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Self-Directed Learning with 3G Smartphones in Singapore

May 12th, 2012

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Photo: Ian Lamont

While schools in the U.S. ban mobile devices in the classroom, the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) is working to better prepare its nation’s students to thrive in a fast-changing and highly-connected world by providing a learning platform entirely on mobile phones. Nan Chiau is an MOE-designated Future School in Singapore centered around self-directed and collaborative learning using mobile devices.

To develop lifelong learners, mobile, Internet-connected, learning devices provide students with new learning opportunities in English, Science and Chinese that are not possible with paper and pencil. The idea is to create individualized learning opportunities through specially designed curriculum materials. Although students complete tests and assignments much like in a traditional classroom, the idea around putting learning opportunities into devices kids love and creating open-ended assignments is a huge step toward embracing 21st century ideas about learning.

“This project demonstrates how 3G connectivity can transform education to enable a student-centric learning model that is available anytime, anywhere and easy for adoption worldwide.” -John Stefanac, vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm Southeast Asia and Pacific.

Not only can mobile learning be more interesting to kids, the devices are much cheaper and infinitely more mobile than PCs and even laptops. Because the devices are portable, learning can happen anytime and anywhere. In fact, according to the Technolog blog, 52% of children in the U.S. under the age of eight already have access to mobile media. So, meeting children where they’re already actively engaged seems like a natural way to nurture learning. Forward-thinking Singapore may be a model for the future of all learning, especially with the explosion of free online learning opportunities being developed by some of the world’s most prestigious universities.

What do you think? Is the Nan Chiau school a model for 21st century global learning or are there better alternatives for personalized learning in a high-tech world?