Portugal: Mobile Phones in Schools

According to this report, over 1.83 billion calls were made by 14.3 million Portuguese mobile telephone subscribers in the second quarter of 2008 - the Portuguese are clearly a phone-savvy nation. This is a nearly five percent increase in the total number of subscribers compared to the previous quarter and an increase of more than fifteen percent compared to the same quarter the previous year, leading Europe in mobile penetration. The mobile phone penetration rate recorded in Portugal, which is 128.8 per 100 inhabitants, remains significantly above the European Union average (114.4 per 100 inhabitants).

The potential that a widespread and personalised tool like the mobile phone offers for learning is being studied by e-learning and education experts. Carla Ganito, researcher at the Portuguese Catholic University, has produced a study of the mobile entertainment market in Portugal, putting special focus on usage trends in schools. She says, “Many innovative practices come from inside the classroom, where teachers are using mobile phones as creative tools, as bridges to family life, and as incentives to raise motivation levels. There are also very interesting examples from teachers with handicapped students where mobile phones are used to integrate those students and introduce them to new activities.... The focus is currently on providing low-cost computers and enabling a widespread use of the Internet, but once government support turns its eyes to mobiles, we can expect a rapid take-off at schools in Portugal."


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