Opportunities of Mobile Learning: MALL (Mobile-Assisted Language Learning) (Individual Entry #3)
As the use of mobile devices is increasingly spreading, also among students, the number of mobile applications for ESL learning has been skyrocketing over the past years. Like the chart below shows, apps supporting different core competences of language learning such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing do exist, but they appear not to be that common. While checking the market for learning apps, those which train vocabulary are most common, surely because vocabulary trainer programms fulfill the most important conditions for mobile learning: the content is easy to understand, the learning units are less extensive and breaks and interruptions are always possible when learners, for example, have to leave the bus at the next stop or get caught in a conversation. Because much more apps which train vocabulary than other skills are available and because the most vocabulary training apps are for free (approx. 38%) in relation to the number of overall language learning apps, I want to focus on apps which support vocabulary learning in the context of Mobile Learning. The usage of apps is just a tiny area of the all possibilities MALL has to offer. Nonetheless, vocabulary learning apps seem to be an adequate example to point out the concept of mLearning.
Kim, Heyoung; Kwon,Yeonhee.(2012).Exploring smartphone applications for effective mobile-assisted language learning. Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning, 15 (1), 38. Online: http://kmjournal.bada.cc/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/15-1-2Kim.pdf. (Stand: 21.02.2016).
But first: What is Mobile Learning?
Mobile learning (M-Learning) is the ability to work with and integrate mobile devices into educational scenarios and engage in educationally interaction through mobile devices at the students’ own pace and location. In this context the following mobile technologies are addressed (Hashemi, Azizinezhad, Najafi, & Nesari, 2011):
- mobile phones
- smart phones
- personal digital assistants (PDA's)
- MP3/MP4 players
- handheld gaming devices
- notebooks & netbooks
- handheld GPS
- handheld voting devices
The use of mobile technologies affects learning styles and activities as well as learning opportunities, needs and goals. In regard to this, it is important to understand that “mobility" does not ony mean spatial movement but also mobility in terms of time-shifting and boundary-crossing. The graphic below shows the concept of Mobile Learning in three areas: mobility of technology, mobility of learning and mobility of learner (El-Hussein and Cronje 2010).
Kim, Heyoung; Kwon,Yeonhee.(2012).Exploring smartphone applications for effective mobile-assisted language learning. Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning, 15 (1), 34. Online: http://kmjournal.bada.cc/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/15-1-2Kim.pdf. (Stand: 21.02.2016).
note: changed by Loraine Gärtner
Mobile technology enables users to perform many different kinds of social-interactive functions including communication, organization, applications (e-books, database, tools, and office), information (webs, references) or relaxation (camera, music, movies, or games) (Trinder, 2005).
Mobility of learning generates new modes of education: personalized, learner-centred, situated, collaborative, ubiquitous and lifelong learning (Sharples, Taylor& Vavloula, 2005).
Students can profit from mobile learning in terms of higher productivity and effectiveness, greater flexibility, higher accessibility and the opportunity to personalise their learning activities. The mobile learners can enjoy a greater sense of individuality, community, ubiquitousness in learning, freedom and independence.
Benefits of MALL
eTrainingPedia. A Beginner’s Guide to Mobile Learning. (20.10.2014). Online: http://www.etrainingpedia.com/a-beginners-guide-to-mobile-learning/. (Stand: 21.10.2016).
In the beginning, MALL has been considered as a subform of mobile learning and computer-assisted language learning, but MALL differs from CALL that in terms of
1. personal, portable devices
2. spontaneity of access
3. different contexts of use
Garg, Amit (Upside Learning). How To Create Successful M-Learning Strategy: mLearnCon – Part I (23.06.2010). Online: https://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2010/06/23/how-to-create-successful-m-learning-strategy-mlearncon-part-i/. (Stand: 21.02.2016).
There are manifold ways in which students can benefit from MALL; here the most striking points:
1.Easy and prompt access to language learning materials
2. Communication with other people at anytime, anywhere
3. Participation in individual and collaborative language learning activities
4. Mobile technology provides a number of resources and tools for language learning processes.
5. These mobile technologies encourage students to be motivated, self-regulated and socially-interactive learners.
Vocabulary training for ESL learners: Quizlet
The video gives you a short description of how Quizlet works.
VCNat Tel. Quizlet com Demo (21.01.2013). Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grmvl0BcCLs. (Stand: 21.02.2016).
Quizlet is an online tool and app you can use to create online flash cards. You can create your own cards by typing in the vocabs or terms you want to learn, but you can also work with prepared sets by other users. Teachers can also create sets of vocabularies and share them with students so that they can access them online and at home.
Advantages:
- perfect if students miss a lesson
- also applicable for other subjects such as maths or physics to learn definitions
- vocabulary learning in a monolingual or bilingual way (definition of term or translation)
- individual setting: students can decide whether their set of vocabularies is viewable for everyone or just for themselves
- teachers can create sets and share them with the students
- Quizlet offers learning materials from other users which make language learning material accessible easily
- direct feedback
- offers a great variety of languages
- provides distant learning
- students can type in their vocabularies and can learn whenever and wherever they want
- very simple log in (password and nickname)
- for free
- different study modes (test modes: flashcards, memory) or learning mode
- share and study with classmates: create a group and share your flashcards, edit and improve sets by your classmates --> collaborative learning
- usage in the classroom: vocabulary training makes fun
- Quizlet is available for Android, IOS, tablets, smartphones, laptops and PCs which enables students to log in through several mobile devices
Disadvantages:
- not every student has a mobile device
Didactic Evaluation
Quizlet provides a social network in which a social community can exchange flashcards and knowledge between classmates in a closed group or unknown users, which makes the app modern and interesting to students of any age since social platforms might be used by a great majority of the learners, anyway. Being part of a virtual community motivates students and is an authentic method to promote collaborative working and social interaction. Furthermore, it is especially suitable for students who have to learn specific vocabulary or want to repeat basic vocabularies.Quizlet makes language learning material available quite easily.
Usage in the classroom
Especially for younger students Quizlet can be used to prepare text reception or production. The teacher could create a set of unknown vocabularies and make this set available for his/ her students who can either prepare the vocabs at home to work with them in class or to look up unknown words while working with the text. The programme can also assist productive tasks as either the students or the teacher (or the whole class together with their teacher) can collect vocabularies which seem suitable when thinking to write about a specific topic. As a result, a word bank of personalised and specific vocabs develops which is available for all classmates at any time. This is, by the way, also a good method for older students to extend their vocabulary and learn specific vocabularies or general useful phrases.
All in all, I think that Quizlet is a simple and structured way of mobile learning which is perfectly suitable for school as well as for individual learning.
Click here to get more information on M-Learning and further readings.
El-Hussein, M. O. M., & Cronje, J. C. (2010). Defining mobile learning in the higher education landscape. Educational. Technology & Society, 13(3), 12-21.
Hashemi, M., Azizinhad, M., Najafi, V., & Nesari, A. (2011). What is mobile learning? Challenges and capabilities. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 30, 2477-2481.
Trinder, J. (2005). Mobile technologies and systems. In J. Traxler, & Kukulska-Hulme (Eds.), Mobile learning: A handbook for educators and trainers (pp. 7-24). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
