Norwegian schools have gone through a paradigm shift over the last 10 years; at least when it comes to technology. Now, increasingly more schools are communicating with pupils and parents on their mobile phones. Håkon Kalbakk, the founder and General Manager of Mobilskole AS (Mobile School), tells us about the increased use of mobile technology and new developments in the school system.
70% of Satchel Post Will Be Eliminated
Many parents will certainly recognise the following scenario: Parents often have children at different schools and can be faced with a dizzying array of messages, notes, and reminders. Parents have a lot to remember!
“Information about parent meetings, ski days, festivities, and absences… There is a lot of information that needs to be exchanged between the school and home. Schools that have measured it, have found that as much as 70% of all satchel post disappears on the way to the fridge door,” says Håkon Kalbakk.
Billions of SMS’s Each Year Hairdressers, dentists, opticians, and now – schools – have started using mobile phones to communicate with users. In 2009, over 7 billion SMS’s were sent in Norway; and the technology is very simple.
“We haven’t done anything revolutionary; we have just taken existing technology and applied it to a new market. The price of an SMS is also extremely low compared to what it was a few years ago. So, it is not much of an investment for a school to send 25 thousand SMS’s per year,” tells this young company founder.
SMS Notification of Absences Reduces Skipping In Denmark, some schools have started sending SMS notifications when pupils are absent from school. The pupil and the parents, until the pupil is 18 years-old, receive an SMS if the pupil is absent from school for more than 2 hours. The effect has been very positive and Håkon Kalbakk tells that this tactic is also on the way to Norway.
“They have had success with SMS notification of absences in Denmark. Currently in Norway, there is a focus on drop-outs, particularly from vocational courses at upper secondary schools, and absence from school is the factor that has the greatest impact on drop-out rates. We think this will be a welcome approach in Norway and hope that we will get some help from politicians and the media.”
Vaccinations and Closed Schools Many schools already communicate via SMS; they send SMS’s about parent meetings, festivities, ski days, class trips, parent-teacher conferences, flu vaccines, and school closings.
“This fall, many schools sent out SMS messages about the swine flu and vaccinations. And this winter has been so cold that some schools have had to stay closed for certain periods, or in the best case, gym class has been replaced with math class. Then, these schools use Mobilskole to communicate quickly and effectively with pupils and parents.”
Effective in Crisis Situations Fortunately, serious episodes are few and far between at Norwegian schools, but there have been some serious incidents over the past few years and, in some cases, schools have communicated via mobile phone.
“Kjenn School was one of our first customers and, when the school experienced a serious episode and had to close for a period, the school communicated with pupils and parents at home via SMS. The principal told us afterward that it gives her a certain sense of security to know that she can contact everyone so quickly when the need arises,” tells Håkon Kalbakk.
Growing Fast The young company founder makes no bones about his company’s success.
“The past six months have been fantastic. Schools have finally discovered the opportunities this technology offers and are saving both time and money with Mobilskole. In addition, there is an environmental aspect: if everyone can communicate electronically a little more, we help protect the environment; and that is a profit everyone will realise,” he concludes.
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Facts about Mobilskole
Mobilskole – parent-teacher communication via mobile phone – two-way SMS communication between school and home.
Started in 2009 by founders Geir Sand and Håkon Kalbakk.
As of 1 February 2010, Mobilskole is used by 72 schools across the country.
For more information and a free demonstration, visit www.mobilskole.no
