Laptops, cell phones or e-readers – what’s most effective for learning?

My October blog post asked: Are 1:1 programs “worth it” for low-income countries?  If educational policymakers and planners decide 1:1 programs are not feasible, but still want to use technology to provide a quality education for students, access to information, and cost efficiencies, a logical follow-up question might be: Are there other technology alternatives that can offer at lower cost what 1:1 computing promises, with a proven research base, and without the need for broadband?

Addressing that question is the focus of my November blog post.

There are several technology alternatives to 1:1 programs—none perfect, as we will see. Here, I examine them according to cost, the need for broadband connectivity, and evidence of their impact on student learning.

Thin-Client Systems

The first is a thin-client system (1). In a thin-client system, dummy terminals with no software or operating system are connected to one server which does all the computing for, say, 25 laptops. This can be a computer lab—or, better still, computers on wheels/laptop carts.

Thin-client systems are far from optimal. There is lack of research showing impact on learning, and there is still the issue of broadband connectivity, and most important, access to electricity. The main advantage is that thin-client systems allow students to use technology at a far lower cost than is the case with 1:1 programs. With a thin-client system, schools can use refurbished computers—2-3 for the price of one laptop. When there is a problem, technicians (assuming there is someone somewhere) need only to focus on one server versus 25 laptops.

E-readers

A second possible alternative to laptops is e-readers, which may be Sub-Saharan Africa’s most logical 1:1 program, given the MDGs, donor focus on literacy, and the creation of organizations like World Reader. In theory at least, as a 1:1 technology, e-readers make sense in very poor locations: They provide books where there often are none. They focus on reading— the single most critical skill in early grade education (USAID, 2013) and the technology is simple. E-readers offer mother-tongue and second language content; some e-readers even allow students (and teachers) to write and record their own stories.

Additionally, with e-readers, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is low—$5 per student per e-reader (vs. $300 per student per laptop in some 1:1 programs). Broadband or even Internet isn’t an issue because readers have hundreds of books or can be updated via cellular networks.  Access to a reliable electrical supply is an issue but in many places, e-readers work off the grid. There is some research on their impact on student learning (Larson, 2013), but data linking e-readers to improved reading are still minimal.

Cell phones

The third, and possibly most promising alternative to traditional 1:1 programs, involves cell phones about which I wrote in August. There are three types of phones—simple phones (primarily voice and text); feature phones (voice, text, maybe video, the ability to send and receive photos, and use simple social networking apps like Facebook Zero or MxIt); and smart phones (essentially, mini-computers with apps).

Figure 1: Types of mobile phones—simple phones, feature phones, and smart phones—and general costs based on my unscientific sample from colleagues in Kenya and India and my own recent purchase of a mobile phone here in Ecuador.

Globally, 80% of mobile phone owners have feature phones and that alone makes cell phones in many poor countries more cost-effective than laptops. Figure 2 compares the cost of phones to laptops for countries that already have or are planning large-scale 1:1 programs. As seen in this graph, a $50 feature phone is often more affordable, as a percentage of per capita GDP, than a laptop (though phones can still represent a sizeable chunk of income for very poor countries like Gambia, Ethiopia or Madagascar).

Figure 2: Cost of a $50 feature phone vs. a $150 laptop as a share of GDP. [Adapted from Kim, Kelly & Raja (2010:49) examination of the cost of $150 relative to GDP (World Bank, 2012 data)].

Broadband (or indeed Internet) access is often very poor or non-existent in many countries, as I’ve written in an earlier post. But many places with often problematic broadband access—like India, many African countries, and Indonesia—have excellent cellular networks and phone calls are extremely cheap. Across the globe, we are seeing more and more initiatives using cell phones for student learning. Figure 3 visually encapsulates some of these initiatives.

Figure 3: Visual display of some cellphone education projects around the globe

Some of the largest global educational initiatives currently use feature phones as the essential component of their technology interventions. For instance, the core of Bangladesh’s  English in Action initiative involves personalized phone-based instruction in which English-language learners (both adults and students) can follow the course at their own speed. The mobile phone lessons recognize the learner’s phone number and pick up where the learner left off the next time they call in. Even in the United States, where cell phones are often banned from schools, teachers are increasingly using phones as part of classroom learning (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2013).

Cell phones are common, they are multifunctional, and they are proliferating (in contrast to the declining sale of laptops).  In Asia and Africa, cell phone ownership far exceeds laptop ownership (UNESCAP, 2011). Cell phones are less expensive than laptops; they don’t need ISPs—they run on cellular networks or can transfer data via SD cards. Yet, like most technologies, while there is some research showing impact on, say, literacy (Aker, Ksoll & Lybber, 2010), cell phones still lack a substantive body of rigorous research or studies that show learning impact. (Click here for a welcome contrarian view of cell phones as a useful educational tool)

….

So, the answer to the question— Are there other technology alternatives that can offer at lower cost what 1:1 computing promises, with a proven research base, and without the need for broadband?—remains muddled (though clarity may emerge as more research is undertaken). But there are two other proven older non-digital technologies that bear consideration.

The first is interactive radio (or audio) instruction (IRI/IAI), about which I’ve written earlier and where cost-efficient, equitable access to information can be furnished for approximately $1.00-$2.00 per student per year (Gaible & Burns, 2007: 43). IRI/IAI doesn’t require bandwidth and has proven learning gains for students (especially for girls and children in rural areas). And, IAI is increasingly broadcast via cell phones.

The second is an older technology, first created on a mass scale in the 15^th century, and in use by schools since. It provides access to information, requires no broadband or equipment and is highly cost efficient. Most important, though often overlooked because of our fixation with high-tech interventions, it has been inextricably linked with educational attainment for centuries.

This simple, effective and often overlooked technology?

A book.

Notes

(1)  In a “fat client” system, as most 1:1 programs are, every laptop does its own computing—25 computers with 25 operating systems and 25 wireless connections.

References:

Aker, J.C., Ksoll, C. & Lybber, T.J. (2010, September). ABC, 123: The impact of a

mobile phone literacy program on educational outcomes. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/16xh7zQ

Gaible, E. & Burns, M. (2007). Using technology to train teachers: Appropriate uses of ICTs for professional development. Retrieved from http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.13.html

Kim, Y., Kelly, T.  & Raja, S.  (2010). Building broadband: Strategies and policies for the developing world. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/67KvUK

Larson, L. (2013, January). It’s time to turn the digital page: Pre-service teachers explore e-book reading. In Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56, (4) 280–290

Pew Internet and American Life Project (2013). How teachers are using technology at home and in their classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teachers-and-technology.aspx

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2011). Statistical yearbook for Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/Ndf04e

USAID (2013). Frontlines: A message from USAID’s education chief.  Retrieved from http://1.usa.gov/1dZupIf

World Bank (2013). GDP per capita: current USD. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD