Reflections

Inquiry Blog Post #5

This course has truly been a growth experience and as I think about the modules and assignments I realize that much of the difficulty I had has been due to my worry about my lack of tech skills.

Blogtrepreneur, https://www.flickr.com/photos/143601516@N03/28018096810. (Image social media links).

The biggest learning piece for me was the importance and ease with which social media can be used to share, build a PLN and to collaborate. Due to a lack of confidence in my technical skills I kept the use of social media on the back burner. Even though using social media to promote the library was high on my to-do list I did not engage in it enough. One of the best changes I have made is to do at least one thing everyday. For the most part I post something related to the LLC on Instagram.  At the end of a month it was pretty satisfying to see all of the work done. At the end of the school year, I will have a record of some of the activities that I can include in the library report. Having this record is also a way to promote the LLC to the administration and the community. They can see how the library is collaborating with classes and promoting literacy. While Instagram is currently the platform I am most comfortable with, I intend to expand my social media tool kit. I did set up a twitter account at the beginning of this course and it is next on my list of tools to learn how to use more effectively.

The week on world libraries held so many aha moments I could hardly fashion a cogent response about what I had learned.  I had no idea there were so many worldwide projects that promote literacy in developing countries. The research I did for this module changed many of my ideas about mobile devices and learning. Even after reading Richardson’s book, Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere with its promotion of mobile devices I still viewed phones as a negative influence for teaching and learning. But after learning about the usefulness of using these devices to promote literacy in developing countries, I think they are worthy of a second glance. The UNESCO report was particularly effective in providing information about the ways mobile devices can be used to improve literacy. 

How Mobile Phones Drive Literacy, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3NqU6gqsTM


Richardson, Will (2012). Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere (Kindle Single). Ted Conferences.

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.

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.