A presentation on mobile assisted language learning presented at he 7th International Technology, Education and Development Conference Valencia, Spain, 4th - 6th March, 2013

1. Mobile-assisted Language Learning
Promising Opportunities for Foreign Language
Learning  Mahmoud Al Saidi
 Sultan Qaboos
University
 Oman

2. MOBILE-ASSISTED LANGUAGE
LEARNING
Outline of Presentation:
 What is Mobile Learning
 Why mobile language learning?
 Classroom applications of MALL
 The role of educators
 Challenges and limitations
 More reading and Resources

3. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
 Researchers’ perspectives of mLearning
 Defining characteristics of mLearning
 Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL)

4. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?

5. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
Researchers’ perspectives: Lot’s of
DEBAT
WHAT IS MOBILE IN MOBILE LEARNING?
E
Learner?
Device? (orientation/
(technology)? needs/wants)?
Content?
( cloud computing)?

6. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, 2005:
“the possibilities opened up by portable,
lightweight devices that are … small enough to fit
in a pocket or the palm of one’s hand. Typical
examples are mobile phones … smartphones,
palmtops and PDAs; Tablet PCs, laptop computers
and personal media players”
Cameras, data storage
devices

7. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
Sharples et al. (2005)
“[it] is the learner that is mobile, rather than the
technology” (p3).

8. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
Defining characteristics:
 Personalized  Situated
 Authentic  Informal
 Mobile  Continuous
 Collaborative
 Portable
 Spontaneous
 Ubiquitous

9. WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
Simple definition
A mode of learning which takes place using
content or interaction affordances facilitated by
mobile devices such as cellphones, mp3 players,
notebooks, hand-held mini computers, PDAs,
cameras, data storage devices and a number of
other portable devices

10. MOBILE ASSISTED LANGUAGE
LEARNING (MALL)
An approach to language learning that
is assisted or enhanced through the
use of handheld mobile devices
Subset of mobile learning and CALL

11. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
1. Mobile device and network ubiquity:
90%
of the people on earth are covered by mobile phone
network. Colley et. all. (2010)
41%
of users have more than one mobile device.
The Oracle report (Yu Vespi and Hazen, 201

12. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
1. Mobile device and network ubiquity:
85%
of mobile phones shipped worldwide by 2011 will have an
Internet browser on them. Colley et al. (2010)
Near Future:
between 2010 – 2015 Web access via mobile will exceed
desktop Web access.
(Colley et al. 2010).

13. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
1. Mobile device and network ubiquity:
(Generation Y)
downloaded the most of the commercial or free
applications downloaded by all mobile users.
(Colley et al. 2010)
What about the developing world?
“In most African countries Internet usage via cellphones is
growing: not by 10 or 20 %, but by several hundred percent
year-on-year.”
(Colley et al. 2010)

14. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
2. Our learners – real life:
 All own cellphones and most of them own smartphones
 Motivated towards the technology (POSITIVE)
 Geared to learn informally
 Suggesting mobile-based materials
 Already into mobile learning
 ARE CREATING mobile learning Content

15. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
3. Research:
We need to re-conceptualize learning for the mobile
age. Sharples et al. (2005)
Mobile learning in general is inevitable in the coming
years. (Kukulska-Hulme 2006)

16. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
3. Research:
Equip educators at individual and institutional
levels with appropriate designs for learning that can
cope with and work well for new generations of
learners who take the use of sophisticated technology
for granted. ( Beethan & Sharpe, 2007)

17. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
2. What if we as educators just
ignored this new mode of learning?
Failing to do so, will only result in widening the
gap between educators’ ideas about learning and
those of their students
(Kukulska-Hulme & Jones, 2011).

18. WHY MOBILE LANGUAGE
LEARNING?
Advantages:
 Learner driven and  Potential for learner
centered autonomy
 Relatively cheap  Encourages and facilitates
technology peer interaction
 Very cheap or totally free  Integrates real life into
content learning
 Portable  Easy content creation
 Ubiquitous  eBooks etc.
 Still new and fashionable
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/reasons-to-use-tablets-in-
the-21st-century-classroom/

19. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
Some Examples
 Educational Apps
 eBooks and eLibraries
 Social media
 Informal learning activities
 Course Management Systems: Moodle for mobile
 Course administration
 Audio, video , picture
 The power of QR Codes

20. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
Educational Apps
 on the rise
 Leading app producers
 Augmented reality
affordances
 Mostly for free
 Easy to use
 Choice
 User reviews

21. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
Educational Apps
 Apps from Unreliable sources
What is the  Trial Apps
downside?  Data Usage
 Low quality
 Finding them

22. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
Apps
Exemplary language learning
apps

23. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes
What are QR Codes?
• Quick Response Code
• Optical labels readable by smartphone
software
Powerful teaching/learning tools on
smartphones

24. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes
QR Code Generators
QR Code
Scanners

25. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes
Both a QR Code Generator and Scanner

26. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes
How can they be used for language learning?/teaching
 Apps  Text
 Web  Course administration
links  Classroom activities and quizzes
 Video
Advantage: Do not always require Internet access.

27. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes - Example
Mobile Students
Convert
app scan app to
link to QR
their App gets
Code
smartphon downloaded
e

28. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Code – Try it now!

29. CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS OF
MALL
QR Codes – Learn more

30. THE ROLE OF EDUCATORS
 Planners: initiate and administer learning schemes, offer
opportunities, set policies, rules and regulation
 Guides/facilitators: appropriate materials – apps, sites
etc.
Facilitate work of leaners as needed
 Resource: offer resources and encourage students to
explore
 Tech support
 LISTENERS: to students’ needs and wants

31. CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS
 Teacher resistance
 Alignment of mobile learning with theoretical frameworks
 Technology-driven materials and practices
 Institutional rules
 Cultural appropriateness
 Cost
 Privacy
 Access to network
 Cross platform compatibility

32. MOBILE LEARNING RESOURCES
MALL on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Assisted_Language_Learning
Mobile learning portal:
http://www.mobilelearningportal.org/contentview/journals
Journal of technology for ELT:
https://sites.google.com/site/journaloftechnologyforelt/archive/april2011/
mobileassistedlanguagelearning
EDUCAUSE REVIEW ONLINE:
https://sites.google.com/site/journaloftechnologyforelt/archive/april2011/m
obileassistedlanguagelearning

33. MLEARNING AND MALL
RESOURCES
Apple Education:
http://www.apple.com/education/apps/
Mobile Learning: An online reflective journal on Mobile learning
practices:
http://mlearning.edublogs.org/2006/08/14/immersive-situated-
learning/
Top 50 mearning Resources:
http://www.slideshare.net/UpsideLearning/top-
50mlearningmobilelearningresources

34. MORE READINGS
Beethan, H., & Sharpe, R. (Eds.). (2007). Rethinking pedagogy for a digital
age: Designing and delivering e-learning. London, UK: RoutledgeFalmer.
Chinnery,G. (2006). Emerging technologies. Going to mall: mobile assisted
language learning. Language Learning and Technology, 10(1), 19-16
C
olley, J., DeGani, A., & Stead, G. (2010). What in the World are you doing
with your mobile phone? World differences in the use of mobiles. Retrieved
August 27, 2011, from http://www.mole-project.net/
Colley, J., DeGani, A., & Stead, G. (2010). Future trends in mobile use.
Retrieved Aujust 27th, 2011, from http://www.mole-
project.net/images/documents/deliverables/global_mobile_trends.pdf

35. MORE READINGS
Dias, A. Carvalho, L., Keegan, D. Kismihok, G., Mileva, N., Nix, J., &
Rekkedal. T (2008). An Introduction to Mobile Learning. Retrieved 25th July,
2011, from
http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/programs/the_role_of_mobile_lear
ning_in_european_education/products/wp/socrates_wp1_english.pdf
Geddes, S. (2004). Mobile learning in the 21st century: Benefit for learners.
Knowledge Tree e-journal. Retrieved August 9th, 2011, from
https://olt.qut.edu.au/udf/OLTCONFERENCEPAPERS/gen/static/papers/Cob
croft_OLT2006_paper.pdf.

36. MORE READINGS
Hartman, G. DeGani, A., & Stead, G. (2011). Cross-platform mobile
development. Retrieved August 27th, 2011, from http://www.mole-
project.net/images/documents/deliverables/WP4_crossplatform_mobile_dev
elopment_March2011.pdf
Ismail, I., Baharum, H., & Idrus, R.M. (2010). Simplistic is the ingredient for
mobile learning. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies,
4(3), 4 – 8) retrieved July 25th, 2011, from http://online-journals.org/i-
jim/issue/view/85
Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes and Jones, Chris (2011). The next generation:
design and the infrastructure for learning in a mobile and networked world.
In: Olofsson, A. D. and Lindberg, J. Ola eds. Informed Design of Educational
Technologies in Higher Education: Enhanced Learning and Teaching.
Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference (an Imprint of IGI Global), pp.
57–78.

37. MORE READINGS
Kukulska-Hulme. A., and Shield, Lesley (2008). An overview of mobile
assisted language learning: From content delivery to supported collaboration
and interaction. ReCALL, 20(3), pp. 271–289.
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2006). Mobile language learning now and in the future.
In: Svensson, Patrik ed. Fr°an vision till praktik: Spr°akutbildning och
Informationsteknik (From vision to practice: language learning and IT).
Sweden: Swedish Net University (N¨atuniversitetet), pp. 295–310.
Mirland, M. (2006). How should learning activities using mobile technologies
be designed to support innovative educational practices?. In M. Sharples (ed.)
(2006) Big issues in mobile learning. Report of a workshop by the
Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence Mobile Learning Initiative. University of
Nottingham, UK. (p.27 - 29) Retrieved July 9th, 2011, from
http://mlearning.noe-kaleidoscope.org/repository/BigIssues.pdf

38. MORE READINGS
Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G. and Sharples, M. (2004) Literature
Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning, Report 11 for Futurelab,
Retrieved September 10, 2011, from
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/sites/default/files/Mobile_Technologies_and_Lea
rning_review.pdf

39. MORE READINGS
Norbrook, H. and Scott, P. (2003) Motivation in mobile modern foreign
language learning. In: Attewell, J., Da Bormida, G., Sharples, M. and Savill-
Smith, C. (eds.) MLEARN
2003:Learning with mobile devices. London: Learning and Skills Development
Agency, 50-51. Retrieved 15 Auggust, 2011, from
http://www.lsda.org.uk/files/pdf/1421.pdf#.
Ruan, G., Wang, J.Y., & Li, A. (2009). Theoretical foundations of Mobile
learning mediated by technology. Retrieved August 31st , 2010, from
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1727706
Sharples, M., Taylor, J., & Vavoula, G. (2005). Towards a theory of mobile
learning. Retrieved August, 27th, 2010, from
http://www.mlearn.org.za/CD/papers/Sharples-
%20Theory%20of%20Mobile.pdf

40. MORE READINGS
Sharples, M. (ed.) (2006). Big issues in mobile learning. Report of a
workshop by the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence Mobile Learning
Initiative. University of Nottingham, UK. Retrieved July 9th, 2011, from
http://mlearning.noe-kaleidoscope.org/repository/BigIssues.pdf
Thornton, P., & Houser, C. (2005). Using mobile phones in English
education in Japan. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (21), 217-228
Yu Vespi, C., & Hazen, J (2010). Opportunity Calling: The future of Mobile
communications. Retrieved August 27th, 2011, from
http://www.oracle.com/us/industries/communications/oracle-
communications-mobile-report-170802.pdf

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