What Makes a Successful ICT Project: Part 2

Clear vision, extensive research and planning, proper timing, feelings of ownership by stakeholders, and a desire to constantly evaluate feedback in order to improve performance. During last week’s readings, these were the themes I gathered as being the key components to a successful and sustainable innovative project. Therefore, while reading the various case-studies on mobile learning this week, I utilized these key components as a baseline to decipher what worked and what could have been done better in each initiative. I will continue to use these for future case-study evaluations as well.

WHAT WORKED IN THE MOBILE LEARNING INITIATIVES:

• Clear Vision

• Each initiative had a clear vision to create low-cost, easily accessible learning opportunities for all students via mobile learning anytime and any place.

• Extensive Research and Planning

• Initiative teams ensured that mobile phones were in the hands of all learners either by providing learners with with cell phones or having learners use their own

• Project teams developed partnerships with affordable broadband companies so that all students could have access to learning materials

• Initiative teams implemented curriculum on mobile phones that specifically targeted areas research found to be areas of need in their particular regions (i.e. literacy, math, science, development of 21st century skills, etc.).

• Proper timing

• Realizing how vastly popular mobile phone usage had become throughout their respective regions, most teachers and students were ready to accept the idea of moving towards a mobile learning model for education.

• Feelings of or Ownership by Stakeholders

• A diverse ecosystem of stakeholders (both inside and outside of the education field) were involved in the projects

• Consistent Feedback in Order to Improve Performance

• Mobile phones allowed educators to receive immediate feedback on student performance and, thus, tailor their future lessons accordingly

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER IN THE MOBILE LEARNING INITIATIVE:

• Clear Vision

• To make the vision/goal a little clearer, the project teams could have been more specific regarding the number of learners they would like to have using the mobile learning devices and by when. Having target numbers and dates is usually a very helpful way to gauge whether or not one is achieving success by their standards

• Extensive Research and Planning

• Give educators more adequate hands-on training on what mobile learning actually means vs. mobile access, and ways to use it effectively as a learning tool.

• Since smartphones are the best equipped to handle mobile learning, it would have been beneficial for all of the project teams to settle in on providing all learners with a smartphone to ensure there is equity in the quality of access to educational tools via mobile phone. They then could have researched the options for acquiring the phones (bulk wholesale purchase, donations, etc.) and developed a plan for acquiring them.

• Having smartphones would also help with the issue of regulating usage. To combat the possibility of inappropriate usage of the mobile phone, parental control apps could be downloaded on each phone as well as trackers (if available in the area)

• Have a stakeholders meeting from the very beginning of the project so that all parties are aware of what the ultimate goal of the initiative is as well as what each stakeholder’s’ individual needs and interests are. From there, the groups can create a plan for how to meet the interest of the stakeholders while accomplishing the collective goal of the initiative.

• Proper timing

• Prior to beginning the initiatives, innovative teams could have allowed policy makers in particular to interact with mobile learning directly so that they can see for themselves the benefits of mobile learning. This, in turn, could have prompted them to make changes to some of the current policies that either ban or limit mobile phone use in educational settings.

• Feelings of or Ownership by Stakeholders

• Similar to the eSkwela initiative, make each stakeholder hands-on with the project by delegating each stakeholder responsible for a particular aspect of the project. Preferably, make it an area of the project closely related to what their individual needs and interests are. This will motivate more of the stakeholders to do what is necessary to make the project successful.

• Consistent Feedback in Order to Improve Performance

• Have students/families, teachers, and administrators complete monthly or quarterly surveys to keep track of how the initiatives are working

• For more immediate feedback, mobile learning innovators could have created a mobile learning online community or group chat for the students and teachers to express their problems, concerns, and positive experiences using mobile learning.

From these mobile learning readings, I learned the importance of having everyone affected by the innovation project involved and/or considered throughout the planning process. The project team must all have a clear, agreed upon vision for the project. The socio-economic backgrounds of learners need to be taken into consideration when planning for the feasibility of the project. Policy makers need to form a hands-on connection with the initiative in order to be fully convinced of its benefit. Stakeholders’ unique interests and needs have to be addressed in order for the team to successfully work together. Educators and administrators need to receive immediate feedback on student performance in order to guide their future lessons. As I begin the planning stage of my disruptive innovation plan, I will keep all of these factors in mind.

Another lesson I learned, and probably the most important, is that technology innovation does not simply mean incorporating new technology into our current educational setup. It means there is a complete shift in how learners learn. I was definitely one who confused technology access with technology learning. Now that I have come to know the difference via the mobile learning readings, I can use this information to make sure my disruptive innovation plan focuses on changing how learners learn rather than simply adding new devices to the current classroom environment.