Mobile phones and language learning

1. 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
lsx133@coventry.ac.uk and lsx091@coventry.ac.uk
Coventry University

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3. Overview
Definitions
Literature
Research question
Research Project
Results
Discussion
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4. Troublesome definitions
What do you understand by the term ‘smart
phone’?
What do you understand by the term ‘app’?
What do you understand by the term ‘mobile
learning’?
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5. 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. 5 05/09/2012

6. 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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7. ‘‘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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8. ...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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17. Literature
 ‘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) 17 05/09/2012

18. Research question
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
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19. On-line Survey
Semi-structured
Observations
Interviews
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20. Age of
Participants
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21. What is your native language?
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22. 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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23. 23 05/09/2012

24. 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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25. Where do you use your smart
phone/digital device?
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
At Home In Class In the Library Other
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26. Do you use an electronic
dictionary/translator dictionary to
support your language learning?
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27. Please indicate whether you use any of the
online translation programs listed below to
support your foreign language learning?
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28. 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 28 05/09/2012

29. 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
29 05/09/2012

30. 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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31. ...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
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32. References
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
Web 2.0 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
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33. 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*nlcLE
3VMR*i-
*gHRIqWSpHpPKSEJ2rcUaYDVHJsH0Zb84HkvVX84TMJLWDrcK5xp/Re
portASurveyofUndergraduateTechnologyUseandAttitudes.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
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December 2011]