scholarly journals Using mobile technologies for studying foreign languages

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-321
Author(s):  
Mariia Viktorovna Drygina

In our modern world mobile devices play an important role in the learning process and provide more opportunities for access to educational resources. The use of mobile devices in the learning process is a promising direction that attracts researchers all over the world. Although mobile devices are widely used and they are accessible means of studying, they are still not perceived as means of foreign language learning. The use of mobile technologies will make it possible not only to induce the learning process visibility, divisiveness and interaction, but also to improve the quality of education, and to expand the possibilities for both students and teachers. The paper presents a systematic review of resources on the problem of mobile assisted language learning. The results of the research have shown that this method is widely used by researchers in Scandinavian countries. The classification has been made on the basis of the existing concept of mobile learning. In addition, the paper describes main technical, pedagogical and psychosocial factors which influence the development of modern resources for mobile learning of foreign languages.

This study examined the mobile-assisted language learning studies published from 2007 to 2016 in selected journals from the aspects of adopted mobile devices, mobile learning systems/resources, and the benefits and challenges of utilizing mobile devices or learning systems/resources. The results revealed that the traditional mobile devices (e.g., Personal Digital Assistants, PDAs) and the current popular mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablet PCs) were frequently adopted for language learning in different time periods, while wearable devices have not been adopted by any language learning research so far. In addition, most of the studies used researcher-developed learning systems/resources, while the use of educational affordances of free applications or resources needs to be promoted. Furthermore, the abundant benefits of using mobile devices or mobile learning systems/resources for language acquisition were found in many studies, such as providing substantial chances for learning, and providing or building authentic environments for learners’ meaningful knowledge construction; on the other hand, the studies also reported several challenges (e.g., insufficient practice time and the lack of effective learning strategies) to be overcome in the future. Finally, several suggestions are provided for researchers or practitioners to conduct their future work.


Author(s):  
Nataliia Skrypnyk

The article is devoted to the analysis of the methods of mobile learning in relation to foreign language learning in institutions of higher education and systematization of their practical use. Despite the fact that mobile devices with internet access are becoming more and more widespread among students and teachers, mobile learning, in foreign language learning in particular, is not common in non-linguistic institutions of higher education nowadays. The concepts of «mobile learning», «mobile technologies» have been described. Mobile learning of a foreign language should be understood as a form of learning process organization and control based on the use of mobile communication devices, where students can develop and improve their language skills, form socio-cultural and intercultural competences in order to use a foreign language as a means of communication in the social and professional sphere anywhere and at any time. Mobile technologies involve the use of mobile devices, access to training aids, forms of educational interaction and forms of training materials and tasks. The didactic possibilities of mobile technologies have been considered. They include accessibility by means of mobile devices; the possibility of storing and transmitting information of various formats; the possibility to post comments or make changes to the content; possibility of using them as information resources; the possibility of organizing a network discussion; the possibility to perform group and individual projects. The didactic and methodical functions of mobile technologies when learning foreign language have been presented. The requirements to mobile learning programs and advantages of their using have been covered. The disadvantages and problems of using mobile learning in foreign language learning have been given. Division of practical using methods of mobile learning in relation to foreign language learning in non-linguistic institutions of higher education into five groups has been presented. Each group has been grounded and illustrated with examples.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Stockwell

The increased use of sophisticated mobile devices opens up new possibilities and challenges for language teachers and learners, which has led to an increasing need to consider issues relating to mobile technologies specifically. To date, there is no comprehensive book-length treatment of issues relating to mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). This book fills that gap, providing a resource for present and future language teachers, and for graduate students of applied linguistics and TESOL, to understand how mobile devices can best be used for language teaching. It is founded on existing research, practice and theory, and offers a balanced perspective, based on the author's own experiences with mobile learning - considering the limitations of such an approach, as well as the benefits. Written in a practical and approachable tone, it provides a much-needed guide to MALL, and its fascinating insights promote further debate within the field.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Kacetl ◽  
Blanka Klímová

At present, hardly any younger person can imagine life without mobile technologies. They use them on a daily basis, including in language learning. Such learning supported with mobile devices is called mobile learning, which seems beneficial especially thanks to the unique features of mobile applications (e.g., interactivity, ubiquity, and portability) and teachers’ encouragement and feedback. The purpose of this review study is to explore original, peer-reviewed English studies from 2015 to April 2019 and to determine whether mobile applications used in the learning of English as a foreign language are beneficial and/or effective. The methods are based on a literature review of available sources found on the research topic in two acknowledged databases: Web of Science and Scopus. Altogether, 16 original journal studies on the research topic were detected. The results reveal that mobile learning is becoming a salient feature of education as it is a great opportunity for foreign language learning. Its key benefits are as follows: the enhancement of the learner’s cognitive capacity, the learner’s motivation to study in both formal and informal settings, the learner’s autonomy and confidence, as well as the promotion of personalized learning, helping low-achieving students to reach their study goals. Although mobile learning seems to be effective overall, it is desirable to design, plan and implement it with caution, according to students’ needs, and to deliver multiple language skills in authentic learning environments.


ReCALL ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Kukulska-Hulme ◽  
Lesley Shield

AbstractMobile learning is undergoing rapid evolution. While early generations of mobile learning tended to propose activities that were carefully crafted by educators and technologists, learners are increasingly motivated by their personal learning needs, including those arising from greater mobility and frequent travel. At the same time, it is often argued that mobile devices are particularly suited to supporting social contacts and collaborative learning - claims that have obvious relevance for language learning. A review of publications reporting mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) was undertaken to discover how far mobile devices are being used to support social contact and collaborative learning. In particular, we were interested in speaking and listening practice and in the possibilities for both synchronous and asynchronous interaction in the context of online and distance learning. We reflect on how mobile language learning has developed to date and suggest directions for the future.


Author(s):  
Ivana Simonova

Mobile devices have become widely accepted and exploited didactic means on all levels of education and in all subjects to appropriate extent, including foreign languages. This study focuses on their use within technical (i.e. bachelor) and engineering (i.e. master) higher education in Informatics and Management study programmes at the Faculty of Informatics and Management (FIM), University of Hradec Kralove (UHK), Czech Republic, particularly focusing on comparison of general subjects to English for specific purposes (ESP). Therefore, following questions were set to be researched: (1) What types of mobile devices do students possess?, (2) What purposes do students use mobile devices? and (3) What is students´ feedback after mobile devices implementation in ESP and other subjects is? The case study was exploited to describe the state in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) at FIM and students´ feedback was collected by the questionnaire on this approach to teaching/learning. The results show Czech students are sufficiently equipped by mobile devices so that these can be implemented in the process of teaching/learning of all subjects, including ESP.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Eleni Mavropoulou ◽  
Panagiotis Arvanitis

The progress of technology and the complete integration of its products in our daily lives is now a reality. In addition to this, more and more young children now own their personal mobile devices, most of which have a connection to the internet. These new portable devices offer unlimited possibilities to their users, yet they also create more and more challenges in the field of learning. Inevitably, Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) as a subcategory of Mlearning is also affected. The purpose of this paper is to present students' perceptions on the use of an application in the process of learning French as a foreign language. To this end, we developed an application for mobile devices in real teaching conditions, which respects the principles of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Experimental quantitative research was carried out in order to explore the students' experience concerning the application as a portable learning tool, completely integrated into the course. The target group we addressed was international students from various countries in Europe, Asia and America, who were taught French during a language immersion program, as part of a language stay in Saint Raphaël in France.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cemil Yurdagül ◽  
Saba Öz

Mobile devices, especially smart phones, are the most frequently used technological devices for daily routines. Mobile devices can be used for various purposes to meet different needs. Since education is a core requirement for human beings, smart phones are being integrated into education. However, it remains to be seen whether they have an impact on learning or not. Consequently, integration of these technologies, or “mobile learning”, has become a popular research study in the field of instructional technology. It is important to investigate the impact of smart phones in language education since students today use them frequently. This attitudinal study aims to investigate the attitude of students in higher education towards smart phone use in the context of foreign language learning. In particular, it gathers information about how smart phones are used for language learning. Participants of the study were 294 prep school students from a well-known university in Turkey. Descriptive study was selected as a research method and mixed-method was the research design for the study. The findings of the study showed that participants care about instant and easy access to information in language learning. In addition to drawing attention to the ease of information access, participants provided suggestions about future applications of smartphones in language learning.


Author(s):  
Ivana Šimonová

Abstract ‘Learning is much better with tablets’, today’s pupils and students often say. But, is it really true? Are the mobile devices and mobile technologies the mean performing didactic miracles? Do they really cause students enjoy learning and learn more with less effort? Even an optimist guesses it may not be like this. Do we (teachers) know how the mobile-assisted process of learning runs, what its advantages, weaknesses and limits are, whether learners really remember more, and/or enjoy the learning more? What is the role of the ‘novelty’ factor regarding the latest technologies? Do learners know how to exploit them for education purposes? And last but not least, what are teachers’ competences in this field? These are selected fields we are going to focus on.


Author(s):  
Olga Vladimirovna Galustyan ◽  
Alexander Pavlovich Smetannikov ◽  
Indira Grigoryevna Kolbaya ◽  
Galina Sergeevna Palchikova ◽  
Denis Vasilyevich Galigorov ◽  
...  

The article deals with application of mobile technologies for the formation of analytical competence of future specialists. It discusses the concepts of mobile learning and mobile technologies. Advantages of using mobile technologies within the learning process are presented. The use of mobile learning is one of the most effective and affordable ways of formation of students' analytical competence. Managing, strategic, informational, reflexive components within the structure of analytical competence are revealed in the article. The results of experimental work of formation of analytical competence of future specialists by means of mobile learning technologies are presented. The authors conclude that formation analytical competence of future specialists using mobile devices expands the conventional framework by using the capabilities of mobile platforms and expands the learning environment.


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