One of the most amazing success stories of our time is the adoption of the mobile phone by users worldwide. This network of users has been driven by the market alone and has had far-reaching effects.
This mobile phone network is being used by almost every person in not only the developed world but also in the developing world. the big difference between the two is the use of the technology of the two spheres of society.
In the developed world the cell-phone is used to augment the Lap-top or the desk-top PC, or to be used when the computer isn’t available. However the cellphone is used in the developed world as a primary instrument for accessing the internet. This has obvious consequences for access to information and, more importantly, for education.
So how is this going to impact on education? Isn’t the OLPC project already filling the demand?
The short answer is: No. It isn’t so much a niche market as it is a major gap for development in education in the developing world. The International community is spending millions developing software for cheap laptops for children in select communities (at least for now) while most people have their own mobile phone or at least access to a mobile phone. Why can’t people develop software for the mobile phone?
As Dr Joel Selanikio, says “I think it’s time that we recognised that for the majority of the world’s population, and for the foreseeable future, the cell phone is the computer. “
Here in SA we know all about cell-phone banking but in the developed world it is slightly more scarce as there are few people developing software for mobile phones.
The scope for this mobile education is huge if you consider most people get trained once in a particular field and then head off to work. In the developing world this is a major problem as most people get educated in the cities and then move into the country to work. How does one contact these people to update them with new training? The mobile platform could be amazing for ongoing training for these people.
