Mobile Assisted Language Learning

Had you ever considered that you would ever integrate mobile phones in your EFL classroom?

What some teachers ban in the classroom is used as a learning tool from other teachers.

To begin with, instead of giving the learners chunks of texts to study, a simple diagram will work more effectively as it organizes the target knowledge into a simple and memorable diagram/mind map.

This practice works more effectively when the students create these diagrams/mind maps themselves. This can be achieved by mobile apps such as Inspiration8. If you click here you will find a tutorial that illustrates how to use it.

More precisely, this application is ideal for brainstorming for ideas in essay writing. For instance, when we are looking for the causes and effects of global warming. I suggest you allow the students some time to brainstorm for ideas on the topic and create a mind map on their mobile phones through this application. Literally, it can substitute a notebook as the students are required to create a mind map on their mobile application rather than write their ideas on a notebook.

Here is an example that I recently made.

Generally, students tend to have a positive stance towards technology. Every activity that is associated with technology is dealt more seriously from the students.

In essence, such practices will help students make use of simple devices that we use throughout the day by turning them into learning tools. Demonstrating how to use such common devises as learning tools, transfers foreign language learning outside the EFL classroom. This is crucial for foreign language acquisition. As language is a living organism, it changes over time. Hence, it is essential to remain in touch with the language. This can be achieved through mobile assisted language learning. 

Benefits of the Inspiration app and Mobile Assisted Language Learning

• The target knowledge is presented in a simple and memorable way. This in turn facilitates learning.

• Through this approach students take control over their learning as they organize the knowledge into diagrams, mind maps.

• The fact that students create these diagrams/mind maps enhances the sense of ownership in education. They learn what is illustrated from these diagrams/mind maps because they made the effort to design them. Additionally, this gives them the sense of achievement. Students feel that they own what they have designed and achieved. That way they relate to these diagrams/mind maps much better.

• Transferring the learning process outside the classroom fosters life-long learning.

• Visual learners proliferate from this visual representation of knowledge.

• Students are not restricted to the classroom. They can log in their applications at any time and upload the end result at their educational blog to share it with the rest of the class.

Here are some issues that have arisen:

• The practice of using mobile phones in the EFL classroom might not be embraced by all EFL teachers especially school principles. We have seen on T.V. students humiliating their teachers through their mobile phones. This could potentially hinder the process of mobile assisted language learning. Solution: In such cases, I suggest that the teacher could inform the students that mobile phones are going to be allowed for only 10-20 minutes during a particular session. So the students receive state-of-the-art education through Mobile Assisted Language Learning and the school principle will remain satisfied by adhering to his restrictions.

• Unfortunately, this tool isn’t free. As we are undergoing a global financial economic crisis, everyone has become money conscious. However, you are entitled to a 30 day trial.

As good EFL teachers it should always occur to us that in order to remain effective EFL teachers we have to constantly research for new teaching methods and most of all investigate new ways to incorporate technology in the EFL classroom. This new generation is frequently referred to as digital natives. Imagine that their mother tongue is the knowledge of technology which is also referred to as “digital literacy”. Unless we (EFL teachers) decide to become digital citizens, we will not be able to address this new generation.

All in all, the scope of this blog entry is to sensitize EFL teachers to investigate the impact of  “Mobile Assisted Language Learning” on EFL students, either through their personal experience or by executing an action research. Further research is needed on this field, so it is our responsibility to fill in this gap.