mobile learning

The future is mobile – here I look at how learning can be delivered on mobile devices.

Introducing Diji

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WhatsApp Bot for learning in local languages

South Africa is in a skills crisis, compounded by the demands of an increasingly digital world. Its citizens need to learn basic digital skills, including how to use computers and how to search for, and assess, information. These skills could enable them to start their own small business or to recognise fake news and scams online.

Online learning platforms do not cater for the majority of South Africans. The courses use too much data and are presented in a language that is not familiar to the learner. We conducted research with over 8,000 respondents and 94.5% of them wanted to learn on their cell phone and in their mother tongue language.  

With Diji, our WhatsApp chatbot, we have combined the power of WhatsApp and mother tongue language learning to develop short courses on basic digital skills for Zulu speakers. Click here to start learning digital skills on WhatsApp, in Zulu, for free!

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For media enquiries, please send an email to: hello@mcnulty.co.za

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Learning with mobile devices

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A comparison of four mobile learning pilots in Africa

For the past few years, I have been involved in several projects aimed at delivering education via mobile devices. These include providing local language (for many African languages) children’s reading books to Worldreader for distribution on feature phones, developing a bilingual maths dictionary Android app for isiXhosa learners, and supporting the Gauteng Education Department’s Paperless Classroom digital rollout by providing textbooks on tablets via the Snapplify e-reader. These projects all involved repurposing existing print material for use on a mobile device, so I was very interested in reading Shafika Isaacs, Nicky Roberts and Garth Spencer-Smith’s recent paper (in the South African Journal of Education) where they compared four mobile learning projects across Africa.

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Pioneering home-language learning of mathematics in a digital environment in South Africa

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Learning mathematics in a second language has been identified as a major barrier to understanding mathematical concepts and terms for South African learners. The Cambridge Mathematics Dictionary App (English and isiXhosa) is an easy to use, helpful mobile reference tool for South African learners aged between 10 and 15 years old (Grades 4 to 9). Written in a language that is easily accessible to non-­mother tongue speakers of English, the app  contains over 900 Maths terms and definitions in both English and isiXhosa. Words are explained using examples relevant to the South African context and entries are supported with compelling visual content  to further enhance the explanations and to reinforce the concepts.

Mathematics Dictionary App

Developing this app, the authors wanted to ensure that all the mathematics terminology needed in the South African Intermediate and Senior Phase classroom was covered to really support learners in their studies. More than this, they wanted the content to be interesting, creatively presented and, most of all, learner-friendly. By helping learners to acquire and understand the terminology used in the mathematics classroom, they are able to engage with the concepts in a meaningful and constructive way, rather than being hindered by possible gaps in comprehension.

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