Research: Sharing the Knowledge
This project shares a lot in common with the growing trend of mobile learning, or m-learning as it is called. Some applications in m-learning are exemplified by Nokia's Life Tools service, which text messages daily trivia to subscribers for things like learning English. The Indian state-owned telecom company BSNL also has a similar program, among others. Many providers see the future of m-learning in developing interactive games, waiting for the day when the common access to that level of technology can allow widespread implementation. Our system emphasizes the power of community participation over the reliance upon dynamic interactive software to bring knowledge to the far corners in the near future, because cooperation will always be an invaluable resource for learning.
MOBILE LEARNING PEDAGOGIES
Prior research in mobile learning has demonstrated proven active learning methodologies that this project seeks to capitalize upon as well. One such method is socio-cognitive learning, characterized by developing knowledge through personally or collaboratively forming and re-forming concepts. Researchers user-testing m-learning games for the MOBIlearn project observed that socio-cognitive tactics built confidence and expressiveness in learners, which in turn fed a desire to learn more. Likewise, Kumar et al demonstrated in their word recognition experiments that participants were able to retain significantly more new words if using productive training (prompting users to verbalize the correct answer) over receptive training (selecting from multiple choice).
METHODS FOR TEACHING LITERACY
The other side to the project research was in learning the correct methods in teaching literacy. For that, Dustin and Zhengxin interviewed an educator with over twenty years of experience in doing just that, Kristen Aguirre-Ford. Ms. Aguirre-Ford currently teaches disadvantaged youths in inner-city Los Angeles how to read and write. The discussion with her was very fruitful, revealing basic tenets of literacy education that informed and drove new directions for this project. Ms. Aguirre-Ford described some of the most critical factors to a healthy learning environment. Among them, having support from others is integral in driving an interest in literacy. It is also important that the student knows why they are learning what they are learning, and to recognize the importance of using methods of auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning in concert to help all students learn in the best manner for them. And one of the most important strategies she described was that the student should not initially be limited by the words they know, instead they should be inspired by the imaginations they possess. All of this went into how Sharing the Knowledge formed its informally-driven learning interventions.