Introduction

“A society which is mobile, which is full of channels for the distribution of a change occurring anywhere, must see to it that its members are educated to personal initiative and adaptability.”
John Dewey (1916)

“Mobile learning involves change in the sense that the ability to communicate with tutors and peers, as well as access learning resources, changes what is possible in education. It takes initiative for leaders to create a vision to sustain that change and, finally, mobile learning requires adaptability by members of staff to carry out the change.”

From Jisc InfoNet Mobile Learning 

The combination of mobile devices and an increasingly connected world is transforming how and when people learn, expanding education beyond the classroom. ITC-ILO is adapting – using mobile tools to create engaging, shared, interactive learning experiences.

New technologies and innovative pedagogies are enabling a learning and communications revolution. Mobile learning can extend ITC-ILO’s existing training into diverse contexts, through a broader range of interactions with people and with content.

What is in this toolkit?

This toolkit aims to provide a vision for extending the ITC-ILO’s impact, through the introduction of state-of-the-art mobile learning methods. State-of-the-art methods do not necessarily require the latest technological developments – simple, familiar tools, like SMS, can sometimes have a wider reach and stronger impact than the most sophisticated gadgets.

This toolkit details some of the most effective tools being implemented and investigated at ITC-ILO, offering real examples of how they have been successfully used to bring about change and improvement within different teams, or how they might in the near future. These tools are all pieces of the puzzle supporting our overall vision of mobile learning: Learning, training and knowledge sharing activities offer global access to ITC-ILO expertise, using appropriate, creative, pedagogically sound instruments, and building people’s skills with contemporary tools that are increasingly vital for daily competitiveness.

Values of mobile learning

The learning experience may evolve – but our values stay the same. The Turin Learning Approach was founded on the values of quality, relevancy, and impact. In this spirit, our toolkit advances these qualities into a new world of mobility offering high quality content, that is relevant, appropriate to the people and material involved, and has a positive impact on the outcomes of the training being offered.

In addition, we have identified three key activities that mobile learning enables: the improved ability to engage participants, with dynamic content, and lasting contact; greater opportunities to share knowledge, from one to many, and from many to many; and the ability to connect and interact with information in news ways, generating meaningful insights and access to expertise and resources.