The countries of the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly discovering the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) to expand educational opportunities and accelerate national socio-economic development. ICT applications and mobile devices are increasingly recognized as strategic tools that have the potential to enable global access to educational materials and improve the quality of education.
By transcending physical and spatial constraints, ICT and mobile devices bring unprecedented educational opportunities to people of all socio-economic levels. Devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), laptops, Pocket PCs, and mobile phones can be utilized as mobile learning tools to provide interactive content in previously unreachable and remote locations. At the same time, conventional classroom approaches to learning are being supplemented by learner-centred anytimeanywhere learning, with the potential to increase participation and school retention rates.
Many nations have developed e-learning and m-learning strategies, and are rapidly expanding the use and knowledge of ICT in educational activities by incorporating ICT into lesson plans, teaching methodologies and curricula, and devoting funds to procuring ICT-related resources. However, successful implementation of e-learning and m-learning programmes involves careful planning, and also faces an array of challenges.
The International Workshop in 2005 on Mobile Learning for Expanding Educational Opportunities was an opportunity for the participants to gain a better understanding of what m-learning is and what it can offer. The workshop also enabled participants to build their capacity in terms of planning and implementing m-learning and e-learning programmes in their countries. In particular, the workshop assisted the participants by providing guidelines for defining priorities and for undertaking activities to introduce m-learning in educational systems. Representatives from countries in the Asia-Pacific
region were able to share their experiences regarding the implementation of e-learning or m-learning programmes, and discuss issues and options related to implementation. The workshop participants also developed, shared, discussed and submitted proposals for implementing m-learning in their countries.
Read the full report at UNESCO Bangkok.
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