No kidding, this is learning on the move!

Saumya Bhattacharya in New Delhi

Education has just moved a step ahead from using computers as fixed-location data-bases and learning tools. What is on offer is anytime, anywhere network connectivity that is simple and arguably affordable —- with content and administration services available on tap to students, teachers, administrators and parents. All a student would need is a personal digital assistant (PDA) that fits into his pocket to remain connected to his teachers and school. That’s mobile learning for you.

According to Educomp Datamatics Ltd chief executive officer Shantanu Prakash, “Mobile learning is the point at which mobile computing and e-learning intersect to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience. It’s the ability to enjoy an educational experience from a PDA.”

Educomp is one of the first movers in this field in India and has set sights on the US market for its foray in m-learning. “This is a new technology and we are one of the first companies to do this,” he says.

Educomp Datamatics has developed a LearningMate WiFi (wireless fidelity) platform — a wireless computer network — at its technical development centre in Bangalore. “It took us four months to develop the software and another two months for technology integration to ready this platform which is the first of its kind in India,” Mr Prakash points out. A 40-member development team worked on the platform.
The components of this platform are:

* PDAs
* Wireless network using 802.11 protocol — the technology being used
* Student Information System (SIS) application server which maintains all the data related to the students
* Evaluation server — This server enables teachers in evaluating students in real time.
* Content server - Content needs to be reformatted into compatible format for the handheld units as the screen size is small and the memory available limited. It is stored in HTML or flash.

According to Mr Prakash, the cost of installing the platform in a school would be $375 per student — of this, PDA will cost $200, wireless network $75 and software cost will amount to $100. The price of a PDA varies from $150-300 depending on the configuration and whether it is a colour PDA.

The company is all set to install the first of its platforms at Milwaukee School District in the Milwaukee state of the United States by the year-end. The company has a subsidiary in the US — LearningMate Inc — to take care of its marketing there.

“We are initially targeting the US market only. Right now, the cost is too high for Indian schools though some of them are keen on it,” Mr Prakash says adding that “the cost of the hardware as well as software is gradually coming down and we will soon see the applicability of mobile learning in India.”