Due to factors including first-time provision of the Internet,
lack of fixed line infrastructure and the more cost-effective deployment of
mobile networks, mEducation spend will grow the fastest in developing Asia
Pacific, while North America will remain the biggest market for mEducation
products.
“Mobile operators can play a significant role beyond that of
connectivity providers by developing products and managing systems. Teachers
can teach in a more innovative and personalized way, leading to greater student
engagement, higher attendance and improved achievement,” said Ana Tavares
Lattibeaudiere, head of Connected Living, GSMA.
In India, teachers introduced a mobile-based game to help
primary school students from rural, low income households develop
English-language comprehension, sentence construction and spelling. GSMA said
students’ test scores improved by almost 60 percent.
In the U.S., teachers in New Mexico are using mobile devices
to assess the reading progress of kindergarten pupils and develop their
communication skills. Within the first three years, the percentage of children
reading at the level expected for their age group went up from 29 percent to 93
percent.
The main barriers include the perceived extra burden for IT
departments in facilitating teaching through tech-based products; cultural
resistance from some teachers who are reluctant to integrate new teaching
methods into their classrooms; and some negative perceptions that still exist
around the introduction of smartphones and tablets to the classroom, according
to a report from the GSMA and McKinsey & Company.
