With the increasing popularity of mobile phones in our daily lives, it has also become an important platform for training and learning. Storytelling can be a powerful learning intervention, both in classrooms and in business. It has a lasting impact and increases information retention through stories.
There is scientific support that storytelling actually changes brain chemistry and, if done effectively, can lead to stronger relationships and acts of kindness. Can this powerful way of teaching and learning be adopted for mobile learning delivery? To explore various options, we must first consider that stories can be told in many different ways, not just traditional text-based storytelling. Various forms of storytelling can be adopted and mixed to create a suitable combination, depending on the learner’s preferences and learning objectives.
For students who prefer visual learning, graphic novels or graphic-based stories can be created to ensure that the textual content is less but the essence of the story is not lost. To keep things light and casual, you can create a comic that touches on serious topics in a lighter vein. Maps, graphs or statistics can also be represented to create stories. Music and audiovisuals can also be combined to create stories for students who do not prefer to read. Instead of strictly following one path, the developer can opt for a combination of one or more to create maximum impact.
To create stories for the mobile platform, rather than a traditional approach, it’s best to take more platform-friendly routes. Mobile devices have smaller screens compared to laptops or desktops. Therefore, a text-based approach might not be impactful enough. Instead, a graphical or audiovisual approach would be more suitable for the m-learning platform:
- Stories can be part of mobile-based games that feature a quest for learners to follow, based on a set of quests.
- Stories can be shared in the form of case studies with figures and findings highlighted for maximum impact.
- Video-based stories can also be very powerful in engaging mobile learners. The audio track can also be played throughout these videos to give the option to listen only, when the student no longer wants to look at the screen.
- Blogs can also include stories and hands-on experiences that will interest students of all kinds. The option to ‘subscribe’ to the blog may be available, ensuring that students receive instant prompts as soon as new content is uploaded to the blog.
- Video blogs can also be story-based and accessible on the mobile platform. Like text blogs, students can also subscribe to them and receive emails or text messages on their handheld devices as soon as new videos are posted. This ensures that students are subtly pushed to learn from time to time until they are really interested in learning videos and look forward to them.
Mobile learning strategies are many and storytelling is one that is very well suited to the uniqueness of the platform. By choosing the right path forward, storytelling and mobile learning can be an effective combination.
