Emerging Technologies for Emerging Countries

Brazilian Figures

Considering the Brazilian scenario, we can say that ICT for education is still an issue in emerging countries due to a lack of connectivity, access and digital divide regarding teacher training and content production adequate for the means being used. In recent years, the mobile has grown tremendously. Brazil's population of 192 million people now owns 130 million mobile phones. Consequently, this media is assuming roles in learning and social networking, offering a reliable user-base never seen before. We will discuss some scenarios and see some different usages of mobile technologies that are affecting formal ICT inside and outside classrooms.

Mobile devices (specially mobile phones) are the natural convergence media because it's natural characteristics such as: Easy of use, affordable, portable, mobile, personal, companion along night and day, useful for many functionalities (talk, send messages, send pictures, read email, access internet, consult bank, buy things, alarm clock, agenda, reminder, collaborative features, radio, watch tv and video clips, and much more. It is also natural to observe that people are transferring many of their desktop internet activities to this portable and mobile device, becoming their life easier, more connected, and also a one touch away from any information.

Some Brazilian figures that show the need of communication and the perception of education worth by the population.


 

This digital media possess among the population show that mobile has grown faster and it is a market to be considered and explored, since internet broadband and internet access has became stable.

Maslow and learning

Considering the Learning process and learning needs, the Maslow Pyramid of Human Hierarchy Needs. It shows us where we can stage individual approach to learn in different ambiences, according to personalization, individualization and needs, upon have them achieved some basics for survive. Understand when and why people need to learn and learned does matter to their entire life, according to their MSP – me selling proposition – where this individual wants to be placed in their life.

Under my perception, as there are around 15% of the population illiterate and more than 20% illiterate, a good solution for emerging countries should consider formal, informal and unformal learning, reaching all the populations with structured, non structured and daily basic needs for information and knowledge.

Since iClass can fit these needs or have different and adpatative interfaces with the SFL and adequate assessment and other kind of learning quality assurance, when necessary, the mass adoption and the sucsess might be guaranted.

In a recent survey, some kids from K2-12 said they would like to have access to orkut, youtube and others social networking and SEM such as Google, besides msn and sms with their mobile phones inside the classroom as part of their daily activities. It is something to be considered as this generation is the Y generation that is going to consume and use and demand products and services in the next few years. They do not need a close environment or LMS without options that include their daily and personal choices, even in the learning environment.

 

iClass and emerging markets – Brazil

The iClass concept is very much desirable in our contexts since it promotes and aggregates many layers and types of learning, and not only structured learning as in colleges and universities, but simple and accessible ways of sharing knowledge among illiterate or functional illiterate people, as well as, technical and unformal and informal courses that might promote some level of awareness and professionalism turning possible a higher level of services offered to the population.

Considering the new media such as mobile, below we find some examples where the iClass implementation could be done. iClass might be a multimedia and multiplatform solution, attending different needs.

Areas where Mobile and distance learning and iClass can be used

1. formal learning (schools, universities, traditional corporate sector training)
2. informal learning, (team learning, organizational learning, on-the-job-learning, ad hoc learning)
3. corporate sector
4. life-long learning in general
5. Marketing material sharing
6. Information sharing
7. Training & Education
8. Knowledge Management
9. Knowledge sharing
10. Knowledge refining
11. New knowledge building
12. Problem solving
13. Brainstorming
14. Need for applications that share the screen
15. Need for project/time management applications for learning
16. Need for personalized user interface for 'your own m-learning environment'
17. Mobile connection to e-learning environment
18. multi channel/multimedia learning solutions
19. real blended solutions
20. raising the tacit knowledge virtually
21. there is a need for well- organized information
22. templates and tools supporting learning process
23. edugames

The Mobile Age that is becoming more and more able to support these features above is quite desirable since most of the population don´t have internet access, just 20% of the population including corporate users. On the other hand, the mobile penetration reaches almost 65% of the population. Usually, the users start with low end terminals and then, every 6-10 months, they change for more sophisticated ones. The ideal mobile terminal should have a desirable keyboard that enables people to type, also, the screen should be in certain size where video, images and some texts can be read with a minimum comfort (following some usability recommendations). The big issue is the internet access and who pays the bill, which is pretty much the distance education issue all over emerging markets. Regard to advanced functionalities, augmented reality, presence, near field communication, cameras, social networks access and share tools are some tools and features that can enhanced the use.

Low cost laptop is seen in emerging countries as laptops for “losers” or for “poor people”. It is a stigma, unfortunately. TV and distance education should be an interesting media, but it is seen as a motivation for students to go deep in any learning platform.

The Y generation and the low level classes love their mobiles and they do not use laptops on the move. There is a huge space for mobile learning experiments, trials and implementations that have being left apart from mobile companies, so far, in Brazil.

Conclusion

In conclusion, old models do not work in new media, for sure. New approaches must be considered and mobile is the technology that the Y generation likes as well their current preferred websites and tools, which might be included in a LMS and complement in classroom and home work activities for all generation, also.

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