Steve Vosloo focused on mobile learning (mlearning) in 2009 because mobile phones have widespread access in South Africa, yet their potential for learning is largely unexploited. He worked to raise awareness of mlearning, document mlearning projects, and research how mobile phones could support literacy. One project, Kontax, was an mobile novel accessible on basic phones that received over 10,000 reads from South African youth, showing mobile phones' potential to increase access to books. Vosloo's work demonstrated mobile phones' viability for distributing educational content and enabling participation. In 2010, he hoped to expand this work through a "mobile library" and platforms for self-publishing.

1. 2009: A year in review
Steve Vosloo
21st Century fellow, Shuttleworth Foundation

2. I focussed on mlearning
Why?

3. 90% of SA’s urban youth have access to a mobile phone

4. This has changed the way they socialise, play and communicate

5. Schools ban mobile phones, press coverage is biased -- opportunities are lost

6. Very few teachers see the potential of mlearning

7. But mobile phones are incredibly powerful
Web access is increasingly mobile primary
Huge potential for learning -- not being exploited
So, I did 3 things ...

8. 1. Raised awareness of mlearning

9. 2. Documented mlearning

10. 3. Researched mobiles for literacy
51%
Households in SA without a single leisure book

11. Would our teens read novels on their phones like in Japan?
Can mobile phones alleviate the chronic shortage of books?

12. Kontax: an m-novel
• www.kontax.mobi (WAP-enabled
phones or computer browser) and
MXit
• Aimed at 14-17 year olds
• Written in English and isiXhosa
(world first)
• 21 days, 21 chapters
• Embedded in a lite social network

13. >10,000 reads
>300 comments
>1,500 ideas

14. “It's great ... for me it really hard to pick up a book to
start readin but i don mind readin on my phone” (dotty1)
“Awsum :)
Im realy nt much of a reader but reading of
my phone jst seems alot easier...and co0ler! :)” (Gucci)
“Am not a person who reads books,so i only dd this 2
check hw a book on da web wil b like.So its not bad,
and am lookin 4ward 2 chapter 2.” (Slize)

15. "The more exposure you have to the written
word [including txtspk] the more literate you
become and we tend to get better at things
that we do for fun"
Beverly Plester, Coventry University

16. Findings
• Most digital writing takes place on mobile phones (but it’s short, like SMS)
• Most reading takes place on mobile phones or on paper
• Teens want to write their own pieces (poems, lyrics, stories, etc.)
• The isiXhosa version was popular
• Strong correlation between language choice and communication mode

17. Coverage and awards

18. Mobile phones are a viable platform for distributing
books and enabling reader participation
This removes the barrier of printing costs, putting
information back into the hands of the people

21. Opportunities for 2010
• More stories. There are only 3 m-novels in SA. We need a “mobile library” —
full of public domain titles for access via mobile phones
• Grow Kontax: more readers and more languages, e.g. !"‫م روا‬ история.
A successful m-novel is a powerful way to promote mpublishing
• A platform for self-publishing to get teens writing
• Invite teachers to use m-novels in the classroom

22. Contact me
email: steve.vosloo@shuttleworthfoundation.org
blog: innovatingeducation.wordpress.com
slides: slideshare.net/stevevosloo
twitter: twitter.com/stevevosloo
web: vosloo.net