Education With the support of

Sector
United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization

mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in

Catalonia (Spain) through a systemic and inclusive
mobile learning programme
Case study by the UNESCO-Fazheng project on best practices in mobile learning

Approach: Top-down
Implementing organization:
mSchools
Year launched: 2013
SPAIN
Authors:
Albert Forn, Jasmine Castro and
Mar Camacho
Editors:
Fengchun Miao and Anett Domiter
 UNESCO Education Sector
Education is UNESCO’s top priority because it is
a basic human right and the foundation on which
to build peace and drive sustainable development.
UNESCO is the United Nations’ specialized agency
for education and the Education Sector provides
global and regional leadership in education,
strengthens national education systems and
responds to contemporary global challenges
through education with a special focus on
gender equality and Africa.
The Global Education 2030 Agenda
UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialized
agency for education, is entrusted to lead and
coordinate the Education 2030 Agenda, which is
part of a global movement to eradicate poverty
through 17 Sustainable Development Goals by
2030. Education, essential to achieve all of these
goals, has its own dedicated Goal 4, which aims to
“ensure inclusive and equitable quality education
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
The Education 2030 Framework for Action provides
guidance for the implementation of this ambitious
goal and commitments.

Education
Sector
United Nations
(GXFDWLRQDO6FLHQWL¿FDQG
Cultural Organization

Published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07
SP, France

Unit for ICT in Education 
Education Sector
UNESCO

© UNESCO 2019

Some rights reserved.

This document is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO;
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo). By using the content of this document, the users accept to be
bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-
ccbysa-en).


The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this document do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of
its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The ideas and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO
and do not commit the Organization.

Cover image: © mSchools

Produced by UNESCO CLD 74_19

 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

UNESCO would like to thank the following individuals for their valuable contributions to the ‘’Best practices in
mobile learning’’ project and case study series.

Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for ICT in Education at UNESCO Headquarters, conceptualized the study and led the
development of the criteria for the selection of best practices in cooperation with the Expert Panel of the project.
He also coordinated the drafting and production of the report and served as the principal editor.

Anett Domiter, Associate Project Officer at the Unit for ICT in Education at UNESCO, supported the selection of
initiatives through an open call for proposals and assisted the drafting and editing processes.

We acknowledge with gratitude the contribution of the three authors: Albert Forn, mSchools Director and
Jasmine Castro, mSchools Project Manager from GSMA Ltd., as well as Mar Camacho, Director General of
Innovation, Research and Digital Culture of the Ministry of Education of Catalonia.

The Expert Panel of the project contributed to the development of the criteria for the selection of best practices,
reviewed the applications and supported the drafting and editing of case studies.

The Expert Panel is composed of:

• Alexandre Fernandes Barbosa, Head, Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information
Society, NIC.br/Cetic.br
• Anja Balanskat, Senior Manager, European Schoolnet
• Enrique Hinostroza, Director, Institute for ICT in Education, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile
• Cheah Horn Mun, Assistant Provost, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
• Shafika Isaacs, Independent Digital Learning Specialist and Research Associate, University of
Johannesburg, South Africa
• Cheolil Lim, Professor, Seoul National University of Education, South Korea
• Jukka Tulivuori, Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
• Mike Lawrence, Senior Director, PowerSchool Group, USA
• Tarek Chehidi, Program Director, Results for Development, USA

We owe special thanks to Jordi Vivancos, head of the Digital Culture Unit and Roser Cussó, education technology
advisor from the Ministry of Education of Catalonia, and to the mSchools team: Anna Sansalvadó, David Vilella and
Laura Fernandez for their invaluable contributions as integral parts of the mSchools programme and case study.
Our acknowledgment is also extended to Susan Curran for copyediting and proofreading the text.

UNESCO would like to thank the Fazheng Group for the financial support it has granted to support the research
on school-wide mobile learning initiatives through which this case study series was made possible.

1
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

Abstract

This paper provides insight into the mSchools Changing the future begins with creating skills-based
programme from Catalonia, which was created in authentic learning experiences that incorporate
2013 as a public–private initiative to promote the innovative pedagogies and tools for providing young
integration of mobile devices and technology into the people with the twenty-first-century skills needed to
classroom in order to improve learner engagement transform our society and shape our future.
and employability. mSchools strives to empower
students and young learners to be digital citizens
in today´s society through its various initiatives
which promote the teaching of key digital skills
to help learners to lead active and creative digital
lives. In addition, mSchools advocates the digital
transformation of schools, and of the education
system as a whole, based on the sustainable and
responsible use of mobile devices.

Based on an industry-government partnership, mSchools’ innovative systemic

approach is empowering thousands of students and teachers through an inclusive
mobile learning programme. This case study shows that a responsible use of mobile
technologies in the classroom combined with a comprehensive set of activities
can contribute to mainstreaming innovative pedagogies, student engagement,
21st century skills development and authentic learning.

Valtencir Mendes, UNESCO

Keywords
Mobile education, transforming education, innovative pedagogies, inclusive learning, digital
skills, empowering students and teachers, digital citizens

2

1. Introduction
The mSchools programme1 is a comprehensive
mobile education initiative led by a public–private
partnership between the Generalitat de Catalunya
(Government of Catalonia), Barcelona City Hall and
the GSMA.2
The objective of mSchools is to empower students
and teachers to integrate mobile technologies into
the classroom, opening up new ways of teaching
and learning that improve learner engagement,
achievement and employability. mSchools develops
curricular materials, tools and methodologies
designed to help teachers to change their pedagogy
and methodology, and students to become lifelong
learners. It has a special focus on digital competencies,
advocacy for career paths in science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM), and fostering gender
equality (UNESCO, 2013). The mSchools programme
brings together private and public institutions to help
students build paramount new skills and prepare
them for today’s digital world.
mSchools is part of Mobile World Capital Barcelona
(MWCapital), an initiative driving mobile and digital
transformation of society while helping improve
people’s lives globally. MWCapital focuses on three
areas: the acceleration of innovation through digitally
based entrepreneurship, the digital transformation
of industries and society, and the empowerment of
new generations of professionals and citizens in the
use of digital technologies. Collectively, MWCapital is
transforming education, industry and the economy.
1 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com
2 The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the
broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as
well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors.
1. Introduction
1.1 Local and cultural context
Catalonia is an autonomous region in the north-eastern
part of Spain, with its own distinct culture, customs,
language and history stretching back to the early
Middle Ages. It is one the richest and most populous
regions in Spain, highly industrialized and with one
of the lowest unemployment rates of any region at
11.4 per cent, which goes up to 27.4 per cent for young
people under 25. In Spain as a whole, the average
unemployment rate is 15.3 per cent, but higher for
young people under 25 at 34.7 per cent (INE, 2018).
These rates, coupled with high school dropout
numbers, prove that it is increasingly necessary to
modernize and change the educational system in
Catalonia and Spain as a whole.The way forward
in today’s increasingly interconnected world is for
education systems as a whole to harness the new
spaces and ways of learning that technology is
creating to engage students to become lifelong
learners, think critically and develop the digital skills
necessary for the twenty-first century.
1.2 Mobile education policy in Catalonia
The use of mobile devices in schools across Catalonia
is slowly but steadily increasing. According to the
Statistical Institute of Catalonia, approximately
69.4 per cent of children between the ages of 10 and
15 have a mobile device and use it daily (Idescat,
2018). Nevertheless, mobile phones are often banned
at schools. This represents a lost opportunity not
only for the students to learn key digital skills and be
3
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

able to access limitless updated information at their
fingertips, but also for teachers and schools, because
when correctly implemented mobile devices are
strategic learning tools.
Although mobile devices can cause disruptive
situations in classrooms, schools should strive to
teach students responsible and safe use of mobile
devices instead of imposing outright bans on mobile
devices in the classroom, which ignore the students’
everyday reality. Establishing guidelines and
performance standards that clearly show the spaces,
activities and situations where the use of mobile
phones is not only allowed, but encouraged, has
proved to be more effective than outright banning
devices. Furthermore, schools and teachers must be
provided with guidance and recommendations on
how to incorporate mobile technologies into the
classroom and maximize their potential.
The School Education Council of Catalonia
The School Education Council of Catalonia (SECC) is
an independent organization, which primarily takes
the form of a consultative and participative body
for all social sectors impacted by non-university
education. SECC provides guidance to the Ministry
of Education of Catalonia on the laws and norms
proposed by the government regarding the
education system, and drafts recommendations on
how to improve the quality of education. Although
the reports drafted by SECC are not binding, they do
influence the normative processes of the education
system (Government of Catalonia, 2018).
Total prohibition of mobile devices in schools
with the aim of avoiding potential problems
goes against the curricular goals that are
linked to achieving digital competence,
learning in general and the capacity for lifelong
learning. Knowing how to use digital devices
responsibly is both part of the curriculum and
a competency to be acquired that the student
body should not be deprived of (SECC, 2015).
In this document, the Council highlights the
potential of mobile technologies for teaching,
and the importance of supporting teachers in the
methodological development of activities with
mobile technologies. The document also emphasizes
that students must be educated on the safe and
responsible use of mobile devices, and that if used
correctly mobile devices can enable students to
achieve key digital competences and become lifelong
learners. The document concludes with details of best
practices in Catalonia, that are successfully harnessing
the power of mobile technologies such as the
mSchools programme.

In 2015 SECC approved a policy guidance document

that established the foundations for the integration
of mobile devices in schools. This document,
titled ‘Mobile technologies in schools’, advised
the educational community on how to solve
the challenges raised by the ubiquity of mobile
technologies (SECC, 2015).
© mSchools

Regarding blanket bans on mobile phones in

schools, the document includes the following
Picture 1: Teachers at an EduHack Event.
recommendation:

4

2. The model
2.1 Vision
It is within this framework that the mSchools
programme was originally conceived and now
flourishes. The cooperation between public and
private spheres has captured the best of both worlds:
the industry provides mentorship, guidance and
innovative methodologies, while the government
lends its specialized expertise in education, excellence
in innovative pedagogy and application of technology
to education. This deep partnership has enabled
mSchools to achieve the widespread participation
and success it has today.
The mSchools programme comprises many initiatives,
including online platforms, curricular materials, events,
challenges and methodologies. These initiatives
have been designed to empower the entire school
community through mobile technologies, with a
particular focus on transforming education and school
pedagogy to focus on digital competencies, advocate
STEM career paths, and promote gender equality.
Table 1: mSchools initiatives
App Education Mobile History SDG Challenge
Map
Changing Mobile Learning Student Awards
Education Awards
Together
EduHack mSTEAM TechCamp
Experts Scratch Toolbox
Challenge
The mSchools vision is also substantiated on the need
to empower students and young learners to be digital
citizens in today’s society, leading active and creative
digital lives through the development of key digital
2. The model
skills. Education can enable children to exercise their
rights as digital citizens, where they are engaging in
active creation, critical understanding and problem-
solving through digital means (EUN, 2017).
mSchools proposes that, by working collaboratively
through learner-centred methodologies that focus
on critical thinking skills to solve real problems, and
harnessing the power of technology and mobile
devices, educators can empower students to be ready
for the future in the digital era. The competencies
students and educators acquire in the mSchools
programme are changing education, and have the
potential to transform our society and shape our
future.
2.2 Top-down programming
The mSchools programme has been actively
promoted by the Catalan Ministry of Education, and
very well received by the educational community,
including school directors, teachers, students and
their families.
In the 2017–18 school year, there were approximately
52,266 students and 3,362 teachers participating in
mSchools from 2,407 schools all around Catalonia. From
2013 to 2018 there has been a cumulative participation
of over 133,000 students (mSchools, 2018).
The mSchools initiatives with the highest participation
are those that have been implemented in a top-down
way from the Ministry of Education. One example
is App Education, which has been fully integrated
into the Catalan secondary school curriculum as
a pedagogical proposal for the Computer Science
elective subject and for the compulsory Technology
subject in the last two years of compulsory education
5
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools
(ages 15 and 16) and for vocational education and
training (VET) (age 17). Teachers are given the option
to choose between the traditional curriculum and
the App Education content. The course complies
with the official curriculum stipulations in weekly in-
person teaching hours: 105 hours for the Computer
Science elective (age 16) distributed over three classes
per week over the school year, and 70 hours for the
Technology subject over two classes per week. About
25,000 students, 25 per cent of students in Catalonia
between 15 and 17 years old, participate every year.
Other initiatives in the mSchools Programme are
also recognized by the Catalan Ministry of Education
as part of the pedagogical innovation programme
‘Digital Technologies for Learning’. This programme
puts out a yearly call to all Catalan public and
government-funded private schools (concertados
in Spanish), to apply to take part in the following
academic year (Government of Catalonia, 2017). In this
yearly call the role of digital technologies in education
is justified by Catalan Law 12/2009,3 which states the
need to implement innovative education projects that
stimulate students’ learning capacities and help them
to be successful in school.
2.3 The mobile learning environment
mSchools has been designed to require very little
infrastructure to be effectively implemented. Internet
access in the classroom is not a given for most
initiatives, some of which can be deployed offline and
be transferred online when internet access is available.
However, for the best effect and most impact, internet
access to the classroom via Wi-Fi is recommended.
Mobile devices in the form of smartphones, tablets
or netbooks are also required, although they can be
shared between several students if the school does
not have sufficient equipment or all students cannot
connect simultaneously to the internet.
3 Law 12/2009, of 10 July 2009, on education.
6
Other open-source or free software elements are
used, such as video editors, coding tools, document
repositories, web editing kits and collaboration services.
No purchasable software is required. Coding sessions
can be conducted in a school computer lab if laptops
or other devices are not available in the classroom.
2.4 Capacity-building and incentive
strategy
mSchools has been able to attract and involve
thousands of teachers to participate in its various
initiatives. Every year the teachers that are involved
report high satisfaction rates with the programme,
and cite learning valuable skills for integrating mobile
devices and digital technologies into their classroom.
The Territorial Education Services of the Catalan
Ministry of Education organize trainings and activities
on the use of mobile technologies and information
and communications technology (ICT) for schools
and teachers. In addition to the official trainings
offered by the ministry, schools often organize their
own activities with teachers through either external
or internal training. Some schools, like Virolai School,
have included the use of technology in the classroom
within the professional evaluation plan for their
teachers, with the objective to guide them in their
professional development.
Other teachers and schools that participate in the
‘Digital Technologies for Learning’ programme
from the Catalan Ministry of Education can earn a
certificate and recognition for pedagogic innovation
upon successful completion. This certificate was
designed to recognize teachers’ achievements in
innovation and improvement of the educational
system as a whole (Government of Catalonia, 2017).
This certificate in pedagogical innovation is not
easy to obtain, and has many added benefits for the
teachers who earn it. It is a significant professional

development opportunity that can add points to a
teacher’s application for public job vacancies, giving
them the capacity to relocate or have a preferential
opportunity to take up new positions. Teachers and
school directors that participate in other mSchools
training events and workshops receive mSchools
certificates of achievement.
2.5 The mSchools Programme: initiatives
As mentioned previously, the mSchools programme
strives to promote mobile education and support
students on their path to build digital skills for
their future in today’s quickly advancing world. The
initiatives fall into three focus areas: encouraging
mobile learning, improving digital skills and
entrepreneurial spirit, and building an open
environment for mEducation.
The initiatives outlined below can be classified by
thematic areas: platforms, events, methodologies
and curricular proposals, or more simply put they
are initiatives to ‘educate’, ‘transform’, ‘collaborate’ and
‘compete’. In addition to these initiatives, mSchools is
constantly innovating and updating its methodology
and projects in order to best serve learners and
educators. All these initiatives strive to fulfil the
mSchools vision of ‘Change the rules. Change the
tools. Change the future.’
Mobile History Map4
Mobile History Map (MHM) fosters the use of location-
based mobile technologies applied to project-based
learning and service learning. MHM allows teachers
to motivate their students to create and share
meaningful content related to their community,
while they work on the curriculum and improve their
digital skills. MHM is applicable on a cross-curricular
approach and it can be used in different subjects;
it allows students to work collaboratively on a geo-
4 http://mhm.mobileworldcapital.com/en
2. The model
positioning platform creating treasure hunts or
routes displaying cultural and historical elements.
This platform has 255 projects, in which over 10,000
students collaborate each year.
Advancing access and inclusion with
mobile technologies: Marià Fortuny School
Marià Fortuny is a public primary school in
Catalonia with increased numbers of immigrant
students of either low or very low socio-
economic status and cultural capital, who face
significant obstacles in school. The teaching staff,
and the school as a whole, have found mobile
technologies to be a very powerful tool to
mitigate these difficulties and help students be
successful and realize their potential as learners.
At Marià Fortuny School, mobile devices are
implemented transversally across all subject
areas as a tool for inclusion and learner-centred
pedagogy, through universalized use for all
students. The school works extensively with
mSchools programmes and methodologies,
such as design thinking and co-creation, as well as
initiatives like MHM, Toolbox, Scratch, App Education
and EduHack.
In particular, MHM played a central role in the
development of the school’s digital education
model. Last year, a class of Grade 5 students from
the school were MHM finalists for Student Awards
for their project called ‘Carrilet’ (railway in Catalan).
This was a collaborative and interdisciplinary
research project, which explored the train as a
social phenomenon for the inhabitants of Reus by
mapping sites of historical and cultural heritage,
doing interviews, visiting museums and uploading
geolocated content, which included text
summaries and videos, onto the MHM platform.
7
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

Toolbox5
Mobile Learning Awards Finalist 2016:
Sadako School
Toolbox is an online repository of validated and tested
mobile educational content for schools, teachers
Sadako School is a government-funded private
and parents. Toolbox was designed to increase the
school (semi-private, concertado in Spanish)
availability and usage of educational mobile content,
covering preschool to secondary education.
mainly apps and other digital resources. Teachers add
Sadako has designed its own globalized
and rate apps they use in the classroom, and publish
methodology based on inclusive and active
experiences or lesson plans they have implemented in
learning through digital technologies. At this
class with mobile apps or other technological/digital
school, technology is at the service of educational
resources such as microcontrollers, augmented reality
change and innovation. The school aims to
and virtual reality (AR/VR), and robots, among others.
develop individuals who are both professionally
In 2018 Toolbox had over 1,709 registered teachers,
and personally prepared for life in the twenty-first
322 shared lesson plans, 986 apps rated with 2,126
century. This means teaching students technical
app ratings, and nearly 40,000 visitors to its web page.
and critical thinking skills, creativity, the ability to
collaborate and communicate with others, and a
mSchools Experts6 sense of citizenship with the world.

mSchools Experts motivate, challenge and inspire
students towards excellence. By sharing industry
wisdom, setting goals and building trust, mSchools
Experts improve digital skills and stimulate the
entrepreneurial spirit in students that is necessary for
today’s world. Experts can participate with a team
of students in App Education, and are available to
provide mentorship and help for other mSchools
initiatives.
Mobile Learning Awards7
Mobile Learning Awards honour innovative teachers
and school-led projects for their use of mobile
technology in education. The panel of judges includes
experts and professionals in education and digital
technologies who identify outstanding teachers and
schools to receive the awards.
Mobile Learning Awards has also incorporated an
award for innovative parent-teacher associations in its
recent editions.
Primary school students use either personal or
shared tablets, and starting in Grade 5 all students
have access to personal tablets. In the past, upper
primary students have used mSchools Scratch
modules and secondary school students have
used the App Education curriculum. Sadako
School’s mLearning has been integrated through
a cross-curricular approach in all aspects of the
school. Because of its ubiquity, it allows students
to learn whenever and wherever they choose if
used correctly. mLearning also enables students to
engage in collaborative and explorative learning,
and promotes interaction between all actors in
the school community: students, their families,
teachers, the community and the wider world.
Sadako School is a clear example of a school
that has developed a transformative model that
promotes the profound change in education that
is necessary for success in the twenty-first century.

5 http://toolbox.mobileworldcapital.com/
6 http://experts.mobileworldcapital.com/en
7 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/our-initiatives/mobile-learning-awards/

8

Student Awards8
mSchools Student Awards is a contest and ceremony
to acknowledge and celebrate students and teachers
for their accomplishments during the mSchools year.
The mSchools Student Awards draw on an extensive
panel of experts and professionals in education and
mobile technologies. The awards take into account
creativity, coherence and technical development. In
June 2018, the fifth edition of the student awards was
celebrated, hosting 580 contestants and 118 finalist
teams, with over 2,000 attendees. The students and
teachers competed with projects based on the UN
SDGs. Sustainability, biodiversity, gender equality,
applying mathematics to city planning, literature
and sexual education were the most common
themes among the projects. Awards are given to
groups creating apps through the App Education
programme, MHM projects and Scratch projects
(Scratch Challenge).
TechCamp9
TechCamp is an immersive workshop experience in
app design, programming, coding and smart cities.
mSchools TechCamp students are able to put their
creative power to work conceiving and building apps
while learning more about the business of software
development and marketing strategies.
Picture 2: Teachers at an EduHack Event.
8 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/our-initiatives/mschools-student-awards/
9 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/es/iniciativas/mschools-techcamp/
10 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/our-initiatives/edu_hack/
2. The model
EduHack10
EduHack is a large-scale co-creative process based
on design-thinking methodology for school teachers,
which connects and allows the educational community
to design and test innovative classroom experiences
for all levels and subjects. It prepares students for
a future that requires digital, problem-solving and
communication skills. In the launch of the second
edition of EduHack in November 2017, there were
800 teachers, divided into 150 design teams that
participated in four locations around Catalonia, with
the collaboration of companies, universities, research
and public institutions. The starting point for each team
was to choose one or more of the seventeen UN SDGs
and develop a proposal for the classroom, the school or
the community, related to the goals. Each team works
on their proposal on an online platform, in collaborative
face-to-face sessions, and always following the four
phases of co-creation and design-thinking: empathize,
define, design and prototype. Because of this work,
sixty didactic proposals are being piloted until June
2019. These proposals are making a direct impact on
approximately 100 schools, 250 teachers and 5,000
students. Many teachers who were able to attend the
opening session have been able to use the training
event to apply design-thinking methodology to their
schools and classrooms, but are not able to devote the
time needed to participate in the rest of the two-year
programme.
© mSchools
9
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

Changing Education Together11

Co-creating in EduHack: Joaquima Pla i
Farreras High School
Changing Education Together (CET) is a one-day
seminar addressed to school administrators and
Joaquima Pla i Farreras High School is a public
coordinators, as well as education policy-makers.
school that has developed a global strategic goal
CET is celebrated at the Barcelona Mobile World
to include tools and learning methodologies
Congress (MWC Barcelona), the largest mobile event
to improve learning and students’ digital skills.
in the world, bringing together the latest innovations
As part of this goal, around 80 per cent of the
and leading-edge technology from more than
students in the fourth year of secondary school
2,400 companies and attendees at CET participate
(aged 15–16) have taken part in App Education.
in open discussions on mobile learning. In 2018 the
fourth edition was held under the name ‘Leading
For the first edition of EduHack the school also
the digital transformation in schools’. Attendees
developed and piloted an EduHack project
were able to discover how mSchools can support
called ‘Objective 10.000’, in which participating
school administrations in their digital transformation
professors from Physical Education, Social Science
process, enjoy keynote speeches by experts in ICT in
and Technology collaborate to design a real race
education, and hear first-hand about the experiences
of 10,000 km which takes students on a virtual
of schools and teachers that obtained mSchools
journey to a destination jointly agreed upon
Mobile Learning Awards.
by the class. This journey takes the students to
different key scenes from contemporary history,
Following this event mSchools organized a workshop
and allows them to learn various school subjects
with the Ministry of Education of Catalonia for school
in a creative and collaborative way, while also
administrators titled ‘From vision to action’, on how
allowing their teachers to design relevant and
to achieve their vision for quality education in their
innovative projects for their classrooms. This
schools using digital learning technologies. Like other
interdisciplinary proposal integrates various
mSchools initiatives, this event also incorporated
different pedagogical methodologies, such as
a reflective methodology which helped guide the
collaborative project-based, service-based and
participants to identify their vision and learn how to
challenge-based learning.
make it real. The action plans developed followed
the European Union Digitally Competent Educational
In the second edition of EduHack teachers from
Organizations Framework (DigCompOrg), adapted by
Joaquima Pla i Farreras continue to be actively
mSchools for school administrators, as a framework
involved in two projects as facilitators leading
for the achievement of innovative digital schools.
workshops for teachers who are piloting projects
in their classrooms. Peer-to-peer learning among
teachers is a powerful educational strategy which App Education12
facilitates reciprocal and mutually beneficially
learning, and has proved to be a useful tool in App Education is a pedagogical proposal for teachers
EduHack projects. to implement in computer science/technology
subjects. It is based on app design, prototype
development and commercialization, following a
project-based methodology. This course is offered
in high schools for 14–18-year-old students, and in

11 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/our-initiatives/changing-education-together/
12 http://mschools.mobileworldcapital.com/our-initiatives/app-education/

10
 2. The model

technical and vocational training schools. Students • To promote entrepreneurship.

and teachers can receive mentoring and support from
• To stimulate scientific and technological
industry professionals that are signed up for mSchools
vocational options as well as motivation in
Experts to develop their apps. In App Education
students to take up these fields.
students begin with identifying a problem they
have encountered in their day-to-day lives. In order
App Education materials
to find a possible solution, the students form teams
simulating a business structure.
A new set of curricular materials has been developed
to help and guide teachers in the implementation
This collaborative and project-based learning process
of this new pedagogical proposal. These materials,
promotes teamwork through entrepreneurship and
along with activities, methodological guidelines and
digital skills. The app design process uses mobile
evaluation criteria, can be downloaded from an open-
technologies and ‘App Inventor’, a copyright-free
access website from the Catalan Ministry of Education
software program. This enables the students to work
and uploaded to the school´s learning management
on a hands-on/cross-curricular project which gives
system (Moodle). Schools are able to adapt the
coherence to the content goals. As a final activity, groups
materials to their students’ needs or implement them
present their solutions and try to justify their app and
directly with no adaptation. The course is divided into
convince others of what makes it a good product.
thematic blocks. Each block builds on the contents
from previous blocks, and includes student activities
As mentioned previously, the App Education initiative
with presentations, questionnaires and links, in
has very high participation rates and has been validated
addition to a teacher guide.
by the Ministry of Education as computer science/
technology elective within the official curriculum.
Students work collaboratively throughout the course.
Most of the tools used by students are Web 2.0 tools
The main goals of App Education are:
which are free, shareable and enhance collaboration.
All work is shared among the students in the group
• To learn about mobile devices and their
and their teacher.
social and economic impact.

• To help develop computational thinking skills

applied to visual language programming for
developing computer applications.
© mSchools

Picture 3: Seminar ‘Changing Education Together’ at MWC Barcelona.

11
 mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

App Education in Action:

Josep Vallverdú High School

This public secondary school is a model in Catalonia for the inclusion of digital technologies in the classroom.
It has created a specialized classroom where ‘Physical spaces and technology are at the service of the project-
based learning methodology.’ This classroom, led by a group of teachers, has been successful in creating a
new model of learning with the incorporation of digital and mobile technologies. The system has pushed
students to use their creativity and develop projects that directly address their immediate context.

Josep Vallverdú school also participates actively in many mSchools initiatives, and in 2016 won the award
for ‘Best classroom experience with mobile technology in the classroom’ during the CET seminar at MWC
Barcelona. Perhaps most notable is the school’s involvement in the mSchools App Education course, where
students develop apps that serve their community and society. They have created a project-based learning
classroom where students work year-round on apps. They have effectively set up small companies which
collaborate within and across teams, turning the classroom into an entrepreneurial space where students are
empowered to develop new sets of key digital skills and take ownership of their own learning.

This school has also won prizes in several different categories over the last four years of App Education. In 2015,
four students from Josep Vallverdu created a mobile application called ‘App Elderly’ with the aim of helping their
grandparents and the elderly, and beat thousands of other applicants in the ‘Citizenship and Community Service’
category. These students formed a small company and throughout the school year developed an app that not
only reminded the elderly to take their pills, but also gave them motivating phrases, located pharmacies nearby
and created small games to help them with their memory and mental agility.

This project is just one example of the hundreds of apps created by students that have proved how
embracing mobile technologies can enhance learning outcomes and provide an opportunity for change in
the educational system and the classroom, by making education more relevant and engaging for students.
© mSchools

Picture 4: Students participating in Scratch Challenge.

12
 2. The model

Scratch Challenge
From digital users to digital creators:
Virolai School
Scratch Challenge is a modular lesson plan which
focuses on the development of computational
Virolai School is a government-funded (or semi-
thinking in the classroom through learning Scratch, a
private) school. Its digital education model
free programming language. It fosters a new way of
prioritizes teacher involvement in the educational
teaching by designing interactive stories, simulations,
transformation of the school, and the school
games and animations, and sharing created content
leadership dedicates time and resources to
online. This initiative is targeted at 10–14-year-olds,
train teachers in digital technologies. This
which covers upper primary and lower secondary
school is particularly innovative because it
school. Students in other grades or their teachers
uses technological devices across all subjects
can also access and download this free content and
seamlessly and with pupils aged from 3 to
adapt it as they see fit. Scratch Challenge aims to
18, from preschool to high school, with the
promote digital skills and develop creative thinking
overarching objective to create lifelong learners.
and teamwork among young students. The lesson plan
is structured in six modules, which evolve sequentially
This model strives to reform education at all
in complexity. Each one contains twelve one-hour
levels through the use of technology, and
sessions. Each module poses a challenge that students
change the traditional methodology to promote
must solve progressively by working in groups. This
learner-centred education, where students are
course provides teachers with the materials and
the protagonists in their own learning process
resources needed to implement this programming
and are able to thrive in collaborative learning
environment in the classroom by following the
environments. This focus away from the teacher
proposed modules.
and towards the learner is accompanied by a
globalized curriculum, and a reorganization
of school spaces, schedules and of student
2.6 Achievements
evaluation.
During its five years of existence, the mSchools
This school has participated actively in many
programme has been able to change the educational
mSchools programmes, and in the second
landscape in Catalonia by establishing a public–
edition of App Awards in 2015 a group of high
private partnership that has created a unique
school students from Virolai School were finalists
ecosystem which has captured the best of both the
with the ‘Ars Longa’ app. In that academic year
public and private spheres, allowing for successful
200 schools, 250 teachers and 6,000 students
programme delivery. Through its various initiatives,
participated in the App Education course. Since
mSchools touches various different levels of the
then, the numbers have increased exponentially.
education system, including students, teachers, school
In the 2017–18 academic year twice as many
administrators, schools, policy-makers and the Ministry
teachers and schools participated as in 2015,
of Education as a whole.
and about four times as many students
(approximately 25,000).

13
 mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools
Data collected in online questionnaires shows
that teachers who participate in mSchools are
challenged to think differently, and have learned
new methodologies and tools to implement in their
classrooms. Furthermore, 89 per cent of teachers would
recommend participating in mSchools to their peers
(mSchools, 2018). Qualitative data collected from
these questionnaires also indicates that teachers find
that their students are more engaged in classes that
integrate the use of mobile devices accompanied with
appropriate and engaging teaching methodologies.
Another important indicator of the success and
achievement of the mSchools programme has been
its exponential growth during the five years since
its creation in 2013. In its first year as a programme
6,000 students participated. Since then that number
has grown more than seven times over, to more
than 52,000 students. The number of teachers in
the programme has followed a similar pattern: in
2013 more than 450 teachers participated, a number
which grew sevenfold to more than 3,300 teachers
participating in the 2017–18 academic school year
(mSchools, 2018).
© mSchools
Picture 5: Students participating in Scratch Challenge-Student Awards.
14
However, perhaps most important is the work that
the Ministry of Education does to advocate digital
transformation on a more systemic level through
the mSchools programme. Successful digital
transformation of schools and of the education
system as a whole involves the full integration of
technology in the areas of education and learning,
not only in physical learning spaces. The mSchools
CET initiative brings together school directors,
administrators and policy-makers, to discuss and
begin to put into practice digital transformation
plans as a means to promote inclusiveness, maximize
student achievement and transform pedagogy.
Data collected after these seminars shows that the
response from the attendees is very positive, and
they find that these types of trainings and spaces
for discussion are necessary. Many attendees also
indicate that because of the training received at
the seminar they have begun to put in place, or
have further improved upon, their school-wide
digital transformation plans. These plans have the
potential to help schools and education systems
reach their objectives as well as contribute towards
the achievement of achieve inclusive and quality
education for all, as put forth in SDG4.

3. Challenges and lessons learned
All public–private partnerships inherently face
challenges in delivering services, even in successful
programmes such as mSchools. This unique
collaboration has many added benefits for the
Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Hall and the
GSMA. Ultimately, this partnership has allowed for
the creation of a unique ecosystem where innovative
mobile technology ideas and programmes can be
created and delivered for the entire school system
by a private company in direct collaboration with a
public administration.
Although every year the participation in the
mSchools programme steadily increases, it only
engages a minority of teachers in the region. Even
with the support of the Ministry of Education, it
is hard to connect with all teachers and entice
them to participate in the programme. Different
communications channels and social networks are
used, but there is a high resistance to change in the
education community, and this plays a key role in
the penetration of this type of programme, however
successful or well promoted it is.
3.1 Alignment and organization
These types of partnerships can pose challenges,
especially when it comes to the alignment of
objectives, work methodologies, and organizational
and accountability structures. The hierarchy in public
administrations can be limiting and slow, due in
large part to the fact that the government’s structure,
priorities, ministers and civil servants are subject to
change during each election cycle. In large public
administrations, such as the Government of Catalonia,
the hierarchy of accountability and responsibility is
intricate.
3. Challenges and lessons learned
In order for this type of partnership to work efficiently,
it is important to maintain constant and clear
communication, to align objectives and to put into
place mechanisms to ensure project delivery and
success. These mechanisms can be anything from
written well-structured yearly plans with regular
follow-up meetings to the establishment of highly
functional and operational teams. With clearly
established joint objectives, and flexibility built in to
the joint programming, public–private partnerships
can be largely successful and mutually reinforcing.
3.2. Geography and scale
Other challenges include reaching geographically
isolated schools that are far from city centres, and
bringing them to participate in the mSchools events.
Many mSchools events take place in Barcelona,
the capital of Catalonia, and participating schools
outside Barcelona province often have to travel long
distances to participate in joint activities. However,
in the 2017–18 academic year mSchools organized
three large EduHack events in all four provinces of
Catalonia (Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona),
working closely with the territorial delegations and
establishing partnerships with local universities.
To minimize the difficulties of geographical
dissemination, mSchools is pushed out to the 10
territorial delegations, with training for the delegates
who then interact with the schools and teachers in
each geographical area. In addition, all academic
resources, platforms and curricula mSchools offers are
open-source, free and can easily be downloaded from
the internet which also facilitates its dissemination..
Scaling is also done via massive open online courses
(MOOCs), webinars and other e-learning tools to ensure
proper teacher training is delivered to the regions.
15
 mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

4. Transferability

Ultimately, the involvement of the Ministry of
Education of Catalonia and its territorial delegations
has given some mSchools initiatives, such as
App Education, a path for incorporation into the
official standardized curriculum. This has ultimately
aided in the adoption and uptake of the programme
by education practitioners and students in
Catalonia. Other mSchools initiatives have also been
implemented in this top-down way, while others
are available as free resources, courses, events and
training activities. The success of the programme is
due in large part to the validation and promotion by
the Ministry of Education, as well as the government
© mSchools
buy-in from top tiers of the administration on the
importance of the integration of mobile technologies
into the classroom for pedagogical innovation and for
teaching good and responsible use of mobile devices.
The feasibility of fully implementing a programme
such as mSchools in other regions is dependent
on having a similar public–private partnership in
place or set up specifically for the programme. If this
partnership is available to provide dissemination,
a regulatory framework, curricular fit and proper
incentivization for the programme, then mSchools
could be transferred to that region.

Picture 6: Team of students at their stand during App Education - Student Awards.

16

5. Conclusions and recommendations
From a methodological point of view, mSchools
has been able to innovate the education system in
Catalonia (OR) promote innovations in the education
system by changing the ‘tools and rules’. Nevertheless,
it is important to point out that the mSchools
methodology involves much more than using mobile
devices as a tool for academic success. It also involves
teaching good practices for the use of mobile devices,
and their appropriate use for teachers and students.
Changing the rules has to do with changing the
methodology and the ways of teaching in schools
to open up new ways of learning that are based on
teaching the principles of collaboration, teamwork,
creativity and resourcefulness. mSchools is a skills-
based programme that promotes mobile technology
in schools in ways that make sense. For example, all
initiatives are based on project-based service learning
methodologies, where the learners choose to create
projects that address real problems from their own
socio-economic environment. Engaging the learners
directly in solving authentic problems that affect
them boosts their motivation and success.
It is important for similar initiatives in other parts of
the world to focus on collaboration, and innovating
the educational system to focus on autonomous
learners, adaptive learning, inclusion and teaching
© mSchools
Picture 7 and 8: Students participating in Scratch Challenge.
5. Conclusions and recommendations
digital competencies which are critical for success
in the world of today. Allowing students to engage
directly with real social problems in the Catalan
context has also notably increased girls’ interest
in technological programmes, which are often
dominated by boys. Schools have been able to make
a real impact with minimal technological investment
but the right methodological tools and mindset.
By promoting a skills-based authentic learning
experience, mSchools has been able to create a new
way of learning and teaching, going beyond teaching
technological skills.
During its first five years as a programme, mSchools
has proved that with basic training, minimal
investment and good materials, meaningful change
in education is possible. Although there is always
room for improvement, the most important aspect
is having the capacity to change, reinvent and create
new programmes, which mSchools has been doing
constantly since its inception. mSchools is changing
the educational landscape in Catalonia, not only
because it empowers students to think differently, but
because of its capacity to inspire teachers and engage
learners of all ages to work collaboratively to change
the future.
© mSchools
17
mSchools: Transforming the education landscape in Catalonia (Spain) - The case of mSchools

References

EUN (European Schoolnet). 2017. Digital Citizenship. Brussels, European Schoolnet. http://www.eun.org/focus-
areas/digital-citizenship (Accessed 1 October 2018).

Government of Catalonia. 2009. Law 12/2009, Llei d’Educació [Education Law]. http://ensenyament.gencat.cat/web/.
content/home/departament/normativa/normativa-educacio/lec_12_2009.pdf (Accessed 15 August 2018.)

–––. 2017. Resolución ENS/2185/2017, Creación del Programa de Tecnologías Digitales para el
Aprendizaje [Resolution ENS/2185/2017, Creation of Digital Technologies for Learning
Programmes]. https://dogc.gencat.cat/es/pdogc_canals_interns/pdogc_resultats_fitxa/index.
html?action=fitxa&mode=single&documentId=797169&language=ca_ES&newLang=es_ES (Accessed 1
August 2018.)

–––. 2018. General Information on the School Education Council of Catalonia. Catalonia, Spain, Consell Escolar.
http://consellescolarcat.gencat.cat/ca/consell/information_english/ (Accessed 15 November 2018.)

Idescat (Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya). 2018. Ús de l›ordinador, d›Internet i disponibilitat de mòbil dels nens
de 10 a 15 anys. Per lloc d’ús [Computer, internet use and mobile phone availability for children 10–15
years old. By place of use]. Catalonia, Spain, Statistics Institute. http://www.idescat.cat/pub/?id=aec&n=937
(Accessed 1 November 2018.)

INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística). 2018. Unemployment rates third quarter, 2018. Spain, National Statistics
Institute. http://www.ine.es/infografias/tasasepa/desktop/tasas.html?t=0&lang=en (Accessed 15 October
2018.)

mSchools. 2018. Overall satisfaction rates with the programme. Unpublished raw data.

SECC (School Education Council of Catalonia). 2015. Les technologies mòbils als centres educatius
[Mobile technologies in schools]. http://consellescolarcat.gencat.cat/web/.content/consell_escolar/
actuacions/2documents_i_informes/documents_i_informes_en_pdf/static_files/Doc1-15_Tecnologies_
mobils.pdf (Accessed 1 November 2018).

UNESCO, 2012, Mobile Learning for Teachers. Exploring the Potential of Mobile Technologies to Support Teachers
and Improve Practices, Paris, UNESCO.

UNESCO, 2013, Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning. Paris, UNESCO.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002196/219641E.pdf (Accessed 12 August 2018.)

UNESCO, 2012, Turning on Mobile Learning in Europe: Illustrative initiatives and policy implications. Paris, UNESCO.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002161/216165E.pdf (Accessed 11 November 2018.)

18
UNESCO Education Sector
Education is UNESCO’s top priority because it is
a basic human right and the foundation on which
to build peace and drive sustainable development.
UNESCO is the United Nations’ specialized agency
for education and the Education Sector provides
global and regional leadership in education,
strengthens national education systems and
responds to contemporary global challenges
through education with a special focus on
gender equality and Africa.
Education
Sector
United Nations
(GXFDWLRQDO6FLHQWL¿FDQG
Cultural Organization
About the Fazheng Group
The Fazheng Group is a multi-business organization in
China, which covers a wide range of interests including
education. It has established a global school network
providing comprehensive coverage of K-12 education.
Stay in touch
https://on.unesco.org/fazheng
fazhengproject@unesco.org
The Global Education 2030 Agenda
UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialized
agency for education, is entrusted to lead and
coordinate the Education 2030 Agenda, which is
part of a global movement to eradicate poverty
through 17 Sustainable Development Goals by
2030. Education, essential to achieve all of these
goals, has its own dedicated Goal 4, which aims to
“ensure inclusive and equitable quality education
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
The Education 2030 Framework for Action provides
guidance for the implementation of this ambitious
goal and commitments.
The project Best practices in mobile learning
Funded by the Fazheng Group, the project aims to
guide the planning and implementation of school-
wide mobile learning practices. The case study series
consists of more than 15 initiatives including both
top-down cases driven by governments and
bottom-up cases initiated in individual schools,
selected through desk research and a competitive call
for proposals process.
ED/PLS/ICT/2019/03
www.facebook.com/UNESCOICTinEducation
@UNESCOICTs
Sustainable
Development
Goals