Back to the future. When mobile learning reloads the 80s and inspires the education field

Jean-Michel Lavallard
Co-Founder – CEO
Educ-i & Digicours

What’s McGyver’s profession?

• Service Agent
• Secret Agent
• Physics teacher

Excited to know the answer? Or even more excited to test your knowledge and win the game?

Jean-Michel Lavallard is CEO and Co-Founder of éduc-i, an organization specialized in the pedagogical engineering and the rise of digital technologies in education, and Digicours, offering didactic mobile solutions . How to  better organize and manage classrooms with digital technologies? Why are mobile educational games boosting students strategic thinking? Jean-Michel Lavallard and his Team of Professionals address these concerns by coming up with innovative learning solutions.

With Route 80, a first Digicours mobile learning application designed in collaboration with Teach on Mars, Jean-Michel takes us back into the 80s world and invites us to rediscover its enchanting classics by confronting them in a unique, instructive and amusing challenge. And collect first reactions on the mobile learning option among the academic community: teachers, students and parents.

We have asked Jean-Michel Lavallard about his motivations on designing a mobile learning application, here is what he explained to us:

• Among all the instructional techniques, mobile learning caught your attention, why?

The digital has settled into our lives! People aged 7-77 use smartphones and we catch each other’s news on social networks. The education sector has stepped up to the plate too.

I have been interested in mobile learning for several years, as I believe it meets today education sector’s expectations: mobility, interaction, multimedia, short and inspiring training formats and an instant knowledge assessment.

• What would you consider as an ideal blended learning solution? How to best mix digital technologies with education?

Digital should come within 2 steps. Upstream, in order to diagnose the level of knowledge of each learner and to adjust the training needs accordingly. Downstream, to secure the knowledge through challenge, role-playing and memorization exercises. In between, classroom training remains essential to transfer part of the knowledge.

• Which learners community do you target with the mobile learning, in particular “Route 80”?

Teachers and parents all have a common concern, our children and students educational welfare! The objective is to provide academic communities with new innovative educational tracks. We have first designed “Route 80″, a light and entertaining subject, to show them all the mobile learning underlying assets: learn or recall knowledge, while playing and joyfully challenging other learners. Mobile learning allows students to access content from home, communicate with teachers, and work with other people online. The value of mobile devices is that they allow students to connect, communicate, collaborate and create using rich digital resources.

• How has the educational community responded?

Learners’ feedback was very optimistic. They appreciated the app social feature with its dual play mode and its score charts. They learnt about each other’s through the game! They also realized that they increased their knowledge while continuing having fun! They appreciated the enriched design, functionality and navigability.

• What is your next step? How do you envision the future with the mobile learning?

The mobile learning era has just begun! We are currently working in collaboration with Teach on Mars on new revision application projects (“Bac”, “Brevet”), as well as on 2 educational applications on mythology and legends. We also plan to extend our mobile solution to general knowledge themes, for a larger audience…

Noémie Bertrand

Diplômée d’école de commerce et passionnée par les innovations du numérique, Noémie a enfilé son scaphandre et rejoint l’équipe Teach on Mars au poste de Content Manager. Elle intervient en marketing et événementiel tout en contribuant à Teach on Earth, une initiative sociale et environnementale.