According to the United Nations, as of 2013, six billion of the world’s seven billion people have access to cell phones. That’s more than the number of people who have access to toilets around the world.
Mobile phones have not only revolutionized the way we communicate but also, in many classrooms around the globe, mobile technologies are increasing the power of learning.
Scott Himelstein and Steve Vosloo know first-hand how these technologies are impacting education and improving learning opportunities.
Scott Himelstein is the director of the University of San Diego’s Center for Education Policy and Law and Mobile Technology Learning Center.
“Our students are entering the school house doors knowing how to learn through mobile technology whether it’s through video games or mom and dad’s phones, or some kind of device. They expect to learn this way,” Himelstein said. “Sometimes, yes, print is good, but, as we move further down this road, kids are devouring content through a device, and we have to realize that.”
Technology as a tool: Transforming the way we learn
Scott Himelstein and Steve Vosloo share their vision for using technology as a tool for transforming the way we learn.Steve Vosloo is an expert in mobile learning with a specialization in Information and Communication Technologies in developing countries. In 2009 he launched the “M4Lit” or “Mobiles for Literacy” project, which evolved into what’s now called the Yoza Project. It demonstrates the potential of mobile publishing for supporting teen reading and writing in South Africa and Kenya.
“Now, for the first time, the education system, which is usually quite resistant to change and quite slow to change, is catching up and realizing the potential of having learners, and students, and teachers connected,” explained Vosloo.
He currently serves as Head of Mobile at Pearson South Africa, where he’s responsible for setting the company’s mobile learning strategy and delivering key projects.
Scott Himelstein joined May Lee in our Los Angeles studio and Steve Vosloo joined them from Cape Town, South Africa. Himelstein and Vosloo shared their vision for using technology as a tool for transforming the way we learn.