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Mobile Learning and Older Learners
By Richard Nantel | July 31, 2007
When I was in my late 30s, my eye doctor told me that, by the age of 40, I’d begin to notice a change in my ability to focus up close. So, I exercised more, upped my intake of lycopeine-rich fruits and vegetables, and felt confident that I’d be able to stop the aging process through willpower.
By the age of 41, I was holding restaurant menus at arm’s length and complaining about dim lighting. I’m now rarely without a cheap pair of pharmacy reading glasses in my shirt pocket (and in my car, in my briefcase, etc.).
It appears that I’m one of the only people on the planet without a cell phone. I just don’t have a strong need to be reachable at all times. (In fact, I love the fact that I sometimes can’t be reached.) When I’m away from home and do need to make an emergency phone call, and there isn’t a pay phone in the vicinity, a friend almost always offers me his or her phone.
This is where things get embarrassing. The buttons are small, and the screen is tiny and dimly lit. I can’t see a thing. I fumble. The friend offers to dial for me. I look like a jerk. I tell the friend I’m a genius with computers. Phones? Not so much. Eventually, I place my call.
There’s a lot of talk about mobile learning finally beginning to get some legs. If so, I can’t see this taking place with older learners (a growing part of the workforce — see my last post) on many of the devices currently in use. Mobile learning on the current line of cell phones, with the possible exception of the Apple iPhone and possibly a couple of others, is strictly for the below-40 age group.
My wifi-enabled Palm TX PDA has a large bright screen that allows even me to see the content clearly. This one could work for mobile learning. But, without an available Blackberry-like thumb keyboard, don’t ask me to input anything. I can do little else than click on things with a stylus.
Governments will be encouraging workers to keep working as long as possible to Learning departments will be encouraged to adopt cutting-edge strategies such as mobile learning to create better learning outcomes. Unless thought is given to hardware usability and the requirements of older learners, this could be a disaster in the making.
Topics: Aging, Learning, Mobile learning |
July 31st, 2007 at 6:42 pm
You may be surprised to know that I also do not have a cell phone. And as someone with very poor eyesight, I can certainly relate to your plaint about small parts on phones and mobile devices generally.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:54 pm
There certainly are issues that need to be addressed in implementing mobile learning; but this is no more (and no less) the case than it was ten years ago, during the rise of the Internet; or twenty years ago, during the rise of personal computing.
Ten years ago, Jakob Nielsen was preaching for large, high contrast text and minimalist design for usability. Those who were involved in advocating the principles of usability and good interface design paved the way for a web that became better - not just for the visually impaired, the dyslexic, or the colour blind, but for everyone.
Twenty years ago, personal computers were undergoing a revolutionary change from tiny, text-based command-line machines, to graphical user interfaces with the Apple Mac and the first version of Windows, which made personal computers easy to use for *everyone* (not just the sight impaired).
Today, the concerns are no less and no more important when it comes to the design of mobile devices. Designing the mobile experience to make it easy for even the disadvantaged to use will eventually result in a mobile experience that is better for *everyone*.
Many such steps have already been taken. There are mobile phones with large buttons and large numbers even before we mention the iPhone, with its enormous screen and huge touchscreen buttons.
And further steps are, even now, being taken, with phones that can project a screen the size of a computer monitor using a laser or LED projector on any flat surface, voice recognition and text-to-speech facilities and more.
However, the pioneers of the Internet were not the ones who waited when the technology was rudimentary, for a time when it would be easy. They did not wait for W3C Accessibility Guidelines and CSS to make reading on-screen text easy. The pioneers of computing were not the ones who waited for large icons and screen-reader technologies.
What are you waiting for? Start looking around for a phone that (you think) meets your needs, and try it out for better or for worse. Figure out what it is you don’t like, then get a different phone that better meets your improved understanding.
In doing so, you will undoubtedly discover all of the things that a mobile phone can *enable* you to achieve.
To not do so is akin to ignoring the Internet because it’s too confusing, or ignoring personal computers because you prefer reading off paper, rather than off a screen.
Far better to
Try. Criticise. Discover.
Invent.
Create.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:47 am
Leonard: Thank you for your insights. One of the problems I see in mobile computing is that cell phones, being ubiquitous, are now considered the obvious delivery platform.
But, it appears having a large cell phone is the equivalent to wearing pocket protectors in high school: Dorky with a capital D and insurance to remain sexually chaste. Consequently, the trend for cell phone designers is to go ever smaller.
Cell phone companies are out to make a buck so they’re in the smaller is sexier race. Creating larger, easier-to-read cell phones will only appeal to savvy companies that realize there’s an untapped demographic niche among older customers.
I think mobile learning will occur. But, I think this will be a failed experiment if companies attempt to implement this strategy using devices a growing segment of the workforce, older learners, can’t use.
September 9th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I am looking for a cell phone with large numbers
on screen. Commenters say they are available but
which are the specific brands and model numbers ? Jitterbug is out as they do not allow
one to keep an old cell phone number. Anyone else?
Thanks
September 23rd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
The Samsung SYNC cell phone has large digital number readout on the display screen. My sister loves it. I wish they made more cell phones like this for the over 50 crowd! I want to see who is calling me without my glasses.