Experiences with an Online Mobile Learning Platform. Intervention for marginalised young people

Abstract

Marginalised young people who find themselves disadvantaged in a number of respects also tend to experience limited access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) – with the exception of mobile phones. The European Commission-funded ComeIn project seeks to take advantage of marginalised young people’s access to mobile phones by reaching out to them via an innovative pedagogical approach based on the media convergence of the mobile phone through an online platform with video streaming. The platform was developed specifically for the purposes of the project to create the possibility for new, positive learning experiences as well as for interaction with peers and youth workers. In a three-month study in Austria and the United Kingdom, 94 young people accessed the platform via their mobile phones. In this paper we discuss the appropriateness of media convergence as a means for learning in and across three dimensions: interaction, creative expression and self-organisation. Furthermore, we explore how to incorporate initiatives such as ComeIn in an institutionalised context.