Integrating Mobile Phones with Community Learning 

With the rapid expansion of mobile phone use in the developing world, COL is exploring how to increase learner engagement with community learning programmes through this communications tool. COL consultant Mr. David Leeming led a three-day workshop, "Introducing Mobiles into Community Learning", at the New Dawn FM radio station in Buka, Papua New Guinea in May 2011. The 13 participants included New Dawn staff and representatives from partners in the Bugenvil Mere Tede community learning programme – Bougainville Interchurch Council Women's Network, CARE International and the PNG Ministry of Community Affairs and Women. Launched in 2008, New Dawn FM is the only independent radio station serving a population of about 200,000 in Bougainville.

Workshop participants discussed how mobile phones can be used to support learning and development, ICT applications that use mobile phones and how mobile phones can be integrated into local community learning programmes. Some of the ideas that were developed include communicating with teachers and students involved in women and youth literacy by text message, sending information about health issues such as HIV/AIDS and inviting radio listeners to respond to quizzes after learning programmes are broadcast.

New Dawn FM did a test of a system that sent updates to mobile phones following polling in local elections. Radio listeners who texted the radio station with the keyword "Update" would receive regular auto-replies with election news. In the first day, New Dawn received 800 requests for updates, a solid indication that this could be an effective way of reaching and engaging with listeners.

COL plans to replicate the module used in the Buka workshop in training for partners involved in other community learning programmes in the Pacific and around the Commonwealth.

http://wikieducator.org/Community_Media/PNG/Bogenvil_Meri_Tede

January 2012