The Meraka Institute, the Helsinki University of Art and Design in Finland and the University of Pretoria are working on project, named MobilED, which uses mobile technology and services for formal and informal learning. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The first module has been developed is the audio-Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia from which anyone can receive and upload information. Children can send an SMS with a key word, in-response they receive a call-back and a speech synthesiser reads the contents of the requested Wikipedia entry. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will cover the project. MobilED has proved that cell phones can be very useful where there's no other access to information sources. The pilot projects are working on Cornwall Hill College and Irene Middle School in the Centurion area. In future, it is planned to reach more rural areas.
