UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and the Kenyan and Abu Dhabi Environment Agencies celebrate award winning mobile learning for the environment with common sense
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| Director of UNEP and Under-Secretary General of United Nations, Achim Steiner with Andreas Hörfurter and Arndt Bubenzer of common |
After winning both the German eLearning Award and the European eLearning Award EureleA in early 2012, common sense met its project partners in Nairobi, Kenya and Abu Dhabi, UAE, to celebrate the achievements and to discuss future project developments. The awards were both presented to common sense for the development of a pilot application for the mobile learning approach “I-Call” in Kenya on behalf of UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme.
I-Call is aiming at awareness raising and change of attitude in mass outreach campaigns with simple end-user technology. The environmental messages are delivered in the format of interactive audio stories, which can be accessed through simple GSM calls (usually to toll-free numbers). The callers can decide on the course of the stories by keypad entry and thus directly experience the consequences of their decisions. The pilot project in Kenya on waste segregation/recycling at household level was implemented in cooperation with the Kenyan National Environmental Management Agency (NEMA).
At a meeting with the Executive Director of UNEP and Under-Secretary General of United Nations, Achim Steiner, the potential of I-Call for awareness raising campaigns at a global level was highlighted. While content and stories need to be developed locally, topics and storylines can be shared regionally or internationally.
In addition to the continued collaboration of common sense with UNEP in the field of mobile phone based awareness raising, there were discussion about the formation of international networks of environmental organizations for creating and the sharing of eLearning and mobile learning content.
In a second meeting in Nairobi, the consultants of common sense, Arndt Bubenzer and Andreas Hörfurter congratulated the newly appointed Director General of the Kenyan National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Prof. Geoffrey Wahunga, to his important post and shared the good news about the awards. NEMA is dedicated to employ innovative approaches for distributing environmental messages, also with the means of eLearning and mobile learning.
In Abu Dhabi, the consultants thanked the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency for the assistance in funding of the pilot project and confirmed continued collaboration in the framework of the new Eye on Environmental Education Initiative. The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency is looking at possibilities of implementing I-Call for awareness raising for environmental issues in the Gulf region. Possible topics include groundwater and wildlife conservation. It will also promote this innovative approach at side events of the Rio +20 world summit.
* common sense supports the integration of eLearning into training frameworks,
* assists in instructional design and trains your eLearning team,
* offers consultancy in choosing the appropriate technical solution.
common sense – eLearning & training consultants GmbH
Sommergasse 4/ 4-5, 1190 Vienna, Austria
www.common-sense.at
Project information: www.common-sense.at/i-call
Contact: Arndt Bubenzer