Connected Nation Pilots New Mobile Learning Model with AT&T, Edmodo, Kno, and Samsung

Connected Nation, a non-profit organization committed to bringing affordable high-speed Internet and broadband-enabled resources to schools, recently facilitated a trial in collaboration with AT&T, Edmodo, Kno, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), to pilot a new K-12 mobile learning model that combined mobile devices, connectivity and educational content with the ambition to make “anywhere education” easier than ever.

The pilot tested both a shared and one-to-one mobile learning model in two high school classes.  It reached 100 students over an eight-week period.  Findings included:

·         Most students, teachers and parents agreed the mobile learning solution enhanced the learning experience and would like to have continued using it after the trial.

·         Participating students using the one-to-one model reported higher levels of satisfaction by about 10 percentage points.

·         Participating students said the solution was easy to use, made reading more interesting, and featured helpful functions.

·         Participating teachers agreed the solution made them more effective and teaching more interesting.

“Our aspiration is to help schools effortlessly build a mobile learning program by giving them access to preeminent companies without having to balance lots of partners,” said John Irwin, AT&T Senior Vice President of Government, Education, and Healthcare. “During the pilot, we were able to demonstrate that bringing technology leaders together with the end user in mind ultimately leads to an enriched educational experience for students.”

The collaboration of leading education, technology and mobility experts tested a model that aims to give school administrators access to a wide array of devices, mobile connectivity and educational content options through a single provider. AT&T will continue to test the mobile learning model with collaborators and envisions school administrators employing the model will be able to customize a seamless mobile learning program for one-to-one, shared or bring-your-own-device learning models.

Collaborators in the test included:

·         AT&T: Provided the 3G/4G connectivity to power the devices and the mobile learning workspace software that helped teachers manage their classrooms and monitor how students were using the devices.

·         Edmodo: The world’s largest K-12 social learning platform with over 20 million users, provided students and teachers a safe and easy way to connect and collaborate, offering a real-time platform to exchange ideas and share content, homework, grades and school notices.

·         Kno: An education software company that provides students and teachers with a seamless transition to digital learning and is empowering schools to deploy and manage their digital content and devices at scale, provided the digital textbooks used in the pilot. Kno’s educational software is optimized to be used on all the major operating systems and is designed for all different types of learners.

·         Samsung Mobile: A global leader in technology, offering tablets and solutions that center around student’s life both at home and in school, provided Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 2 10.1 tablets.

“When supported by quality teacher training and paired with robust broadband, we believe that tablet devices have the potential to dramatically impact education in America,” said Brent Legg, Connected Nation’s Vice-President for Education Programs.  “We were happy to administer a trial for AT&T’s new mobile learning model.  Since no two schools are exactly alike, it’s important that schools have access to a variety of mobile learning platforms that meet their needs.”

In the coming months, AT&T will be conducting additional pilots in K-12 schools to test the mobile learning model with various collaborators. For more information about participating in an upcoming pilot, educators can visit www.corp.att.com/edu/learning_ecosystem_school  or for more information about becoming a collaborator, companies can visit www.corp.att.com/edu/learning_ecosystem_partner.