7. But mobile phones are incredibly powerful
Web access is increasingly mobile primary
Huge potential for learning -- not being exploited
So, I did 3 things ...
10. 3. Researched mobiles for literacy
51%
Households in SA without a single leisure book
11. Would our teens read novels on their phones like in Japan?
Can mobile phones alleviate the chronic shortage of books?
12. Kontax: an m-novel
• www.kontax.mobi (WAP-enabled
phones or computer browser) and
MXit
• Aimed at 14-17 year olds
• Written in English and isiXhosa
(world first)
• 21 days, 21 chapters
• Embedded in a lite social network
14. “It's great ... for me it really hard to pick up a book to
start readin but i don mind readin on my phone” (dotty1)
“Awsum :)
Im realy nt much of a reader but reading of
my phone jst seems alot easier...and co0ler! :)” (Gucci)
“Am not a person who reads books,so i only dd this 2
check hw a book on da web wil b like.So its not bad,
and am lookin 4ward 2 chapter 2.” (Slize)
15. "The more exposure you have to the written
word [including txtspk] the more literate you
become and we tend to get better at things
that we do for fun"
Beverly Plester, Coventry University
16. Findings
• Most digital writing takes place on mobile phones (but it’s short, like SMS)
• Most reading takes place on mobile phones or on paper
• Teens want to write their own pieces (poems, lyrics, stories, etc.)
• The isiXhosa version was popular
• Strong correlation between language choice and communication mode
18. Mobile phones are a viable platform for distributing
books and enabling reader participation
This removes the barrier of printing costs, putting
information back into the hands of the people
21. Opportunities for 2010
• More stories. There are only 3 m-novels in SA. We need a “mobile library” —
full of public domain titles for access via mobile phones
• Grow Kontax: more readers and more languages, e.g. !"م روا история.
A successful m-novel is a powerful way to promote mpublishing
• A platform for self-publishing to get teens writing
• Invite teachers to use m-novels in the classroom