I am very excited to announce a new book series for Palgrave Macmillan on ‘New Language Learning and Teaching Environments’, dedicated to recent developments in learner-centred approaches and the impact of technology on learning and teaching inside and outside the language classroom I am inviting submissions for full-length manuscripts and edited books.
New Language Language Learning and Teaching Environments offers a multidisciplinary forum for presenting and investigating the latest developments in language education, taking a pedagogic approach with a clear focus on the learner, and with clear implications for both researchers and language practitioners.
Aims and scope:
• To publish cutting-edge research into current developments and innovation in language learning and teaching practice.
• To publish applied accounts of the ways in which these developments impact on current and future language education.
• To encourage dissemination and cross-fertilisation of policies and practice relating to learner-centred pedagogies for language learning and teaching in new learning environments.
• To disseminate research and best practice in out-of-class and informal language learning.
Work on New Language Environments encompasses research (both theoretical and applied) and development in areas as diverse as (and not limited to):
Virtual learning environments
Learner Autonomy
Self-access centres
Blended learning
Distance learning
Self-directed learning
Content and Language Integrated Learning
Work-based learning
Community initiatives
Self-study
Mobile learning
New Literacies
Situated learning
Language Support
Language Advising and Counselling
You can find out more about the series or learn how to submit a proposal here.
Chen, Hsieh & Kinshuk’s study (2008) on the use of mobile phones for vocabulary learning is an example of an increasing (but still relatively small) number of studies that investigate mobile learning. I sometimes use it in my MA classes as an example of research that does not actually investigate defining aspects of the core constructs of the study; in this case, participants were given exercises to complete on their mobile phones in a lab (therefore completely obviating the potential benefits of mobility that phones bring) that did not in any way take advantage of the medium (the exercises could have been presented on a computer, or even in a book). However, this does not mean that the study is not interesting. One of the pedagogically relevant findings of the study was that participants themselves said they enjoyed using their phones. This may have simply been a novelty effect (which was not controlled for), but one of the reasons they gave was that they felt they learned better with the ‘bite-sized chunks’ of learning content that a cellphone necessarily is limited to presenting (due to limitations such as screen size).
Learners felt phones were useful because they could be used anywhere and anytime (as one would expect) but also because the ‘mini-lessons’ fitted in better with their own preferred ways of learning. I am very interested in out-of-class learning, and it seems to me that this is an important finding for materials developers and those interested in supporting learning outside the classroom; the presentation (including amount, format, portability) of learning materials is likely to have a big impact on its actual use. As much as applied linguists debate the various benefits or otherwise of various types of instruction, surely anything that increases (or decreases) the amount of exposure to input or amount of practice learners get should be a prime consideration. A lot has been written about the supposedly different ways in which young learners now interact with information. Without entering that discussion, it is clear to me that mobile technologies offer, at the very least, alternative, or perhaps more accurately, complementary means of engaging with learning content. The nature of out-of-class learning is that it is less structured and less consistent, and mobile technologies seem promising in supporting the type of incremental learning that this entails. We need more research investigating how learners interact with and – crucually – learn from this.
Chen, N., Hsieh, S., & Kinshuk. (2008). Effects of short-term memory and content representation type on mobile language learning. Language learning & technology, 12(3), 93-113.
Thornton and Houser were among the first to show the potential for cellphones for vocabulary learning back in 2004. They sent out SMS messages to their students with new vocabulary, and made sure that each item was received multiple times by their participants. I don’t think (but I could be wrong here) that they made use of spaced learning by increasing the time interval between each exposure. Flaschard software is excellent at that, and now there are programs for use on cellphones. This could potentially be excellent as you are likely to have your phone with you when it is time for your next rehearsal. Here is one such program (www.flashmybrain.com) but there are many others.
Why do students not like to keep portfolios? I think it’s largely because they require a lot of effort, and effort that is clearly separate from and in addition to that demanded by the language activities they engage in. It takes an extra step to pull out a notebook or (more likely) log on to a website to update your learning record or to write up your reflections. That’s why it’s important to make the process as easy as possible and to integrate reflection into the learning process. Since most learning takes place outside the classroom, how can we encourage this reflection ‘in-the-moment’? To my mind cellphones are an excellent candidate. Using the simple voice recorder available on most phones students can be asked to record such things as:
- their use of the language outside the classroom (length, location, purpose)
- examples of the target language (for example a particular feature discussed in class)
- their success or otherwise in doing so (self-assessment)
- any questions they come up with
Several applications let you automatically upload voice notes to an online account. Some, such as one of my favourite pieces of software, Evernote (www.evernote.com), let you share an account. As a teacher you could set this up and let students send their recordings directly to that account so that both they and you can review it. An audio message as feedback will certainly cost you less time than a written comment. The (audio)record of students’ learning gives you a chance to give them credit for their out-of-class learning while giving you an immediate account of whether and how they use and learn the language on their own. In this way, mobile portfolios could be a feasible way to assess students’ development towards autonomy.
Coursesmart, a publisher of college textbooks in the US, is offering an Iphone application that gives you access to over 7,000 textbooks. Why are publishers of language education materials so far behind….?
Edukate is a programme designed for use on the Ipod to faciliate teaching. It contains a range of features to support class planning, student tracking and the use of teaching strategies. More information is available here or on their Facebook page. If anyone has used this, please drop me a note through the contact page to let me know your thoughts!
There is a lot of interest these days in mobile learning and regular readers of this blog are aware I’m particularly interested in this. Jane’s excellent directory of e-learning tools lists authoring tools for mobile learning. Most of these seem to be for drill-and-practice type exercised but this can be enhanced through the instructions and the context in which they are used. Has anyone used any of these in class or to support out-of-class learning?
5 Minute Outliner: http://www.5minutedownloads.com/details-5-minute-outliner.htm
Visualize and organize your ideas on your phone. Create outlines, projects and checklists or import them from your PC
Atlantic Link Content Point: http://www.atlantic-link.co.uk/home_contentpoint.htm
Rapid authoring software with automatic Flash output for Windows Mobile devices. Create fully interactive mobile courses in hours.
Cram 1.0: http://www.simpleleap.com/cram.htm
Scholastic testing software Cram allows students to create, study, and share tests on their BlackBerry, iPhone, & iPod Touch.
iWriter Solution for creating iPod study tools
http://www.talkingpanda.com/iwriter/
Learning Mobile Author Mobile content authoring and publishing tool that allows the rapid design, editing and publishing of trackable mobile learning and testing content
I just read this fascinating chapter in this free e-book on mobile learning. In it the authors describe a project in South Africa that made use of cellphones to support the social aspect of learning, in order to encourage learning both inside and outside the school context. One of the elements of this project that caught my eye was the ‘mobile audio wikipedia. The authors explain (p. 202):
’1. A user can search for a term by sending an SMS message to the server.
2. The server then calls the user.
3. A speech synthesizer will read the article found in the wikipedia.
4. If the term is not found in the wikipedia, then the user can submit
his/her contribution by dictating it to the system.’
I thought this was very neat as it bypasses the problem of the small screen on most phones. This should be possible to work also with custom-designed databases for specific domains, such as vocabulary and even expressions. Linking this with the use of a GPS that pre-loads or perhaps even suggests language based on one’s location (for example, in a park, i.e. an informal situation, versus in a library), this could be a very useful way to support situated learning.
There are a lot of interesting new social apps coming out for use on mobile phones. Of course these can be put to no other use than increasing the amount of inane ‘confersation’ (where no conversing takes place but only the conferring of useless information on others), but they can also be used to support language use, especially outside the classroom.
Some applications, like www.loopt.com let people share reviews, experiences, and find friends who are nearby. Users can leave messages related to people, to buildings, or events and share these with others. It doesn’t take much imagination to think of some ways to integrate this into a classroom.
In the (near) future we will be seeing more applications like the excellent www.yelp.com, which lets people do similar things to loopt.com but then specific to one specific location (in this case a number of US cities). You can subscribe to news and events, as well as other people’s reviews, experiences, and invitations as they are relevant to you (based on your own location).
Another website like this is www.eventful.com. By linking local events with what happens in class, students can be given a more active role in bringing information and experiences to the classroom.
With many phones now having built-in GPS, it is possible to create exercises that require students to find locations or people, or respond to their environment in dynamic, and I would think, more motivating ways.
Mobile learning has a lot of potential for supporting out-of-class language learning. Now it is becoming easier to create your own mobile-ready website using free tools such as www.wirenode.com These websites take your existing website or blog and help you to make it viewable and usable on mobile devices. Hosting is done on the wirenode server, so you get a wirenode address. Wirenode supports Twitter, RSS, and other ‘web 2.0′ applications, making this an excellent tool to support communicative activities outside the classroom. As an example, surf to this address to view this blog’s mobile version:
