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Mobile Learning for Gender Equality

Andreas Hörfurtercommon sense – eLearning & training consultants Ltd.

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Background

Different levels of learning needs for achieving gender equality:

• At policy implementation level: transmission of information and procedural knowledge

• At community level: change of attitude

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Community Level: Change of Attitude

• Attitude = feelings + believes + behavior• Proven success of edutainment

initiatives for changing attitudes (eg. Soul City Initiative in South Africa to reduce domestic violence)

• Direct involvement of learners increases success

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Community Level: Change of AttitudeGovernance and Social Development Resource Centre Research Report „Changing attitudes and behaviours in relation to gender equality” from 21st June 2012:

“Communication initiatives aimed at changing individual attitudes and behaviours initially adopted a diffusion approach, involving large-scale media and social marketing campaigns and other one-way communications. More recently, attention has also been paid to adopting interpersonal (one-on-one or small group communication) and participatory approaches.”

From http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/HDQ817.pdf

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Community Level: Change of Attitude

Modern communication technologies allow combination of edutainment approaches and user interaction.

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Mobile Learning: Why?

Wide outreach:

-most available

communication tool

- easy to use (low barrier): even for illiterates

- high accessability

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Mobile Learning: Why?

•any time, •any place learning •for anybody

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Restrictions of Mobile Learning

• Diverse phone models in use• wide distribution of old and simple models• high cost for data transmission• restricted bandwidth in many areas • small displays and inconvenient typing

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Requirements for mobile Learning at community level

• Accessible: independant of phone model and data connection

• Suitable for different target groups, free of barriers (eg. for illiterates)

• Combining edutainment and interactivity

• Relating to traditional learning cultures by using storytelling approaches

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I-Call: A mobile learning oral storytelling approach

Audio soap operas accessible via normal GSM calls (free call)

Learners decide on the course and outcome of stories:„If X should do this, press 1 – if X should do that, press 3“

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I-Call: A mobile learning oral storytelling approach

Storytelling as an attractive format for affective learning goals:

• experience of decision consequences • Change of attitude

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Potential Application for Gender Education

Affective learning goals:

• breaking up role stereotypes• gender sensitive behavior• fighting domestic violence• family planning and health issues (eg maternal health)• female livelihoods• …

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Why use I-Call for Gender Education?

• Combination of mass communication and interactivity• effective change of attitude• Utilizing widespread communication technology with low

barriers• Granting privacy for sensitive issues• Cost effective learning offer

(at 100.000 learners costs of less than 0,25$ per learner)

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Mobile Learning at Policy Implementation Level

Mobile Executive Summaries:

• Learning objectives: Application of knowledge (Know how)

• coffee-cup learning modular, short learning sequences

• Requirements for phone models in use-> Smart Phones

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Thank you!

Contact:

Andreas Hörfurter

common sense – eLearning & training consultants

a.hoerfurter@common-sense.at

www.common-sense.at/i-call

Awards for I-Call mobile learning:•German eLearning Award•European eLearning Award EureleA