Mobile learning/Cases/Literacy

Using Mobiles for Teaching Literacy

the m4lit project

The m4Lit (mobile phones for literacy) project set out to explore the viability of using mobile phones to support reading and writing by youth in South Africa (SA). If mobile phones proved to be a legitimate alternative and complement to printed literature then their potential for increasing youth literacy practices of reading and writing in SA, and indeed the developing world, would be significant. Most developing countries are book-poor and mobile phone-rich, after all.

In the pilot phase of the project a mobile novel (m-novel) was written and published in September 2009 on a mobisite and on MXit. The story, called Kontax, was published in English and in isiXhosa. Readers were invited to interact with it as it unfolded – teens could discuss the unfolding plot, vote in polls, leave comments, and finally submit a written piece as part of a competition for story sequel ideas. In this way the project aimed to contribute to the understanding of youth mobile literacies.

The new m-novel offering called Yoza — a funky youth-zone with engaging stories that include further Kontax episodes as well as stories from other genres, e.g. soccer, issues and teen romance, launched on 22 August 2010. All stories from www.kontax.mobi have been moved to Yoza.

Project led by Steve Vosloo, Marion Walton and Ana Deumert.

Readings

Walton, M. (2010), 'Mobile literacies & South African teens: Leisure reading, writing, and MXit chatting for teens in Langa and Gugulethu', Research report prepared for the Shuttleworth Foundation m4Lit project. http://m4lit.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/m4lit_mobile_literacies_mwalton_20101.pdf

What happens when an m-novel a novel intended to be read on cell phones, a mobile website and an online social network are used to support South African teens’ leisure reading and writing?

The Shuttleworth Foundation's m4Lit project commissioned an m-novel, entitled Kontax, which was written by Sam Wilson and translated into isiXhosa by Nkululeko Mabandla. Written in the teen mystery genre, Kontax was targeted at teens aged between fourteen and seventeen years and was intitially published in daily episodes in both English and isiXhosa on the mobisite www.kontax.mobi a website designed specifically for use on mobile phones.

Vosloo, S.; Walton, M. & Deumert, A. (2009), m4Lit: a teen m-novel project in South Africa, in 'Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning (mLearn 2009)'. http://www.marionwalton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mlearn2009_07_sv_mw_ad.pdf

The m4Lit mobile phones for literacy pilot project will create a mobile novel m-novel, published on a mobisite in English and in isiXhosa, to explore ways of supporting teen leisure reading and writing around fictional texts in South Africa, using mobile media. The story will be published serially and invite readers to interact with it as it unfolds – teens will vote on and discuss the unfolding plot, leave comments, and finally submit a written piece as part of a competition. The study will contribute to the understanding of mobile literacies, from a new literacy studies perspective.