Mobile phone subscribers globally, will hit the 5 billion mark during 2010. To this end, the U.S. Department of Education has earmarked $5 billion for competitive school-reform grants to scale up pilot programs of handheld devices & define best practices for learning.
An article, “How Smartphones and Handheld Devices Are Bringing On An Educational Revolution” outlines the educational potential of handheld devices to revolutionise early-years teaching (FastCompany, April 2010). The potential for inclusive education and differentiated teaching is huge.
Points of note:
- Early literacy is supported with the First Words iPhone application
- The TeacherMate handheld was devised by a social entrepreneur
- Two-way mobile phones will be iPhone/iPad-like in the near future
Further Reading
- iPhone Educational Applications For Kids
- How iPhones can revolutionise reading for people with dyslexia
- Real-Time Captioning At School Via Mobile Phone
