The Pedagogy of Mobile Learning In Supporting Distance Learners

The aim of this paper is to investigate the pedagogic approach that best support effective use of cell phones in the distance education context. Many distance education scholars agreed that students need to be supported both cognitively and affectively through mediated forms of interaction. Distance education institutions have used a variety of technologies to enhance interaction but none has been so readily available and accessible as cell phones. The usage of cell phones in supporting students is most suitable in Africa because it is affordable and has the ability to connect less privileged people to information. Despite evidence that show that cell phones can be used successfully as a cognitive delivery tool, the pedagogical affordances of cell phones have not yet been fully explored in most developing countries. To understand the pedagogy for mobile learning, it is important to look at distance education theories to determine the importance of interaction on the efficacy of distance learning. The idea is to map the role of interaction in the distance education transaction with the aim of facilitating and devising pedagogical strategies and techniques that can be used to assist students and lecturers to use cell phones. Therefore, the use of cell phones in teaching and learning should be grounded on sound theoretical and pedagogical principles. Author