatives out there currently is that their delivery model is dependent upon the user :1) accessing a GPRS connection signal, 2) having the funds to pay for download time and 3) having the ability to configure their phone browser/settings to access the GPRS connection. In countries where I’ve traveled, I usually need to find a tech from the local telecom to give me the settings to get the GRPS to work at all. Our user testing groups in Mali have confirmed these observations. The stepping stone distribution method puts all content and a reader on a microSD card. You insert the card, launch the app and you’re off. This does presume that you have a partnership with a distribution network %u2013 a local telecom for example. In Mali, we’re testing offline content distribution with Orange during the next quarter. Users will be able to go to several rural kiosks and buy content or get a digital transfer to their phone.
Also later this year, we’ll be looking to develop a version of stepping stone that creates android compatible content (in consideration of the low cost android mobile phones/tablet trends).
Scott Isbrandt
Project Director for Mobile Learning
Education Development Center
43 Foundry Avenue
Waltham, MA 02453
Direct line: (617) 618-2114
Stepping Stone: http://paje.edc.org