Mobile Devices & Distance Learning

I agree with the general sentiment of this week’s articles: that mobile devices have become extremely popular and that that educational institutions and libraries must capitalize on this popularity to remain current and effectively reach their students/patrons.  I was especially interested in the idea of increasing the use of mobile phones in education in developing countries where most people have a cell phone though they may not have access to computers or the physical spaces of educational institutions.   While I agree that mobile devices could be invaluable in this type of situation (I remember in particular the example given of villagers in a small local clinic being able to text with a doctor in a city hospital)  I don’t think basic cell phones  can effectively be used as the main access point to distance courses.  While cell phones (think basic phones, not smart phones) can certainly be useful to supplement a distance learner’s experiences, reading or writing large documents can be difficult or impossible.  Once BlackBerries or iPhones are more affordable then I can see distance learning in developing countries  relying more heavily on cell phones, but for now I think that traditional methods – email, mail, CMS websites used on a computer – must remain an important part of distance courses.  That being said, I still believe that libraries can capitalize on the widespread use of cell phones, even in developing countries.  For example, sending text messages to alert patrons about library news could be an effective outreach strategy.