Today I'm giving a quick summary of a new report on mobile learning released from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. Consider it a sneak preview of what Anastasia will share when she gets back from vacation in a week or so. Since the Center was kind enough to let us a take a look a few days early I thought I'd give a few highlights here, but you can access the full-length version on their site.

The report, entitled "Pockets of Potential," makes the case that although educators remains resistant to digital innovation, the very tools that may transform learning are ubiquitous in kids' lives if only they were  deployed differently. For those of you who have read Anastasia's Totally Wired, some of the findings in the report will definitely resonate with her assessment of how technology is (and in some cases isn't) being integrated into the classroom. It's interesting, however, to note that the strategies presented differentiate mobile learning from traditional e-learning. In fact, the authors strongly caution against shrinking down technologies for a bigger screen for mobile. And now for some highlights…

The Current State of Mobile Learning
- Mobile devices have become increasingly prominent in children's lives. Since 2005, ownership of portable digital devices has experience double digit growth among children age 4 to 14. The Center on Media and Child Health predicts that 54% of American 8 to 12 year-olds in the US will have cell phones within the next three years.

- Some local authorities and schools are investigating the use of handheld technologies. Among several examples, the report mentions one teacher in North Carolina who asked her sixth and seventh grade students to translate passages from classic literature into "texting speak" to demonstrate their comprehension.

- There is a lack in highly visible efforts in mobile learning. Efforts are fragmented and unsupported, and leaders have not yet developed a strategy on how mobile learning should be deployed, or even if it should be used at all.

Key Opportunities
- "Anywhere, anytime" learning. Mobile learning promotes situated knowledge (aligning learning with actual scenarios and environments). This helps to bridge barriers between home, school and after school time. Mobile phones complement just in time and on demand learning.

- Ability to reach underserved children. Mobile devices, compared to equipment such as laptops, are less expensive and more likely to already be present in children's homes compared with personal computers.

- Fit with learning environments. Inside the classroom, a handheld device makes a trip to the computer lab unnecessary. Handheld devices also enable students to control the public-private boundary within the classroom allowing them to transition from individual tasks to sharing work with instructors or peers.

Challenges
- Cultural norms and attitudes. Though many experts believe that mobile devices have significant potential to transform children's learning, most parents and teachers apparently are not yet convinced.

- No mobile theory of learning. The absence of a widely accepted learning theory for mobile technologies has hampered the effective assessment, pedagogy and design of new applications for learning.

- Differentiated access and technology. Wide diversity among mobile technologies represents a challenge for teachers and learners who wish to accelerate academic outcomes.

Goals
- Learn. Understand that mobile learning is a unique element of education reform. Key developmental and health issues should be carefully researched.

- Develop. Design educational innovations that capitalize on the unique characteristics of mobile. Developers need to discern what is special about mobile devices (eg portability, ubiquity, personalization) and design interventions that take advantage of those attributes. Relying on features that are more common on relatively inexpensive phones will help ensure that mobile technologies help close rather than amplify the digital divide. Finally, design development tools with educators in mind.

- Promote. Engage the public and policy-makers in defining how to transform children's learning. A national "best practices" initiative to disseminate effective uses of mobile technology should be established with support from philanthropic and policy leaders. Also, a consumer protection initiative should also be established in order to enforce educational standards for the industry.

- Prepare. It is not just a matter of showing teachers how to use mobile devices, rather it is crucial to show them how to use them within their curriculum. [Editor's Note: To me, this seemed like one of the most key pieces of the puzzle] Teachers cannot teach with devices they don't understand.

- Stimulate. Generate new leadership support for digital learning. The President and new administration should create a White House initiative on digital learning that begins with an audit of current government investments in digital technologies for learning.

For more coverage of the latest trends and developments in mobile technology for youth, check out the Ypulse Mobile Channel.

Categorized under: Mobile

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