Content uploaded by Daniela Castellanos-Reyes
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Daniela Castellanos-Reyes on Jul 28, 2022
Content may be subject to copyright.
89
Chapter 9
Mobile Learning forEmergency
Situations: Four Design Cases fromLatin
America
DanielaCastellanos-Reyes, EnildaRomero-Hall, LucasVasconcelos,
andBelenGarcía
Abstract This practitioner-focused chapter addresses mobile learning in the Latin
American context during the COVID-19 emergency. To guarantee continuity of
education during the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors adopted remote education.
Even though much of the remote education relied heavily on computers, millions of
learners in Latin America do not have a household computer. Nonetheless, mobile
connectivity is very high in Latin America, and therefore, mobile learning has
greatly supported institutions during remote education. Mobile learning signi-
cantly supports learning at a distance in countries that face infrastructure challenges.
Even more in the Latin American context, where mobile devices may be low-cost
alternatives to computers. We present four design cases about mobile learning for
continuity of education during emergencies. Each design case addresses a different
country, audience, and content. The design cases focus on generic technology appli-
cations regularly used by practitioners and students. The four design cases are: (1)
foreign language learning and social studies to 1st– fourth graders using online
blogs in Brazil; (2) teaching STEM to 8th–12th graders through social media (i.e.,
YouTube/WhatsApp) in Panama; (3) education to 6th–12th graders through social
media (i.e., YouTube/WhatsApp/Facebook) in Mexico, and (4) humanities higher
D. Castellanos-Reyes ()
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
e-mail: casteld@purdue.edu
E. Romero-Hall
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
e-mail: eromerohall@ut.edu
L. Vasconcelos
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
e-mail: limadel@mailbox.sc.edu
B. García
University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, USA
e-mail: beleng@umich.edu
© The Author(s) 2022
V. Dennen etal. (eds.), Global Perspectives on Educational Innovations for
Emergency Situations, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues
and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99634-5_9
90
education using instant messaging and cloud-based platforms (i.e., WhatsApp,
Google Drive platform) in Colombia. Recommendations for practitioners and poli-
cymakers are provided.
1 Introduction
To guarantee continuity of education during the pandemic, instructors around the
globe adopted Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) relying mainly on computers
(Hodges etal., 2020). Yet, around 826 million learners have no computer at home in
Latin America (UNESCO, 2020). Nonetheless, mobile connectivity is high (James,
2012) in comparison to home Internet (Alderete, 2019). Thus, UNESCO and
IESALC (2020) recommended Latin American institutions to adopt mobile learning
(m-learning) during ERT.Mobile and networked learning are crucial to face infra-
structure challenges (Castellanos-Reyes etal., 2021). Even more Latin American
where “mobile phones are a more accessible and low-cost substitute for computers”
(Romero-Hall, 2021, p.8).
M-learning is “any form of learning that happens when mediated through mobile
devices” (Herrington & Herrington, 2007, n.p.). Tablets and smartphones mediate
learning when classrooms and computers are not available. Researchers acknowl-
edged the great potential of m-learning to support learning in the Latin American
region (Vázquez Cano & Sevillano-García, 2018). Yet, mobile and networked learn-
ing approaches are heterogeneous, reecting the region’s diversity (Romero-Hall,
2021). Therefore, geographical proximity should not be used to generalize
m- learning interventions.
Although we know the potential of m-learning to support ERT in Latin America,
we do not know how implementations of m-learning differ by region. Recognizing
how different m-learning approaches in response to ERT across different Latin
American countries allows us to adopt initiatives in more culturally sensitive ways.
This chapter presents four design cases about using m-learning during ERT in Latin
America. We focus on generic technology applications used by practitioners
(Kimmons, 2020) rather than paid platforms.
2 Brazil
Most Brazilian schools opted for ERT due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This design
case proposes integrating social studies and foreign language learning, and connect-
ing elementary students from a Brazilian public school with American undergradu-
ate students form a U.S. university using educational blogs and Netbooks during a
pandemic. This design case is based on two premises. First, American students have
some uency in Portuguese to interact with Brazilian students or vice-versa. Second,
D. Castellanos-Reyes etal.
91
the Brazilian school offers one-to-one computing as part of the program One
Computer per Student (Um Computador por Aluno, UCA) (Rosa etal., 2013).
Schools in this program have infrastructure for wireless Internet and offer Netbooks
to students.
1. Netbooks are lightweight and affordable mobile devices designed for simple
tasks such as writing emails and editing documents. Elementary students used
Netbooks to write educational blogs and interact with undergraduate stu-
dents online.
2. Educational blogs are free online tools to write posts that display in reverse
chronological order. Users can comment and react to others’ blog posts, which
facilitates reection, promotes collaboration, and fosters writing skills
(Vasconcelos & Araújo, 2008). Blogs are suitable for global projects because
they allow interactions between geographically separated people.
In this design case, students collaboratively wrote blog posts about cultural topics
designated by their teacher. For example, elementary students wrote about and
posted drawings of June countryside parties (Festas Juninas). These celebrations
observe the harvesting of local produce in Northeast Brazil. American undergradu-
ate students wrote and shared videos about Halloween, a festivity on All Hallows
Evening that honors those who passed away. This festivity originates from Celtic
harvest feasts. Blog posts about these festivities featured garments, food, music, and
typical dance. In another example, students wrote about and shared photos of tourist
destinations in their respective hometowns. Once a blog post was online, students in
both countries received reection prompts to guide their online interactions. They
used the comment feature to react to each other’s posts, compare their cultures, and
exchange further information about their backgrounds.
Outcomes of this project were beyond social studies and foreign language learn-
ing. The blog post assignments provided students with a real sense of authentic
learning as they applied knowledge and skills to create content for a target audience.
Elementary students developed writing and digital literacy skills as they produced
multimodal content to post online. American students developed an understanding
of multicultural and culturally-sensitive teaching in elementary grades. Furthermore,
younger Brazilian students took older American students as role models, which led
to questions and aspirations about going to college. In turn, American students cre-
ated developmentally-appropriate ways to interact with younger students.
This was a promising initiative to promote m-learning during a pandemic. Yet,
challenges arise for large scale implementation. Specically, most Brazilian public
schools lack the infrastructure and resources to allow m-learning. During the pan-
demic, 48% of elementary schools in the municipal network reported challenges in
offering Internet access, leaving ve million children and teenagers out of school
(UNESCO, 2021). Additional government funding is needed to prepare public
schools for technology-driven instruction in emergency situations.
9 Mobile Learning forEmergency Situations: Four Design Cases fromLatin America
92
3 Panama
The Ministry of Education canceled all classes in March, 2020in Panama. Classes
resumed virtually in July 2020in public schools with curricular support from
Internet sources, educational radio and television, and paper handouts distributed by
the schools. School administrators and teachers strive to (a) establish technology
hubs, (b) develop digital guides and assessments, (c) provide professional develop-
ment for instructors and staff, and (d) establish protocols to incorporate students and
parents to ERT.Yet, only 40% of learners in the public school system have access
to the Internet (Svenson, 2021). School administrators, teachers, and educational
foundations provided m-learning experiences based on student’s available resources
to reach eighth to 12th graders in public schools during school closures.
1. WhatsApp: For some secondary students, m-learning experiences included com-
municating with teachers using WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a very popular applica-
tion for cellphones and tablets users in Panama. Teachers used WhatsApp as a
supplement to online school portals or as the main method of communication
and document exchange with students and parents when schools lacked online
platforms. WhatsApp group chats for learners in a specic course or learners’
parents are very common in Panama.
2. YouTube: The non-prot organization Ayudinga! (2021) Taught and posted an
online STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics) curriculum
via the Ayudinga! YouTube channel to support learners, teachers, and parents.
3. Educa Panama: The Ministry of Education created the online portal Educa
Panama to aid schools, parents, and teachers providing academic and cultural
activities (Ministerio de Educación, 2021). The learning management system
Moodle hosts the Educa Panama portal which is free to all learners enrolled in
public schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Panamanian government
created STEM content for teachers to use in remote and online instruction.
4. SerTV Live Stream: The Panamanian government sponsored educational radio
and television programming to support K-12 curriculum. The educational pro-
gramming is available live on weekdays during school hours via the SerTV live
signal. Recordings of each class are available after the live stream. The educa-
tional programming is geared towards elementary education; but, some sessions
are dedicated to 6th–12th STEM curriculum.
Due to the lack of household computers, online resources have been deployed for
access via mobile devices. Internet access via mobile devices is an essential tool for
K-12 students. Unfortunately, Internet access via mobile service is available to only
38% of the country (Molina Alarco, 2020). Also, Panamanians access the Internet
via mobile devices using “prepaid plans with limited minutes that are insufcient
for browsing or using the learning platforms and other channels put in place for
educational continuity” (ECLAC-UNESCO, 2020, p.6). Thus, unequal access to
learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has widened pre-existing gaps in
D. Castellanos-Reyes etal.
93
information and knowledge access (ECLAC-UNESCO, 2020). Despite all these
disparities, m-learning provides opportunities for those who can afford it.
4 Mexico
After the rst COVID19 case was reported in February 2020, K-12 classes were
suspended for four weeks to plan how to deliver instruction to all students in Mexico.
The Secretary of Public Education (SEP) launched the program “Learn at Home”
which delivered video content to millions of K-12 students through television,
YouTube, and Facebook live. Lessons were also broadcasted over radio stations to
make them accessible to students who did not have Internet or television access at
home. Enormous challenges arose when K-12 schools started ERT, such as: lack of
student access to technology and educational resources, sometimes lack of parental
support, and lack of teacher training on remote learning practices.
The pandemic widened the digital gap among students from different socioeco-
nomic status and between urban and rural communities. About 50% of the popula-
tion in urban areas have access to an Internet connection at home, but the percentage
is much lower in rural areas or among the population living in poverty. Furthermore,
there is a high number of students who live in poverty whose parents have limited
literacy skills. These students are at a higher risk of falling behind in normal condi-
tions, but when Covid19 started they did not have adequate resources to succeed
academically. After schools closed, more than one million rural students were left
without teachers, and adequate learning opportunities. In poor communities, neigh-
bors organized open learning communities to share resources and tutor each other.
Between Spring and Summer of 2020, SEP provided emergency training for
teachers to acquire remote learning skills through webinars, crash courses, and
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). K-12 teachers adopted the following
tools that students could access using mobile devices:
1. Zoom: Teachers used Zoom to deliver synchronous lessons to keep continue
building a learning community (Joia & Lorenzo, 2021). Zoom was used mostly
with students who had reliable internet and to record videos that students could
watch asynchronously.
2. YouTube: SEP created the “Learn at Home” channel to deliver video content
during school closures. These video lectures were also broadcasted in several
television channels to support students without internet (Aprende en Casa, SEP,
n.d.). These videos are also available in SEP website.
3. Facebook Groups: Teachers created Facebook groups to communicate with stu-
dents and parents. Facebook groups were used as repositories of lecture videos
and instructional materials. In addition, Facebook allowed teachers to build a
community of learners through asynchronous discussions.
4. WhatsApp: Teachers used this app to communicate with students and parents via
text. Yet, teachers also answered students’ questions through voice or video calls.
9 Mobile Learning forEmergency Situations: Four Design Cases fromLatin America
94
Furthermore, WhatsApp was used to collect pictures of student work (Blanchard
etal., 2021).
Mexico’s educational system could be improved to react to future emergency situa-
tions, but also to reach all students in normal conditions. There is a need to continue
training teachers to acquire digital skills and digital education pedagogies for opti-
mal utilization of resources.
5 Colombia
ERT instruction in Colombia started in March, 2020in higher education. Some
universities stopped for one week to prepare instructors for the transition (Blu
Radio, 2020). Other universities made the change overnight. Yet, instructors received
many invitations to webinars about tools available for supporting ERT.These webi-
nars addressed multiple software (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) rather than
making in-depth demonstrations of only one. Despite institutional efforts to inform
instructors about many applications, they preferred to use already familiar plat-
forms. The pressure to support students inuenced instructors’ decisions to adhere
to familiar tools rather than venture to new ones. Mainly because instructors wanted
to provide students with some degree of stability to face the uncertainty of ERT.Their
decision led them to rediscover tools that they had long used in in-person instruction
but did not know how to adapt to ERT.The following are some of m-Learning tools
that instructors used:
1. Google Workspace: Colombia instructors and college students already used
Google Drive as cloud service. Yet, as a result of the pandemic they discovered
that the Google Workspace platform offers other free services from videoconfer-
encing (i.e., Google Meet) to online classroom platforms (i.e., Google
Classrooms) that facilitated ERT.
2. Kahoot: Instructors guided course design decisions based on students’ sugges-
tions and word of mouth advice. For example, informal conversations about not
knowing how to implement quiz-like activities in ERT prompted students to sug-
gest applications like Kahoot.
3. WhatsApp: Like in previous design cases, the become a mobile le repository
and a teamwork collaboration tool. Furthermore, WhatsApp became an easier
communication tool between instructors and university staff taking a greater role
than emails. However, instructors and students experienced technology fatigue
due to “constant connectivity” (UNESCO & IESALC, 2021, p.12). Therefore,
minimizing time online and setting communication boundaries is a must.
4. Video Conferencing Platforms: Home Internet access in Colombia is out of
reach for many, but that is not the case with mobile phones. Home connectivity
issues drove learners to use laptops for screen sharing and video but mobile
phones for audio. Furthermore, applications like Teams and Zoom worked
smoothly on mobile devices but needed additional passwords and frequent
D. Castellanos-Reyes etal.
95
updates in computers. Adding extra steps to an already stressful situation favored
mobile devices for synchronous classroom sessions rather than laptops and
desktops.
Instructors recommended asking students about their expectations from ERT before
making decisions. Negotiating expectations humanize interactions rather than over-
focusing on “must-know” software. Also, instructors should master one platform
rather than familiarizing with a handful of them to avoid tech overload. Mastering
one platform could reduce technostress and increase condence with technology
(Gañán Moreno etal., 2020). Furthermore, instructors suffered from anxiety about
cheating behaviors and students experienced connectivity issues during exams.
Therefore, rethinking assessment is crucial to face another crisis, for instance, by
adapting project-based assessment (Sambell etal., 2013).
The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated other aspects of higher education. For
instance, mother instructors who reported longer working hours during the pan-
demic, some of them are had their abilities to work limited due to their responsibili-
ties as heads of households and increased workload at home (Gutiérrez etal., 2020).
Finally, while surviving the crisis, Colombia faced a historic social upheaval with a
national strike lasting over months. ERT allowed education to continue even with
the national strike. Those who wanted to engage in demonstrations perceived that
having the classroom within hand’s reach prevented them from practicing their civic
rights. The ubiquity of m-learning forced participants to decide between classroom
assignments and political participation.
6 Discussion andConclusion
The World Bank (2021) reported the Covid-19 pandemic as the most signicant
shock of the education system. Especially in Latin America, where school closures
might increase the number of children who do not reach the minimum prociency
levels in the PISA test scores by 16%. Furthermore, The World Bank (2021) esti-
mated that only 33% of counties are implementing measures to improve access to
infrastructure to students at risk of being excluded from ERT.Furthermore, the
effects of the pandemic go beyond numbers. College students reported experiencing
pedagogical distress due to faculty’s lack of digital competencies (UNESCO &
IESALC, 2021). Yet, although efforts to implement guidelines for school openings
are higher in elementary and secondary education, higher education still requires
more signicant input from all stakeholders.
Our design cases concur with international reports in that stakeholders must act
promptly to protect the future of students in the Latin American region in three main
points: (1) increasing budget for infrastructure, (2) creating institutional guidelines
and policies, and (3) providing professional development for instructors. Improving
the Internet infrastructure and access to m-learning devices to students is crucial,
especially for rural or impoverished areas. Furthermore, governmental guidelines
9 Mobile Learning forEmergency Situations: Four Design Cases fromLatin America
96
for ERT are scant. Creating policies and action plans is vital to address future crises.
These guidelines need input from all stakeholders, primarily the learners. As sug-
gested in the Colombian design case, it is critical to ask learners about their expecta-
tions and fears about ERT.
A lack of professionals trained to teach at a distance is not a trend exclusive to
Latin America. Instructors and administrators need professional development on
technology integration to adequately respond to ERT in the future. The intervention
in Brazil included training for both instructors and learners on the basic functions of
mobile Netbooks. Furthermore, as stated by Kimmons (2020), institutions should
aim to adopt generic technology applications. We observed across cases that
WhatsApp and YouTube were widely used across countries. On the one hand,
WhatsApp was leveraged as communication system between instructors and stu-
dents, and instructors and parents. Furthermore, WhatsApp also became a le shar-
ing platform and document repository. However, instructors were at risk of fatigue
due to an overload messages and issues at establishing boundaries in communica-
tion. On the other hand, YouTube was used largely by governments and non-prot
organizations to provide curriculum support for teachers to leverage in class.
In Mexico, educational institutions implemented MOOCs to support teacher
education; however, further support is needed for those who lack basic digital lit-
eracy skills. Finally, training based on distance education theory was absent. We
speculate that the time pressure faced favored an overfocus on software instead of
pedagogy. We recommend institutions adopt comprehensive and efcient models
like the Community of Inquiry framework which has been widely implemented in
the distance and online learning eld (Castellanos-Reyes, 2020).
Acknowledgements We want to thank Maria Teresa Vargas and Jose Luis Mondragon whose
insights greatly contributed to describe ERT in higher education.
References
Alderete, M.V. (2019). Broadband adoption in Latin American countries: does geographic prox-
imity matter? Problemas Del Desarrollo. Revista Latinoamericana de Economía, 50(198),
31–56. https://doi.org/10.22201/iiec.20078951e.2019.198.67411
Aprende en Casa, SEP. (n.d.). Home [YouTube channel]. https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCk- PjGg2A6lN6aGC2jdxQrw
Ayudinga! (2021). ¿Quienes Somos?. Ayudinga!. https://ayudinga.org/quienes- somos/
Blanchard, K.P., Fregoso-Urrutia, D.J., & Guevara, J.C. A. (2021). Engaging rural communi-
ties in Mexico: Educating youth and their families during a pandemic. Childhood Education,
97(3), 22–31.
Blu Radio (2020). Las universidades en Bogotá que suspendieron clases por el coronavirus. https://www.
bluradio.com/salud/las- universidades- en- bogota- que- suspendieron- clases- por- el- coronavirus
Castellanos-Reyes, D. (2020). 20 years of the Community of Inquiry framework. TechTrends.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528- 020- 00491- 7
D. Castellanos-Reyes etal.
97
Castellanos-Reyes, D., Maeda, Y., & Richardson, J.C. (2021). The relationship between social
network sites and perceived learning and satisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
[book chapter]. In M.Grifn & C.Zinskie (Eds.), Social Media: Inuences on Education.
Information Age Publishing.
ECLAC-UNESCO (2020). Education in the time of COVID-19. United Nations. https://reposito-
rio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/45905/1/S2000509_en.pdf
Gañán Moreno, A., Correa Perez, J.J., Ochoa Dique, S.A., & Orejuela Gómez, J.J. (2020).
Tecnoestrés laboral derivado de la virutalidad obligatoria pro prevención del COVID-19 en
docentes universitarios de Medellín (Colombia) (pp.1–23). Trabalho (En)Cena. https://doi.
org/10.20873/2526- 1487e021003
Gutiérrez, D., Martin, G., & Ñopo, H. (2020). The Coronavirus and the challenges for women’s
work in Latin America. UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean, 18, 142–166.
Herrington, A., & Herrington, J. (2007). Authentic mobile learning in higher education.
[Conference session]. Australian Association for Research in Education.
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emer-
gency remote teaching and online learning. EDUCASE Review. https://er.educause.edu/
articles/2020/3/the- difference- between- emergency- remote- teaching- and- online- learning
James, J. (2012). The impact of mobile phones on poverty and inequality in developing countries.
https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2012.21.
Joia, L.A., & Lorenzo, M. (2021). Zoom in, zoom out: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in
the classroom. Sustainability, 13(5), 2531.
Kimmons, R. (2020). Current trends (and missing links) in educational technology research and
practice. TechTrends, 64(6), 803–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528- 020- 00549- 6
Ministerio de Educación. (2021). ¿Que es Educa Panama? Mi Portal Educativo. http://www.edu-
capanama.edu.pa/?q=que- es- educa- panama
Molina Alarco, D. (2020). Online classes, ofine student: A pandemic of inequality in Panama. El
Faro. https://elfaro.net/en/202009/internacionales/24779/Online- Classes- Ofine- Students- —-
A- Pandemic- of- Inequality- in- Panama.htm
Romero-Hall, E. (2021). Current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for networked learning in
Latin America. Educational Technology Research and Development, (0123456789). https://
doi.org/10.1007/s11423- 021- 09965- 8.
Rosa, V., Coutinho, C., Coelho Da Silva, J.L., Souza, C., & Rosa, S. (2013). Programa Um
Computador por Aluno no Brasil. In M.J. Gomes, A.Osório, A.Ramos, B.Silva, & L.Valente
(Eds.), Challenges 2013: Aprender a qualquer hora e em qualquer lugar, learning anytime
anywhere. Atas da VIII Conferência Internacional de TIC na Educação (pp.61–71). Centro de
Competência TIC do Instituto de Educação da Universidade do Minho.
Sambell, K., McDowell, L., & Montgomery, C. (2013). Assessment for learning in higher educa-
tion. Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Svenson, N. (2021). Panama, el pais con mas tiempo sin aulas del mundo. Agenda Publica. https://
agendapublica.es/panama- el- pais- con- mas- tiempo- sin- aulas- del- mundo/
The World Bank. (2021). Acting now to protect the human capital of our children. https://doi.
org/10.1596/35276.
UNESCO. (2021). Enfrentamento da cultura do fracasso escolar. https://www.unicef.org/brazil/
media/12566/le/enfrentamento- da- cultura- do- fracasso- escolar.pdf
UNESCO & IESALC. (2020). COVID-19 and higher education: Today and tomorrow. Impact
analysis, policy responses and recommendations. https://bit.ly/34TOSvu
UNESCO & IESALC. (2021). Closing now to reopen better tomorrow? Pedagogical continuity in
Latin American Universities during the pandemic. https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/wp- content/
uploads/2021/07/Closing- now- to- reopen- better- tomorrow- FINAL_EN.pdf
United Nations Educational Scientic and Cultural Organization. (2020). Startling digital divides
in distance learning emerge. UNESCO.
9 Mobile Learning forEmergency Situations: Four Design Cases fromLatin America
98
Vasconcelos, L., & Araújo, J. (2008). Using educational blogs to foster authorship in academic
writing. In J.Araújo, L.Almeida, M.Rodrigues, & M.Dieb (Eds.), Proceedings of the I
Colloquium about Hypertext (CHIP): Literacies on web. Hiperged.
Vázquez Cano, E., & Sevillano-García, M.L. (2018). Ubiquitous educational use of mobile digital
devices. A general and comparative study in Spanish and Latin America Higher Education.
Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 7(2), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.7821/
naer.2018.7.308
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate
credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and
indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter's Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not
included in the chapter's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by
statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder.
D. Castellanos-Reyes etal.
