For the past 2 years, ChinesePod and our parent company Praxis Language have set out to become the leader in the filed of mobile learning, i.e. providing learning solutions that can be used on mobile devices on the go. We have been building a Mobile Learning Network which includes products for individual learners (e.g. ChinesePod), for corporate learning (e.g. Wuxian Ketang and for schools and groups of students (e.g. Openlanguage). But why? I will be the first to admit that I didn’t get it at first and not everyone in our company understands the essence of it.
But I had an epiphany recently as we were preparing to launch ChinesePod School to offer face-to-face Chinese classes in Shanghai. During copy meetings, we thought about how to conceptualize our tech edge to the learner. And we started writing long paragraphs about how cutting-edge our Mobile Learning Network is. But that only muddled the message. The key question here is what a learner gets out of the technology. Then it hit me that we were getting too tangled in the technology itself and forgot why we used it in the first place. And it’s based on one simple idea: fit the learning into the learner’s life. We didn’t develop ChinesePod iPhone and Android apps because they are cool and cutting-edge. It’s the other way around, because people are already using these phones and other forms of technology which have ultimately changed the way we work, communicate and entertain. So is the way we learn. But learning has often been slow to adapt to these changes. We still largely see learning as going to a class, reading a book and listening to a teacher. It’s not that different from how people learned in the age of Confucius. Of course, there is irreplaceable value in the practice but learning especially adult learning needs to take new forms that respond to the changing demands in our lives.
So that’s why ChinesePod and Praxis have been focused on mobile learning. And we hope our products (like the best examples of technology) empower you to learn without you having to think about the tech infrastructure. At the end of the day, technology is plumbing. Learning is the goal.
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September 12, 2009 2:19 pm
Well said.
September 12, 2009 4:05 pm
Jenny, you’re not only beautiful but also very smart !
September 13, 2009 5:09 am
My luddite variant of the mobile Chinesepod world consists: 1) podcasts burned onto CDs which I listen to while driving to and from work, 2) transcripts printed on paper which I review during lunchtime, and 3) Flashcards hand-entered into Pleco on a 5 year old Palm Pilot.
Some day the Palm Pilot will die and I will switch to paper flashcards.
September 13, 2009 2:54 pm
Very well said – “At the end of the day, technology is plumbing. Learning is the goal” It is important for all technology-assisted-learning developers to get this.
Even though it has been slow, mLearning is surely getting there. And no doubt soon it would be the most preferred device for accessing learning/knowledge by all.
September 14, 2009 8:28 pm
Jenny,
When I saw the title of this post I already knew what I’d be writing in the comments: “Mobile learning is great in theory, but not in practice (at least for me).” But then I read your post and realise that you and the folks at ChinesePod/Praxis might actually be on to something.
When someone says “mobile learning” I tend to associate it with learning during my morning/evening commute. I’ve tried it, and it doesn’t work for me. As a result, I had written off the whole concept of mobile learning and (I confess) even removed the ChinesePod iPhone App from my phone.
But, what you seem to be describing is something different. Would I be right in saying that your approach to mobile learning is to try and ensure that students are never far from the tools they need to continue learning? A student of ChinesePod should never be in the situation where they have the energy and desire to learn, but are unable to do so because they don’t have a PC or Internet connectivity. This is a real challenge, but one that really holds the key to making the most of the desire to learn.
As a student, I’ve given up trying to predict the best time to study. It is far better to make the most of situations when they arise. And as much as it pains me to admit it, these situations usually arise when I don’t have my phone or computer to hand.
Many thanks for all the work you are doing.
September 28, 2009 12:37 pm
Jenny: you are totally right that the concept “mobile learning” is more than just hauling around podcasts and listening to dialogues during your commute. Making it fun, easy and convenient to learn a language regardless of where one is has been tremendously liberating for me. Given how progressive Praxis has been with its embraces of new technology and now a physical school in Shanghai, it surprises me that you have missed an obvious opportunity to expand on the “mobile learning” idea. For example, I use ChinesePod to complement weekly in-person tutorial sessions that I have with my Chinese teacher. Each time I move though every few years or so, I have to find a new tutor which is not easy (finding a tutor is easy, finding a good one is not). So from a mobility point of view, it would be great to be able to do hour-long tutorials via Skype with a Chinesepod. There are tons of other services available now but all of them lack the CPOD vibe that we all enjoy so much. So, if you are considering new ideas on how to expand “mobile learning” how about longer tutorial sessions than what are available in the Guided Plan (10 minutes once a week really isn’t enough time to accomplish very much)?
Keep up the great work!
September 28, 2009 5:32 pm
@Eric Olander,
Thank you for your comment. It’s so uncannily timed. This week, we will try running a 2 hour class on Skype for one of the students in our face-to-face class. She is on business trip and we thought why not Skype? It will be interesting to see how she interacts with the teacher and classmates over Skype. I am pretty excited about exploring its potential.
September 28, 2009 5:46 pm
@Bill,
Thanks for your always wise thoughts. Your point about ‘a student of ChinesePod should never be in the situation where they have the energy and desire to learn, but are unable to do so because they don’t have a PC or Internet connectivity…one that really holds the key to making the most of the desire to learn’, well it articulates the central issue so well. (I’ve been quoting you on this in the past week.) What also stands out is that education needs to capture the learner’s imagination, engaging them on a personal and emotional level. I recently met a competitor who told me he thinks his product is better than ChinesePod because it’s structured and that ChinesePod is fun but not educational. I think learning certainly needs some structure, but it’s not a formulaic one dictated by grammar. Rather, it’s themes and functions of the language. If one thinks all it takes is to throw a structured course at a learner and doesn’t even see the need to engage him, they are doing it at their own expense.
September 28, 2009 5:53 pm
@Amit,
It will be exciting to see how mobile learning will roll out in China. China Mobile, the country’s default mobile operator is promoting a number of smart phones run on Android while iPhone will officially launch this month (although reportedly there are 10 million already). I sense a window of opportunity here. Key is to thrill early adopters.
September 28, 2009 5:57 pm
@Prezlife,
There is something so comforting about having a physical CD, book and flashcards. I know this since I was punching holes on printed PDF transcripts and compiling them into a ChinesePod book for students of our new physical classes in Shanghai.
September 28, 2009 5:59 pm
@Jeff,
That’s too kind of you. I am surrounded by very talented people whom I quote and learn from.
September 28, 2009 6:01 pm
@John,
Thank you! It feels a teeny bit 尴尬 to be complimented by a colleague…