Implementing mobile
library/mobile learning –
preparing a business case
Dr. Mohamed Ally
Director and Professor
Centre for Distance Education
Athabasca University
Canada
New Zealand Presentation
January 2010
The Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015
(Anne Tolley, Minister of Tertiary Education)
The Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015
(Anne Tolley, Minister of Tertiary Education)
The Government’s vision is for a worldleading education system that equips
all New Zealanders with the knowledge,
skills and values to be successful citizens
in the 21st century.
 A world-leading education system is an
important first step towards a productive
and growing economy that delivers
greater prosperity, security and
opportunity for all New Zealanders.

 Provide
New Zealanders of all
backgrounds with opportunities to
gain world-class skills and knowledge
 Raise the skills and knowledge of the
current and future workforce to meet
labour market demand and social
needs
 Produce
high-quality research to
build on New Zealand’s knowledge
base, respond to the needs of the
economy and address environmental
and social challenges
 Enable Mäori to enjoy education
success as Mäori
The National Digital Strategy
New Zealand
The National Digital Strategy has been
developed by several departments and has
been coordinated by the Ministry of
Economic Development.
It is a strategy about how a digital future for
all New Zealanders will be created, using
the power of information and
communications technology to enhance all
aspects of our lives.
Education Goals
 The
educational goal is to improve
learner achievement in an innovative
education sector, fully connected and
supported by the smart use of ICT.
Education Goals
 The
education sector is committed to
raising learner achievement through
a networked, flexible education
system offering accessible, relevant,
high-quality learning opportunities to
all New Zealanders to support the
ongoing development of a highlyskilled national workforce.
Education Goals

We are developing a national standardsdriven ICT infrastructure for education.
Every learner, teacher, lecturer, or
administrator will have access to the
digital resources and services they need,
wherever they are located within the
education system. Repositories of
relevant, high-quality digital content
resources will support rich teaching,
learning, and research outcomes
Background
Athabasca University is an open and
distance learning (ODL) university.
 A large percent of our students are
working full-time, especially graduate
students.
 Strategic direction of Athabasca
University: enhancing open access,
ensuring education available to students
anywhere and anytime, recognizing that
the workforce is increasingly mobile.
 In some programs, students own their
mobile devices and are comfortable using
the devices.

Classroom without walls
Workplace without walls
Countries without boundaries
Students
Online presence
 Now generation
 @ generation
 Virtual generation
 Social networking
 Games
 Digital experts
 Adapt to technology quickly
 Technology is second nature
 Technology will become sixth sense

Internet
– E-learning/Online learning
– E-Commerce
– E-government
– E-collaboration
– E-library
Globalization – Shift to Mobility
– E-learning to M-learning
– E-commerce to M-commerce
– E-government to M-government
– E-collaboration to M-collaboration
– E-library to M-library
– E-health to M-health
– E-agriculture to M-agriculture
– E-finance to M-finance
Worldbank – September 16, 2009 Washington, DC
Mobile Innovations for Social and Economic
Transformation
9:00 -10:15 am Session 1: Overview of Mobile Innovations Space and
Enabling Environment
10:30 -11:45 am Session 2: Mobile Innovations in Financial Services
11:45 - 1:00 pm Session 3: Mobile Innovations in Health
1:00 - 2:30 pm Session 4: Mobile Innovations in Education
(Dr. Mohamed Ally)
2:30 -3:45 pm Session 5: Mobile Applications in Agriculture and Rural
Development
4:00-- 5:15 pm Session 6: Mobile Innovations in Governance
Traditional Nomads
 Group
of people that continuously
travel from place to place seeking
food, shelter, and trade.
Modern Nomads
 People
that continuously move from
place to place but can learn and work
at anytime and from anywhere.
Nomadic Computing
According to Kleinrock, the goal of
nomadic computing is to enable a
consistent experience for users anywhere
in the world, including as they travel from
one place to another.
 A nomadic environment is said to be one
that is transparent to the user, regardless
of location, the device and platform
they're using, the available bandwidth,
and whether or not they are in motion at
any given time.

Is mobile technology turning
learners and workers into
“nomads”?
If Yes, what is the impact on the
education system and libraries?
What is mobile learning?
 Use
of mobile devices such as mobile
phones, handhelds, PDAs, iPhone 3G,
etc to facilitate training, teaching and
learning and to access electronic
learning resources.
What is mobile Library?
 Access
of library information using
mobile devices from anywhere and at
anytime
Mobile Training
 Mobile
training (M-Training) is the
use of mobile technology to deliver
electronic training courses and
materials to workers anywhere and
anytime.
 Workplace is becoming virtual
 Workers are mobile
 Workers telecommute
Why use Mobile Learning?
 Global
impact
 Access from remote locations
 Students can learn from anywhere
 Students can learn at anytime
 Educators can share learning
materials to reduce developmental
cost
 Learning materials are easy to
update
Why use Mobile Learning? (cont’d)
 Instant
delivery of learning materials
 Updates received immediately
 Students already have mobile devices
 Cater for different learning styles
 Education is more learner-centered
Education for all
 Bridge the learning divide

Learning Divide
 Digital
divide will be (is) something
of the past
 We now have the learning divide –
those who have access to learning
materials and those who do not have
access
Empower Learners
We underestimate the ability of people in
remote regions and developing countries
to use technology
 “Hole in the Wall” Project
(Sugata Mitra)

Emerging Technologies in Learning
Print
E-learning
Mobile Learning
(M-learning)
Why Use Emerging Technology to Educate Students









Can learn from anywhere and anytime
Do not have to leave their community and family
to learn
Can access up to date information and learning
materials
Shy females can learn in a non-threatening
environment
More people will have access to education
Students are very comfortable using ICT such as
mobile phones and other mobile devices
Everyone will be trained on the emerging
technologies as they use the technologies
If students miss a lesson because of family
obligations, they will be able access the learning
materials at a later time
Online collaboration is possible using the
emerging technologies
Why Educate All
 Both
males and females have many
strengths that can be developed
through education
 Everyone will contribute to the
economy
 Country will be able to compete in
the global economy
Top 21st Century Skills for Students
(Albert Browne, Verizon Foundation, U.S.A.)
 Work
ethics
 Collaboration
 Communication
 Social responsibility
 Critical thinking
 Problem solving
Skills that will become important
(Albert Browne, Verizon Foundation, U.S.A.)
 Critical
thinking
 Information and communication
technology
 Health and wellness
 Collaboration
 Innovation
The Ultimate School in the
21st Century
 Take
a few minutes and write down
what the ultimate school of the 21st
Century would look like.
The Ultimate School in the 21st Century
(Albert Browne, Verizon Foundation, U.S.A.)
 Use
of digital media
 Games as a learning strategy
 Mobile devices
 Online courses
Information Explosion
Information
doubles every
five years
Within 5 years, it is predicted
that information will double
every 11 days
Over 8 billion pages of
information on the web
Move to the Wisdom Era
 Agriculture
age
 Industrial age
 Information age
 Knowledge age (21st Century)
 Wisdom age (21st Century)
Learning/Training Model
(Dr. Ally & Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, 2006)
Information
Acquisition
Knowledge
Development
Knowledge
Application
Wisdom
Knowledge
Creation
Skills
Development
Strategies for Developing Education
for the 21st Century









Involve both males and females in the design of
learning systems (course materials, hardware, and
software)
Use learning theories in education
Designing for interactive and active learning
Designing learning materials to cater for individual
differences – learning style
Digitizing education
Developing curriculum using learning objects
Train educators to use learning technologies
Blended learning in education
Use emerging learning technologies (E-learning and
Mobile Learning in education)
Looking into the Future
Build a 21st Century Education system that
caters for both males and females
 Keep traditional and religious values and
principles
 Content will be available as Open Access
 Develop citizens to function in the 21st
century workforce
 Develop students to become future
researchers in their fields
 Set high standards and goals (aim for
Nobel Prize)

 Information
access is a human
right
 All humans are entitled to get an
education to meet their
individual needs
 Learning is a nourishment for the
mind
 Educators have an obligation to
help prevent intellectual
starvation
With Mobile Technology
“Education for All” is within
reach
Establish the
“New Zealand Association of
Mobile Learning”
or
“New Zealand Association of
Mobile Libraries”
The 3rd International M-Libraries
Conference will be held in
Brisbane, Australia in March 2011