Technology as an Enabler in Teacher Professional

Development?

Mobile Gurukul - A Teacher’s Aide

Mujahidul IslamRadha Ganesan

Educational Technology & Design (ETD) - URC

July 4, 2012

Technology based intervention in education

• Typical challenges with computer-based intervention

– Hardware (in)accessibility– Lack of training and insufficient operational skills– Infrastructure bottlenecks– Questionable sustainability

• How could we creatively utilize existing technologies to aid education and educators?

Technology access in India

2000 2005 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0.3

7.9

61.4

0.54.5

8.56.1

%age of Mobile Subscriptions%age of households with computers%age of Internet penetration

Year

Schools with ICTs in India (DISE, 2010-11)

19%

81%

schools with computersschools without computer

83%

17%

functional computernon-functional computers

15%

85%

Schools with CALSchools without CAL

87%

13%

%age of rural schools%age of urban schools

Mobile phones - widely used access device

2000 2005 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0.3

7.9

61.4

Population with a Mobile Phone

Calendar Year

Pe

rce

nta

ge

of

Po

pu

lati

on

Mobile in Majority World

No need of permanent electricity

Easy maintenance

Easy to use audio and text interface

Affordability

Accessibility

Mobile Gurukul

What is it?• A distance mentoring system for school teachers

over mobile phones

Features of Mobile Gurukul Blends the individuality of phones to preserve

anonymity Utilizes web technology for back-end support

and archiving

What it is not– A replacement mechanism for systematic and

ongoing professional development

A Background

• Initiated at IIIT, Bangalore in 2010. The idea was initially conceptualized by Prof. Michal Yerushalamy, University of Haifa, Israel.

• Focus was on creating a successful Technological Infrastructure

• Tested the concept at one school and with 5 organizations working in the education sector

Concept Design

Internet

Teacher asks questions through Mobile Phone

Teacher receives the answer on her Mobile Phone in the form of an audio or a text .

Mentor sees the question on the Mobile Gurukul Webpage

Mentor sends the answer through the internet either by recording their audio or entering text

Teacher can respond back to the answer and continue the discussion

Txtweb

Teachers can use their mobile phones to use txtweb apps which will help them more on their queries. Teachers can also access previously answered questions.

TOI Portal

Teachers will be suggested to visit the portal for relevant resources to deepen understanding

Roles• Teachers

– Pose question and receives the answer (mobile phone)

• Mentors (current or ex-teachers, Univ faculty, SMEs )– Respond to the questions asked– Document/classify the questions after

answering• Admin

– Manages the questions and answers– Ensures all the questions are being answered

within the given time • Vendors

– Build the tech infrastructure (Response channel: IVR and Web Application)

Research Method

Duration: Pilot phase for 8 weeks Location: APF schoolsNumber of teachers: 65

Site A: Sirohi and Udhamsinghnagar.

Max Inputs: Active encouragement to utilize the service

Teachers will be encouraged to ask at

least one question everyday. A daily reminder to ask

questions.

Site B: Tonk and Uttarkashi

Medium Inputs: Announcement +

‘How to use’ demonstration.

A weekly reminder to ask questions will be

sent via SMS

Control GroupSite C: Dhamtari

Minimal Inputs: A

simple announcement about

the service will be made.

No demonstration and no reminders to

ask questions

Process

• Teachers pose queries/receive responses by calling or texting

• Queries will be organized and displayed through the Mobile Gurukul website

• Mentors can view the questions and record their answers

• Mentors will answer the queries through Recorded voice answers sent as a recorded

message Text message sent as an SMS Directly calling the phone number

• Archive of answered questions for all and sundry

We assume that:

• Teachers are comfortable using mobile phones to call and send SMS

• Teachers want to have periodic access to professional assistance

• Teacher’s reluctance to use (i.e., cost concerns) can be overcome

• Mentors will provide relevant and useful responses

• Asynchronous method using Short voice clips and SMS can help answer the queries of the teachers

• (If successful) project can be scaled

Follow-up & Anticipated Outcomes

Post-pilot survey of teachers to assess Did the teachers use it? Do the teachers find the service useful and

effective? Are the teachers likely to use it again? Probable bottlenecks in using the service

(e.g., cost of a call)

Assessment at the back-end Ease of use (i.e., from a workflow standpoint) What kind of problems and responses are

most effective Technological limitations (e.g., too many

abandoned calls?) Is it scalable?

Anticipated Outcomes

• Teachers use this system (when needed) to get their questions resolved by mentors

• A mobile based virtual community of teachers where they share, collaborate and construct knowledge

• Teachers who start here by asking questions, eventually start answering other’s queries

• Question Bank which informs the policy makers, textbook writers, teacher educators about the needs of so many teachers who use this service

Is this an idea worth pursuing? Send an SMS ‘Yes/No’ to 9035319348

Would you like to follow this project?

Would you like to participate as a mentor?

Send us an email - etd.apf@gmail.com

Specific Questions • What motivates teachers to participate in voluntary

professional development services/programs?• Will teachers use virtual systems and services to overcome

feelings/experiences of isolation? • What type of knowledge are teachers seeking and what

knowledge do they value?• Is there a difference in the knowledge sought by primary and

secondary school teachers across subject areas? • What role does the distance-mentoring system offered by

Mobile Gurukul is used by the teachers who are already motivated to teach effectively in their teaching and learning spaces?

• How many and what types of questions are asked frequently? What types of answers are easy to comprehend and understand through a mobile based mentoring system? Are the responses understandable and do they make sense to the teachers?

• Do the mentors prove to be helpful to them in their search for the answer? How do we ensure deeper engagement or follow-up questions to be asked in relation to the answer? One answer or multiple aspects of the possible answers?(Answer by multiple mentors) What questions lend well for clear cut/focused/short response? How do we ensure continuous engagement with content area?

• Asynchronous answering of the questions – what is the best way to reach the teacher? How can they be delivered by using short voice clips or text messages? How do we facilitate direct interactions between the teacher and the mentor? Do teachers prefer sending/receiving text or voice messages? Is there a need to bring any technical or workflow changes based on the feedback of the users (Teachers and Mentors)? Etc.