Mobile Technologies for Foreign 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):  
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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Holden ◽  
Julie M. Sykes

This paper builds on the emerging body of research aimed at exploring the educational potential of mobile technologies, specifically, how to leverage place-based, augmented reality mobile games for language learning. Mentira is the first place-based, augmented reality mobile game for learning Spanish in a local neighborhood in the Southwestern United States. This paper explores both the complexities and benefits of integrating mobile games in second and foreign language learning contexts. Relevant background issues are discussed and the Mentira project is described, including an exploration of the setting, narrative, gameplay, and curriculum. Initial findings and future goals are explored. Gameplay, the importance of ’place’ for language learning, is discussed and the role of student buy-in. The paper concludes with future considerations for the continued use of mobile games projects for language learning as well as other disciplines.


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Phil Murphy ◽  
Luann Pascucci ◽  
Scott Sustenance

This paper reports on an ongoing study into the affordances of free online machine translation for students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level in Japan. The researchers are currently collecting data from a questionnaire, task performance, and interviews with 10-15 EFL learners in an English Language Institute in a university in Japan. The paper provides some background on the changing role of translation in language learning theory and pedagogy, before focusing literature related to technical developments in machine translation technology, and its application to foreign language learning. An overview of the research methodology is provided, along with some insights into potential findings. Findings will be presented in subsequent publications.


Author(s):  
Liudmila Vladimirovna Guseva ◽  
Evgenii Vladimirovich Plisov

The article defnes the role of digital means in foreign language learning, establishes the reasons for the effective use of digital means and digital technologies, identifes challenges in mastering a foreign language in an electronic environment, as well as the prospects for the digitalization of foreign language education. When studying the issues of emergency off-campus learning organization, the results of surveys of teachers and students conducted in April 2020 at Minin University were used. image/svg+xml


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Fahri Haswani

In  response  to  an  appeal  from  Indonesia’s  Ministry  of  Education  and  Culture  to  all universities and colleges to improve the quality of tertiary  education toward regional and international standard, language institutions are making great efforts to further promote the  foreign  language  learning  process.  In  the  last  few  years  there  have  been  dramatic changes  in  the  ways  that  languages  are  taught  by communicative  approach  and  the introduction of technological tools. In recent years, the use of technological aids, especially those related to computers, has increasingly become  a common feature of the classroom. There is no doubt that computer based instruction will occupy a more central role in the foreign language classroom in the future. Information technology has drawn the interest of teachers of English as a second or foreign language in non-English speaking countries. The technology integration into  the curriculum is not a single concept which is generated from one  single  theory  nor  does  it  give  full  guidelines  for  the  implementation  in  practical situation. This issue constitutes ideas from many different theories. This paper  discusses the issue of technology contributions in EFL classroom. The question raised in this paper is how technology facilitates  the attainment of course goals.  The answer of the question will help  English  teachers  to  clarify  the  real  problems  of  the  initiative  so  that  the  innovation and possible changes can be aligned with the need of the students. However, this literature review  only  covers  limited  issues  related  with  the  role  of  technology  in  EFL  classroom. Further  discussion  from  other  different  points  of  view  is  still  needed  to  create  more complete description of conceptual foundation of the innovation.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline Araya Ríos ◽  
Jorge Luis Espinoza Campos

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Recientemente, la tecnología ha venido ejerciendo una gran influencia </span><span>sobre la forma en que se aprende un idioma. Tanto los estudiantes como los profesores están expuestos a la Internet diariamente, y esto puede aprovecharse para enseñar y aprender una lengua extranjera. Por esta razón, es necesario encontrar maneras de combinar la tecnología con la enseñanza de idiomas. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de un estudio llevado a cabo con estudiantes que han estado expuestos al uso de </span><span>Facebook </span><span>en sus cursos de inglés. Se hace hincapié en las formas en que </span><span>Facebook </span><span>puede emplearse como medio para promover la autonomía y se resumen los resultados de la aplicación de esta práctica. </span></p></div></div></div>


Author(s):  
Christopher L. Holden ◽  
Julie M. Sykes

This paper builds on the emerging body of research aimed at exploring the educational potential of mobile technologies, specifically, how to leverage place-based, augmented reality mobile games for language learning. Mentira is the first place-based, augmented reality mobile game for learning Spanish in a local neighborhood in the Southwestern United States. This paper explores both the complexities and benefits of integrating mobile games in second and foreign language learning contexts. Relevant background issues are discussed and the Mentira project is described, including an exploration of the setting, narrative, gameplay, and curriculum. Initial findings and future goals are explored. Gameplay, the importance of ’place’ for language learning, is discussed and the role of student buy-in. The paper concludes with future considerations for the continued use of mobile games projects for language learning as well as other disciplines.


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