Mobile Learning in Developing Nations

Just as North America has been the driving force behind Internet-based distance education, Asia will play a leading role in mobile learning (i.e., m-learning), particularly with respect to education use of mobile phones. (Motik, 2008). This article focuses on the use of mobile learning as opposed to e-learning. U.S. and Canada are the leaders in using e-learning while Asia with the Phillipines and Africa following are turning to m-learning, and argues that it is more benficial for them to do so because mobile phone technology is widespread, easy to use, and familiar to learners and instructors. This article is useful in expanding our vision of other avenues for distance learning. The limitations it may have is that because as is stated, the US is strongly into e-learning, that there may not be much room to try m-learning, although it is successful in Asia. The audience this article was intended for was anyone interested in different methods of providing distance learning. There has been research as recent as 2007 that documents viable interest in distance learning through short message service (SMS) on cell phones in Asia and other countries. The author Scott Motlik, MDE (Masters in Distance Education) and teaches at Athabasca University. The author concludes that Asia will continue to be a driving force in educational uses of the mobile phone owing to its willingness to band together under a unified digital network. Whereas, in North America, the lack of a unified digital network and the reliance on an analogue system has prohibited 3rd generation mobile phone diffusion. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) allows Asian learners to download "video to their cell phones from pay services, while North Americans are largely scratching their heads over the curiosity of downloading content to a mobile device." (Gizmocafe.com, 2005, p.2).

Gizmocafe.com (2005), Cellular Networks: America's mobile tehcnophobia. http://www.gizmocafe.com/handhelds/cellular-network.aspx
Motik, S. (2008). Mobile Learning in Developing Nations. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning , 9, 1-7.