Friday, August 21, 2015

Mobile Extends Reach, Potential of Distance Learning - Aida Akl, VOA

Distance education is increasingly becoming available to mobile users, both as an alternative and a compliment to structured learning. Some educators hope it could even level the global skills gap. But that remains a work in progress. Open universities that offer MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses with content from participating universities are not new. But their pace has picked up with increased global Internet connectivity, making it possible for people to learn anything, anywhere, often for free. For most people around the world, “the first time and actually only time they’ll get on the Internet is with a mobile device – their phone,” said the World Bank’s Michael Trucano, Senior Education & Technology Policy Specialist and Global Lead for Innovation in Education. http://blogs.voanews.com/techtonics/2015/08/07/mobile-extends-reach-potential-of-distance-learning/