Mobile Learning

©UNESCO/NOKIA | ©UNESCO/Pakistan project

Today over 6 billion people have access to a connected mobile device and for every one person who accesses the internet from a computer two do so from a mobile device.

Mobile technology is changing the way we live and it is beginning to change the way we learn.

UNESCO is working to help governments and individuals use mobile devices to advance Education for All Goals; respond to the challenges of particular educational contexts; supplement and enrich formal schooling; and, in general, make learning more accessible, equitable and flexible for students everywhere.

What is mobile learning?

©UNESCO/NOKIA | ©UNESCO/Pakistan project

Mobile learning involves the use of mobile technology, either alone or in combination with other information and communication technology (ICT), to enable learning anytime and anywhere. Learning can unfold in a variety of ways: people can use mobile devices to access educational resources, connect with others, or create content, both inside and outside classrooms. Mobile learning also encompasses efforts to support broad educational goals such as the effective administration of school systems and improved communication between schools and families.

What work is UNESCO doing in mobile learning?

For the past 3 years, UNESCO has been working to provide advice and guidance to governments and other stakeholders seeking to leverage increasingly ubiquitous and affordable mobile technologies for learning.

UNESCO has conducted research in a number of areas, such as mobile reading, mobile learning policies, and promoting gender equality with ICTs. The resulting publications describe the unique educational advantages of mobile technology and articulate strategies to build policy environments in which these advantages can take root and grow.

In parallel with its research, policy and knowledge-sharing work, UNESCO runs mobile learning field projects in a number of countries, including Nigeria, Mexico, Pakistan and Senegal. Each country project employs a different approach to support the work of teachers and students, and cumulatively these projects are expanding the knowledge-base of how mobile technology can expand access to education and improve its quality.

Finally, UNESCO hosts an annual Mobile Learning Week conference which is recognized as a pre-eminent conference on mobile learning and attracts education leaders and practitioners from around the world.