Mobile phones should be embraced in educational environments, not banned from the classroom. To harness this technology, we must understand several things about mobile phones.

Mobile phones are a primary device for most people in most parts of the world, meaning it is the only piece of technology they own. In developing countries, mobile users outnumber PC users 10 to 1. Over 70 percent of mobile phones are basic phones (not smartphones). By 2018, 85 percent of web usage will come from mobile devices. This means that this mobile tool has different applications depending on the circumstances—what types of phones, and who has them.

The mobile phone is a means of enhancing communication and relationships between people, thereby facilitating relationships on several levels. It allows for three relationships: teacher to student (device as an educational and social tool), student to device (use of the device is very personal to each student), and device to content/curriculum (the curriculum should be designed for the medium, and the medium should fit the curriculum).

Web-based and mobile educational tools are converging (print media, too). Computer-based educational tools are moving to tablet and mobile devices, and basic mobile tools are being reconfigured to fit the smartphone and tablet platforms. Tools are no longer being conceived as online applications without considering their functionality for mobile devices, and vice versa. In June, Urban Planet Mobile will launch its revolutionary online educational tool, Writing Planet with PEG, featuring the only writing assessment engine built for English language learners using nonnative writing samples as the base for its rubrics. Writing Planet with PEG will be accessible cross-platform, with high usability and functionality for laptops, tablets, and even smartphones. Today many Web-based tools are made to fit computers, tablets, and mobile phones.

In conclusion: Try everything. Be open to new technologies. Be the first! Go for engagement; entertainment can facilitate learning. Faced with technology, there are two choices: fear or opportunity. You choose. Determine the outcomes you want to create and then envision how the mobile device can facilitate this. Think beyond what you imagine the mobile phone is and what it can do—whatever you can dream up is most likely being created for the mobile phone as we speak.

Brian OliverSmith is founder and CEO of Urban Planet Mobile, the Digital Education Company. Since cofounding Urban Planet Mobile in 2008, Brian has led development of patent pending innovative products; solved global delivery via the mobile phone, including reaching 95 percent of handsets; and assembled an unparalleled team of mobile, business, education, and technology experts to assist him in propelling Urban Planet Mobile to being the recognized leader in global mobile education.

Under Brian's leadership, Urban Planet Mobile was recognized as a Cool Vendor in Education for 2011 by the Gartner Group and awarded the Most Innovative Application Provide for Asia by Frost & Sullivan. Brian has been a featured speaker at events hosted by the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon, TESOL International, and the GSM (Global Mobile Congress).

Urban English is launching worldwide in 2011 with carriers through SE Asia, Asia, South and Central America, and the Middle East with exponential growth expected in 2012. Writing Planet with PEG, the online writing assessment tool with tutorials and featuring the world’s best AI for writing assessment, will launch in June 2012.

For more information visit www.urbanplanetmobile.com.