Simmi Aujla (2009) In Rural India, Learning English via Cellphone Chronicle of Higher Education, October 21
A project based at Carnegie Mellon University will study how effective games on cellphones are at teaching English to students in rural India.
Comment
Why am I deeply skeptical of such a worthy effort? Could it be that loaning 450 cellphones to children in villages in Andhra Pradesh will do nothing to solve the problems of education in rural India? Or am I missing something here?
Indian readers – please comment when you have read the article online from the Chronicle of Higher Education!
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
You are right, skeptical is the word. At best it may increase the interest levels of these kids in education, which is a feat in itself. In a country where 24-hour electricity even in urban areas is a luxury, I really wonder how will these children will manage to keep the phones working!! Learning a language using a mobile game will be difficult, assuming this is the only access. Teaching rural children in India requires efforts on a much larger scale… where involvement ranges from food, books, hygiene, parents,and pretty much everything that touches life.
I just hope this is not just another gimmick that raises hopes of the poor children only to dash them later. Will definitely track this event.
I was assigned to do a project for english to research how technolgy, (such as cellphones, ipods, ectr) could be used for learning in classrooms. It would help me to see the results of this project. How can I veiw it?
Hi, Buffy.
Go to: https://tonybates.wpengine.com/2009/10/22/learning-english-via-games-on-cell-phones-in-rural-india/ and then run your cursor over ‘Chronicle of Higher Education in the reference. Click on it and it should take you straight to the article. You could also go straight to: http://www.millee.org/
Hi. I was thinking about adding a backlink back to your website since both of our sites are centered around the same niche.
Would you prefer I link to you using your website address:
https://tonybates.wpengine.com/2009/10/22/learning-english-via-games-on-cell-phones-in-rural-india/ or web site title:
Learning English via games on cell-phones in rural India. Be sure to let me know at your
earliest convenience. Many thanks