In a meeting of eLearning specialists the other day, I rashly declared that the most powerful eLearning technology useed by my 12 year old daughter is texting (SMS) on her cellphone.
I said it in an attempt to provoke some controversy but to my suprise, people nodded their agreement. As I reflected on it, I realised that it is true. Despite the terrible interface, Elsie sends over 500 text messages per month and, presumably receives just as many. It’s all socialising with her friends but isn’t that one of the most important things for her to be learning to do? And, given that access to and literacy with this technology is increasingly ubiquitous, why shouldn’t it be used for other learning areas?
My son Ed has recently acquired an iRiver. For now he’s using its 5 gigs for expanding his musical awareness but he could easily carry his homework around on it.
Now, a report prepared by education.au for the ACT Department of Education and Training suggests that cell phones and iPods will soon be core accessories for learners. It’s called Emerging Technologies: A framework for thinking (900kb PDF).