My dissertation title ended up to be: “Can mobile learning bridge the digital divide in education?”

Since the development of electronic technology and the innovation of the Internet, information has become readily accessible around the globe, triggering an innovative approach in today’s education; electronic learning in schools, otherwise known as e-learning. However, due to the considerable expense of computers and Internet services, a digital divide emerged between the countries that could and could not afford them. The gap in computer literacy between these countries is still substantial and the governments all over the world are constantly trying to find ways to reduce it.

There are many different technologies related to e-learning that have been successful in education practices in developed countries – from the original Internet based in-class applications to the latest mobile learning (m-learning) systems outside of the classroom. M-learning is a new concept in the industry, emerging in recent years with the development of handheld devices, such as mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and smartphones. Now, people all over the world, including developing countries, own one or more of these devices. As Sachs (2008) suggests, over 3.3 billion people are subscribed, an estimate of one per every two people on the planet. Perhaps one reason for such growth is that mobile devices now have many technologies embedded within them, which allows vast flexibility and access to any information independent of time and location.

The falling costs of handheld devices have led people to believe this may aid to bridge the digital divide in education. Yet even with such flexibility and diverse technology like location-based media and communication services, these devices may not be powerful enough to bring computer literacy up to the required standard. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the potential success of mobile learning methodologies in this electronic age of education and measure its effects on learners and educators in various cultures and societies. Worldwide statistics, theories and projects will be evaluated and compared throughout this study, in order to discover whether m-learning can bridge the digital divide in
education.

Many hours of research and writting have finally ended as the dissertation is all finished and handed in! Here is the link to a PDF.