Category 5: Mobile Innovation
5b. Best Mobile Innovation for Education or Learning
Mobile devices, technologies, applications and services are providing unique opportunities for academic institutions, businesses, teachers and trainers to develop and deliver access to educational and training materials efficiently, regardless of location, and to support the social process of learning – whether in developed or developing countries. Today, mLearning can take place in any location, at any time, including traditional learning environments such as classrooms as well as in workplaces, at home, community locations and in transit.
This award category aims to highlight the rapidly increasing convergence of the mobile and education sectors, and to highlight some of the key areas of genuine innovation in learning initiatives, products, services or applications throughout the world today. This could also include tools for academic administrative efficiency, or child safety, i.e. notifying parents by text if their students aren’t in school, dynamic timetable, resource management, or even cloud services such for data or system management tailored specifically to academic institutions. There are a myriad of new ways that mobile is being used in the education context and environment.
The judges will shortlist five entries in this category, with one winner announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday 28th February 2012.
Eligibility:
Entry is open to all organisations in the mLearning eco-system that provide wireless connectivity based products, devices, services, applications, solutions and initiatives. Entered products, devices, services, applications or solutions should be either commercially available and launched or are in widespread trials before the awards entry deadline date of Wednesday 07th December 2011 at 5pm (GMT).
Eligible entrants include:
- mLearning/ education equipment, notebook, handheld and specialist learning device manufacturers
- mLearning/ education solution content providers
- Academic and training institutions
- Mobile network operators
- NGOs
- Application & Software Developers
- Chipset and module manufacturers
Judging criteria:
The judges will be looking at how well entries meet the key criteria, as follows:
- Innovation in terms of learning functionality, technology, business models and market potential
- Ease of access & usability: How simple/easy is it to use?
- How it taps into new under-served market segments
- How it applies to specific curricular & key learning objectives
- How it makes best use of mobility and/or on line working via wireless or mobile networks
- How it links to institutional systems such as virtual learning environments and management information systems
- Evidence of user/institutional take up
