Billy tiziana lse_2012

Smart Phones and Learner

Autonomy: A survey of Italian UWLP learners

12th CercleS Conference, University Language Centres: Going for Gold – Overcoming Hurdles 6th -8th September 2012

Billy Brick and Tiziana Cervi-Wilson

[email protected] and [email protected] Coventry University

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Definitions

Literature

Research question

Research Project

Results

Discussion

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Overview

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What do you understand by the term ‘smart phone’?

Troublesome definitions

What do you understand by the term ‘app’?

What do you understand by the term ‘mobile learning’?

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A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone.

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Also called mobile apps, it is a term used to describe Internet applications that run on smartphones and other mobile devices.

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‘‘any sort of learning that happens when the learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location, or learning that happens when the learner takes advantage of learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies’’ O’Malley et al (2003)

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...the modern smartphone is increasingly behaving and is perceived as being like a Swiss Army knife, it’s become a general platform for running more specific third-party apps and tools.

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‘Mobile Learning’ – Definitions vary – Does ‘mobile’ refer to the device or the learner or both?

Techno-centric approaches – unfortunately the device does matter (Nintendo DS v PSP v Smart Phone)

Very little written about apps and language learning. Faster phones and inclusive data plans on contracts now allow learners web access 24/7.

Kukulska-Hulme (2009) Traxler (2007) Macleod and Patterson (2011)

Literature

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How do learners use their digital devices/smart phones to support their language learning?

Most MALL studies to date have looked at specifically designed tasks rather than autonomous learning

Subject Area: Informal Mobile Learning/Learner Autonomy/MALL

Research question

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On-line Survey

Observations Semi-structured

Interviews

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Age of

Participants

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What is your native language?

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Do you own a smart phone/digital device (e.g Hand-held electronic dictionary, iPad, other tablet device, IPhone, Blackberry, HTC etc)?

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Do you use any apps (e.g Apple or Android) on your phone to support your language learning? If "yes", please state the name of the app(s) in the box below?

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At Home In Class In the Library Other

Where do you use your smart phone/digital device?

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Do you use an electronic dictionary/translator dictionary to support your language learning?

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Please indicate whether you use any of the online translation programs listed below to support your foreign language learning?

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What are the good points of your smart phone/digital device?

Mobile internet access

Being able to study whilst standing in queues (serendipitous learning)

Good for revising

Mobile dictionary

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What are the negative points of your smart phone/digital device?

Can be slow looking up words/sayings

Hard to find a quality app that is appropriate and recommended

No bad points

Predictive text can be a pain at times

Battery runs out too quickly

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Summary of focus group findings

App Evaluation – rely on Apple and Android rating system. Role of Google Translate – good first point of call for vocabulary items rather than using it for translating. None of them used their phone for listening to the news or reading newspapers in their target language. Unanimous support for an app linked directly to their course rather than 3rd party (possibly linked with VLE?) Apps – easy access, handy, useful. Battery power criticised.

They would like tutors to recommend specific apps.

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...the boundaries between traditional roles (teacher and learner) and functions (teaching and learning) are blurring. ‘Teachers’ need to be learners in order to make sense of and take account of new technologies in their practice. Conole and Alevizo (2010) p. 44

Betham, H. and Sharpe , R. (eds) (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and Delivering E-Learning. London: Routledge.

Bibby, S (2011) Do Students Wish to ‘Go Mobile’? An Investigation into Student Use of PCs and Cell Phones. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 1 (2), 43-54

Boyd, J. (2011) The role of digital devices in vocabulary acquisition, Research Notes, 44. University of Cambridge ESOL

Conole, G and Alevizo, P (2010) A literature review of the use of Web2.0 tools in Higher Education. HEA Academy. [online] available from <http://www.heacademy. ac.uk/assets/EvidenceNet/Conole_Alevizou_2010.pdf> [28 October 2011]

Corrin, L. Lockyer, L. and Bennett, S (2010) Technological diversity: an investigation of students' technology use in everyday life and academic study. Learning, Media and Technology, 35 (4) pp. 387-401

Hosein, A, Ruslan, R. And Jones, C (2010) Learning and Living Technologies: A Longitudinal Study of First-Year Students’ Expectations and Experiences in the Use of ICT. Learning, Media and Technology 35 (4) pp. 403-418

References

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Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2009) Will mobile learning change language learning? ReCALL 21 (2) 157-165

Macleoud, H and Patterson, J (2011) A Survey of Undergraduate Technology Use and Attitudes , University of Edinburgh. [online] available from http://api.ning.com/files/Re65EyW3mPAAtEJAyC6oUUyCSXOKojn*nlcLE3VMR*i-*gHRIqWSpHpPKSEJ2rcUaYDVHJsH0Zb84HkvVX84TMJLWDrcK5xp/ReportASurveyofUndergraduateTechnologyUseandAttitudes.pdf [6th December 2011]

O’Malley, C., Vavoula, G., Glew, J., Taylor, J., Sharples, M. and Lefrere, P. (2003) Guidelines

for learning/teaching/tutoring in a mobile environment. Mobilearn project deliverable. [online] available from <http://www.mobilearn.org/download/results/guidelines.pdf > [3rd December 2011]

Traxler, J (2007) Defining, Discussing and Evaluating Mobile Learning: the moving finger writes and having writ . . . . The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. [online] available from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/346/875 [8th December 2011]

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