Presentation given by Elizabeth Buckner at the Mobile Learning Symposium in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 24, 2012.

1. SMILE in Newala, Tanzania
Elizabeth Buckner Stanford University

2. Our Mission
• We aim to bring mobile
technology to students in rural
Tanzania to increase learning,
reduce the achievement gap and
bridge the digital divide.
• But, we have learned that
hardware alone is not enough.
• We couple mobile technology
with innovative pedagogical
practices to improve the
learning environment as well as
students’ engagement and
achievement.

3. Inquiry Based Learning
• Being told something is not the same as knowing it.
• Teachers lecturing does not necessarily lead to student learning.
• Memorization is not an education – you cannot memorize the
information you need in life.
• Creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking are the most
important skills we can develop among children.
• Children learn best by doing – by asking and answering
questions they engage with their own learning, and begin to
teach themselves.

4. The SMILE Project
• SMILE is an assessment tool and inquiry maker which
allows students to quickly create own inquiries based on
their own ideas, curriculum and curiosity.
• SMILE runs as an application on smart phones.
• Two versions of SMILE (SMILE ad-hoc and SMILE
Global).
• SMILE ad-hoc can be set up to run on mobile phones in
physical classrooms (off line).
• SMILE Global uses the Internet to connect to other students’
globally.

5. Overview: SMILE network structure

6. Teacher Management
Application

7. Creating and Solving
Questions in SMILE

8. Benefits of SMILE
• Provides a technological platform to promote student-
centered learning
• Creates highly interactive learning environment
• Engages learners in analyzing their own learning
• Allows students to generate, share, and evaluate
multimedia-rich inquiries
• Facilitates evaluation of peer inquiries
• Encourages team collaboration and competition

9. Testing SMILE in Newala
From Silicon Valley to Mtwara Region…..

10. SMILE-Tanzania
• One pilot school in Newala District, which is one of the
poorest and least resourced regions in country.
• As part of the Seeds’-Stanford SMILE project, we
provide notebook computers, one projector, and 25 smart
mobile phones to the school.
• We worked with the school and teachers to run a 10-day
workshop that introduces devices and student-centered
pedagogical practices.
• Project carried out in partnership with Jiamini, a local
NGO.

11. Nangwanda Secondary School
• Nangwanda Secondary School serves ~600 students,
in Form 1-6.
• 73% of Form 4 students fail, of those who pass, all
receive Division IV. (35 pass, 94 fail).
• School ranked 2774/3108 in Tanzania.
• Nangwanda Secondary is representative of many of
the issues teachers and students face in Tanzania.

12. Who are the students?
Sample Group: 139 students from Form 1
Age: 14.4, ranging from 12-18
Males: 71 males (51.1%)
Females: 68 females (48.9%)

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15
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2025
25
2530
30
3035
35
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90Minutes
Minutes
MinutesMale
Male
MaleFemale
Female
FemaleMinutes Walking to School
Minutes Walking to School
Minutes Walking to School

16. What we do…
1) Technology Infusion
2) Student Centered Pedagogy
3) SMILE Mobile Application
3) Teacher Technology Trainings
4) Follow-Up
The SMILE –Seeds’ Team with School
Principal and participating English teachers.

17. Technology Infusion…
Before
• Electricity wired in only one
classroom
• No laptops
• No desktop computers
• No projector
• No speakers
After
• 3 Notebook ($350 ea.)
• 2 Local Routers ($70 ea.)
• 25 LG Android mobile
phones loaded with ~50
educational applications
($100 ea.)
• 1 Projector ($340 ea.)
• Internet USB (Airtel)
• Headphones ($5 ea.)
• PA system ($150 ea.)
Bridging the Digital Divide

18. Encouraging Creativity
We ask students to read stories and write their
own stories.
Mobile Exploration
We ask students to explore mobile devices. We
do not teach them how to use them initially.
This encourages curiosity and discovery.
Team Collaboration and Competition
We encouraged small group work and
organized small group collaborations.
Student Centered Pedagogies

19. Encouraging Question-Making
We ask students to write their own
multiple choice questions.
We run small competitions between
peers to evaluate and rate each
others’ questions. This encourages
self-reflection.
Inquiry is not a pedagogical practice
encouraged in most classrooms in
Tanzania, but with some practice,
students became more creative and
incorporated pictures and drawings
into their questions.
Student Centered Pedagogies

20. Using SMILE to ask questions….
Students compose questions in English and
KiSwahili. They type them into the program.
They solve each others questions.

21. SMILE: Inquiry, Collaboration,
Competition, Responding, and Reflection
• Student inquiry promotes creativity and
thinking.
• Collaboration encourages teamwork and
sharing of ideas during the inquiry process.
• Competition in small groups encourages
students to do their best in group activities.
• Responding to student generated questions
encourages students to review material, and
pushes their thinking.
• Evaluating quality of all questions
encourages reflection of what makes a good
question.

22. Teacher Training
• We ran a series of teacher
training workshops every
afternoon.
• We gave an overview of
laptop computers, email,
mobile devices, SMILE
applications.
• We encourage teachers to
innovate with their use of
technological resources.

23. How did students and teachers respond?
• Teachers were able to take over running
sessions after observing 3 sessions.
• Students able to grasp the mechanical
aspects of the technology, quickly. It took
about 3 sessions for students to feel
comfortable navigating smart phones.
• Students were able to take photos and
videos and add them into their inquiries.
• Teachers were active in coming up with
their own ideas about how to use the
technology in their classrooms.

24. Sample Student Questions
• What is the solar
system?
• Who is the
President of
America?

25. Sample Student Questions
Question:
What is science?
Teacher:
Leads discussion on whether
this is a good question, asks:
is it properly written in
English, is it creative?

26. Follow – Up
• Teachers and Principal have agreed to carry out a
SMILE workshop at least once a week for the next
six months, in different classrooms.
• Stanford will monitor how technology is being used
and how student inquiry improves over time.
• Stanford provides regular email support and support
with any troubleshooting of technology
• One follow-up visit to Tanzania is planned in 6-
months.

27. Takeaways
• SMILE is simple enough to work in under-resourced areas.
• Relatively rapid deployment, even when students have never
touched smart phones.
• Replicable and scalable
• SMILE facilitates a paradigm shift by combining technology
and pedagogy.
• Teachers are willing and able to take it on; teachers have
innovative and creative ways of using technology (video,
capturing tools)

28. Takeaways
• Mobile phones are relatively easy to maintain;
durable in areas with fewer resources.
• Mobile phones are less susceptible to electrical
failure and environmental challenges.
• Relatively cost-effective, when compared to
computer labs.
• 100,000+ free mobile applications from open source
network, easy to target to local needs

29. Looking to the Future
The critical elements needed to incorporate SMILE into
schools:
• Mobile devices: SMILE is highly effective even with a ratio
of one device per three learners.
• Application localization and development (translation and
development).
• Facilitator workshops to train and empower teachers to use
technology.
• Monitoring and evaluation.
• SMILE works best when it is a collaborative effort between
Ministry officials, civil society organizations and universities.

30. Thank you! Asante Sana!

31. Contact
Please feel free to email me at any time.
Elizabeth Buckner ebuckner@stanford.edu