Inquiry Post #4: Use of Mobile Devices in Developing Countries for Literacy

What can a mobile device be used for? 

Almost every student in the high school where I teach has a smart phone of some sort. Student use and access to these devices is hotly debated. Students have access in some classes and no access in others. Students use cell phones in many non-productive ways from constant texting to bullying. But they can be employed for educational purposes as well. Our Library Learning Commons does not restrict cell phone usage. It would be a losing battle and a constant source of confrontation with students. Instead our policy is that school devices—desktop and laptop computers and IPads—are for educational purposes and students need to use their personal devices for other activities. We do encourage students to “Bring Their Own Device” however this policy has limitations. Students cannot log on and print from their own device so they are then forced to email the work to their school account, log onto a divisional computer and print the work. As we move to OneDrive and an e-share platform, my hope is that this process will be easier to manage.



Last year our WIFI network was upgraded to make room for all of the devices that log onto it daily. There are still times where there isn’t enough bandwidth and students are asked to take their phones off of WIFI in order to allow classrooms to connect and work.


I was pretty surprised to find that almost everyone in developing countries has a mobile phone. According to the UNESCO report, Reading in the mobile era,"Recent data from the United Nations indicate that of the estimated 7 billion people on Earth, over 6 billion now have access to a working mobile phone (p. 16).” Cell phone use has continued to grow throughout the past 5 years. In developing countries were access to books is limited, mobile devices are filling some of the gaps in literacy. In the video link below, one of the authors of the UNESCO report explains how inexpensive and accessible mobile devices make reading. An open access book that can be read on a mobile device can cost as little as two or three cents. While the same book in paper would be approximately ten dollars.                                    

Video: Reading in the mobile era

There are a significant number of projects to improve literacy and numeracy in developing countries. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) implemented a “mobile phone based literacy and numeracy program…conducted in two regions in Niger (Aker p. 2-3). Niger is a region with a very low literacy rate. “Close to 90 percent of adults in the regions are illiterate, and male and female literacy rates are estimated to be 15 and 7.5 percent, respectively (Aker p. 6).” The project ran for two years. The results showed significant increases in both literacy and numeracy. “These results suggest that simple and relatively cheap information and communication technology can serve as an effective and sustainable learning tool...” (Aker p.1).

So, in the end are cell phones or books the answer to improving literacy in developing countries? Both have benefits. Books are difficult to ship, they do not survive harsh climate conditions, and only one person at a time can use them. But the pleasure of sitting and becoming deeply absorbed in a book is hard to duplicate by cell phone use.
Mobile devices allow access to resources from around the world. They democratize knowledge, but it is hard to focus on just the book at hand. Text messages and notifications can be constant interruptions. Maybe a combination of both books and smart devices will serve developing and developed nations best.

Works cited

Aker, Jenny C., et al. “ABC, 123: The Impact of a Mobile Phone Literacy Program on Educational Outcomes.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010, doi:10.2139/ssrn.1694142.

Marc Smith. Mobile West Africa . Johannesburg, South Africa, 13 Oct. 2009, www.flickr.com/photos/marc_smith/4018314144. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019.

Mark West, and EI Chew Han. “Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of mobile reading in developing countries.” UNESCO, 22 May 2014, unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000227436.

Reading in the Mobile Era, UNESCO, 22 Apr. 2014, youtu.be/4gOtpCIl-Ng.