At the beginning of this year, technologists around the world have predicted that Mobile Technology would be the next huge development. As individuals, I’m sure you can also feel this leap – not only do we have more advanced mobiles and applications available, text messaging also becomes one of our major ways to keep in touch with family and friends, colleagues and other fellows. According to the Mobile Data Association, we have sent a total of 78.9 billion sms in 2008!! With this striking figure in our mind, we might wish to think about ways we can better engage our students, through a device we all carry around everyday.
Why texting?
Contacting students through texting service is not a new idea: Schools use that to keep parents informed, libraries message users about their loans and release of new books, colleges give out information and events to perspective students… Texting provides an efficient way to reach a large group of students, quickly and directly, anytime anywhere. By deploying it effectively, it is particularly powerful in reaching work-based learners (such as apprentices), adult learners, part-time learners, etc. who are not on campus (or in front of a computer) all the time and cannot participate as much as they would wish to.
According to the feedbacks from front-line practitioners, texting is a means to uphold retention and give timely support for students! It is not only efficient, but also easy to use. More and more colleges now have their own texting system in place. Service providers usually allow users to send messages out from their virtual learning environment (VLE, e.g. Moodle and Blackboard), via desktop software, linkage with existing email systems, or using website facilities (remote access is therefore possible).
What to do with texting?
Primarily, texting allows us to disseminate information quickly. So anything you wish your students to know can be passed on via text messages, or draw their attention to find out further details online:
- Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)
- Social events
- Study tips
- Examination reminders
- Learner Rep meeting info
- Career information
- Call for campaign support
- Call for nomination and election
Student participation is by no means a one-way street, texting can also facilitate interaction as such. Nowadays most service providers support two-way communication – students can send their questions, comments or other things back to designated “mobile numbers”, staff members can then check them out in their email/text inbox. This not only opens one more channel to collect students’ feedback throughout the year, one can also send out simple questions on certain issues to students, when necessary. By the same token, this interactive approach of engagement is becoming increasingly common in large meetings and conferences, through the support of “text walls” (with which one can see participants’ feedbacks quickly, all on one page). Maybe we can also consider allowing polling through texting as well?
How to start texting?
It might sound obvious, but I have heard of situations in which people needed to send sms to students through their own mobiles (!), typing in a list of numbers one by one. By seeking technical support from service providers, we can send out messages more efficiently; we can also manage and target particular groups of students with information relevant to them (e.g. apprentice induction day, change of evening class venue, etc.).
If your college/organisation has already commissioned a texting service, you might wish to make use of the exisiting service by requesting for additional user accounts (so that you can have independent right to send/receive text messages) and purchasing extra credits through your budget. By doing so, you can save up the start-up cost of putting the system in place. If not, there are a number of large providers in the sector which can offer you technical support. For instance, JANET txt provides services for colleges/organisations in the sector by waving the start-up fee. Other companies such as edutxt and fastsms also provide different packages you can choose from.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get your text going! 
Posted by wingyinchan 
