Smartphones, tools for education | Key4Communications |

Smartphones are powerful tools for education, since they enhance the involvement of young people and bring contents to a device that they are constantly using. This is one of the conclusions drawn from the conference "Mobile Technology and Learning", organized by Kid's Cluster with the support of Mobile World Capital, and held in Barcelona Activa on October 10.

Torrents Pere, mEducational manager of Mobile World Capital - GSMA (MWC), gave some information about how we are using phones, and explained that Spain is the world leader in smartphone penetration, with a 66% rate, and that in the world there are 7 billion of connected devices: "When the figure reached 4 billion, there were more connected devices than toothbrushes", he said. It is estimated that in 2020 there will be five of these devices per person.

New ways of learning
These devices have changed the way we live and communicate, and this also affects young people: 80% of teens have a smartphone and 25% of children between 2 and 5 years already use the internet without the help of their parents.

According Torrents, "mobility can change education," and this idea it the origin of the mSchools project that seeks to use mobile technology to improve the involvement and results of students.

An experience in South African schools
Theophilus van Rensburg explained its education experience with smartphones held in some 20 schools in South Africa. His project, M-Ubuntu, looks since 2006 to increase the effectiveness of teachers and schools through the use of smartphones.

Van Rensburg said that these devices have many advantages over computers: 75% of South Africans now have a mobile phone, a figure that rises to 93% in the case of high school students. It is also a tool that children and teenagers already use to write, as they send text messages and participate in social networks. These devices are also easier to repair than a computer. Also and as explained by Van Rensburg, the system allows children to learn skills and knowledge that will be useful when they enter the workforce.

Necessary innovation
Javier González Casado, knowledge management manager at the Telefónica Foundation, conducts educational projects that want children and teenagers to learn "core competencies of the 21st century", on the basis that "innovation in education is necessary." Educared promotes projects that motivate students, take into account their personal background, connect them with the environment and make learning a social and collaborative task.

In short, smartphones are educational tools and their integration into educational techniques can help to motivate students, which makes sense, since contents are more accessible, and learning methods become more flexible.