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Mobi - world first for mobile maths education
South African technology and training company IT School Innovation has
launched a unique educational tool for mobile devices, MOBI™, which
allows users to chat, listen to the latest music hits and learn
mathematics – turning mobile phones into edutainment devices.
“Although the underlying technology provides the foundation for
rolling-out mobile education programmes on just about any topic to any
location for any organisation or community – the initial focus is on
mobile mathematics (MOBI Maths) for grades 10 to 12, specifically
tailored for the South African mathematics curriculum, says IT School
Innovation’s CEO, Lieb Liebenberg.
“To our knowledge this is the first time anyone has launched a mobile
edutainment application of this scope,” Liebenberg continues. “It’s
not surprising this kind of technology and associated application
would be developed in South Africa - where the use of mobile handsets
is widespread and bandwidth adequate and affordable in comparison to
fixed line options,” he says. “Almost everyone has a handset in South
Africa – and the opportunities for education are immense,” he
continues.
Looking specifically at the education side, MOBI currently offers both
mathematics education in the form of a five section structured
educational approach and secure private chat rooms for learners to
communicate with their friends. This is an ideal platform for
cooperative learning events, or just socializing. Content preparation
for other subjects like Physics and Chemistry is in progress.
MOBI, which has been developed to run on most handsets, can be
downloaded and installed for free. Once installed, the application is
able to connect to an online server via a mobile wireless protocol
such as 3G or GPRS and provides access to MOBI maths, MOBI Chat and
MOBI Radio. MOBI maths provides learners with various options to
access content, the easiest of which is the ‘Quick find’ option where
learners submit a search term and are provided with the available
content in one or more of the following modes: “Basics, Theory,
Examples” and “Exercises”.
“Although full use of Mobi Math is charged at a nominal monthly fee,
access to some sections of Mobi maths content such as ‘Basic Skills’
section is free,” says IT School Innovation’s Marketing Director,
Kathy Kendall. “We are acutely aware of the fact that extra tutoring
is expensive, so we developed MOBI with affordability in mind,” she
says.
For Grade 10-12 learners, the first stage of the application, Mobi
Assessor runs the leaner through various mathematics questions in
order to determine their proficiency in the subject and to establish
their stage in the national curriculum. Once the learner has been
assessed the Mobi application can automatically lead the learner to
areas of maths where they are weakest – or run them through their
whole curriculum for revision. Tutorials take the form of streamed
videos and examples aimed at explaining precisely different maths
concepts and tutorials for maths skills development.
The “Basic Skills” section is aimed at filling gaps in a learner’s
maths knowledge from previous years, and will also prove valuable to
Grade 8-9 learners, whereas the “Theory” section focusses on grade-
specific background knowledge, complimented by the “Example” section.
The idea behind the “Exercise” section is that learners first try to
solve the problems posted there for themselves, before accessing the
solutions offered. The “Exercise” section is in essence a preparation
for tests and exams and allows learners to evaluate the depth of their
knowledge.
Of particular interest to Matric learners will be the “Previous
Papers” section, which contains complete solutions – with theoretical
background – to the matric papers of 2004, 2005 and 2006.
“Mobi is not designed to replace a teacher and classroom, but rather
to enhance classroom learning by providing learners with affordable,
anywhere, anytime access to mathematics instruction. It is ideally
positioned to assist learners in a homework environment as a tutor to
assist in the understanding of maths concepts and as a revision tool
during test and exam seasons,” says Kendall.
English and Afrikaans versions of the Mobi application are available
for download free of charge at www.mymobi.co.za/download. It can also
be accessed from a PC at www.mymobi.co.za.
About IT School Innovation
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of IT School Innovation is to provide Technology Enhanced
Learning solutions by developing and supporting integrated, accredited
and curriculum-based products and services.
Our Vision
Our aim is to utilise Best Educational Practices to deliver cutting
edge solutions to deliver an exciting interactive learning experience.
Contact Information
For more information please contact:
J (Lieb) Liebenberg, CEO
Tel: +27 12 8072045
Cell: +27 82 564 9668
Kathy Kendall, Marketing Director
Tel: +27 12 8072045
Cell: +27 83 388 2210
Email: i...@itschools.co.za
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