Today there are over six billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, and for every one person who accesses the internet from a computer two do so from a mobile device. Given the ubiquity and rapidly expanding functionality of mobile technologies, UNESCO is enthusiastic about their potential to improve and facilitate learning, particularly in communities where educational opportunities are scarce. This Working Paper Series scans the globe to illuminate the ways in which mobile technologies can be used to support the United Nations Education for All Goals; respond to the challenges of particular educational contexts; supplement and enrich formal schooling; and make learning more accessible, equitable, personalized and flexible for students everywhere.
Far from being a theoretical possibility, mobile learning is an on-the-ground reality: students and teachers from Mozambique to Mongolia are usingmobile devices to access rich educational content, converse and share information with other learners,elicit support from peers and instructors, and facilitate productive communication. While mobile technology is not and never will be an educational panacea, it is a powerful and often overlooked tool – in a repertoire of other tools – thatcan support education in ways not possible before.
