Article Review: Using Mobile Phones to Improve Educational Outcomes: An Analysis of Evidence from Asia.

Summary:
The delivery of quality education in developing countries, particularly in rural and remote regions is still extremely challenging. Valk, Rashid, and Elder write in this article that one solution to this problem may lie in communication technologies, also known as ICT such as mobile phones. This article reviews the evidence of the role of mobile phone-facilitated m Learning in contributing to improved educational outcomes in the developing countries of Asia by exploring the results of six, “m” learning pilot projects that took place. Examined in the article is the extent to which the use of mobile phones helped to improve educational outcomes by in improving access to education and in promoting "new learning." The research noted that while cell phones do not necessarily increase access, there is little evidence about whether cell phones promote new learning or not. The researchers offer several convincing reasons for cell phone use in the developing world. They write that ICTs are empowering to teachers and learners because they facilitate communication and interaction and offer new modes of delivery. Because cell phones are the most widely available form of ICT in the developing world, the authors find that they are the best tool for delivering information quickly.
Analysis:
Though remote areas could benefit through learning with cell phones as opposed to nothing at all, one big problem that is ignored in the article is the ability for these phones to link up. If a village does not have electricity or a cell phone tower or new satellite for that area of some sort, it is unlikely that the necessary bars will be in place. I recently watched a documentary about this issue in southwestern Africa. One phone was delivered to a medium sized and remote village to serve as a lifeline for emergencies and as a link to the outside world. The main problem with the phone was that it took at least four or five hours to link up to a satellite.
References:
Valk, J., Rashid, A., & Elder, L. (2010). Using Mobile Phones to Improve Educational Outcomes: An Analysis of Evidence from Asia. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(1), 117-140. Retrieved from ERIC