Exploring the Impact of Using Tablet Devices in Enhancing Students Listening and Speaking Skills in Tertiary Education

1. Exploring the Impact of Using Tablet Devices in
Enhancing Students Listening and Speaking
Skills in Tertiary Education
Ismail Fayed, Amer Yacoub & Ali Hussein
Qatar University
ifayed@qu.edu.qa - Amer.y@qu.edu.qa - ahussein@qu.edu.qa
"This free learning app was made possible by a UREP research award [UREP 11-141-5-024] from the Qatar National Research
Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The content included made herein is solely the responsibility of the author."

2. Outline
• Abstract
• Teens & Cell Phones
• Significance
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Findings
• Learning Apps

3. Abstract
• Massive
increase
in
smart
phones
• Popularity
&
teens
• mobile
devices
&
learning
• Mobile
phones
in
ESL
Listening/
Speaking
skills
– Educa9onal
mobile
features
– Collabora9on
and
accessibility:
(apps
over
wireless
connec0on,
language
games,
synchronous
and
asynchronous
technologies)

4. Significance
• Introduce
m-­‐learning
in
HE
• Which
Apps/
features
to
use?
• Apps
in
ESL
learning
&
“QU
Learn”
• learners'
percep9ons:
Which
applica9ons?
When
and
how?

5. http://www.wiredacademic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/21st_century_classroom.jpg

6. Objectives
This study attempts to achieve the following objectives:
• Explore learners' ideas and perceptions
• Explore the influence of smartphones on learners’
motivation to learn English
• Define m-learning activities, applications or websites
• Explore students’ performance with m-learning activities

7. Methodology
• Level 1 - 4 Ss in the Foundation English Program at Qatar
University
• Data collected from a variety of sources:
• A questionnaire of students perceptions to quantify learners'
perceptions about mobile/ tablet use for language learning and oral
fluency.
• Short interviews with random students samples
• Pre-test and Post-test for two different classes

8. http://www.ashridge.org.uk/Website/Content.nsf/wFARCRED/Going+Mobile+in+Executive
+Education?opendocument

9. M-Learning in the classroom
The growing potentials of M-learning
• Improved mobile devices
• Major ventures
Using mobile devices to support learning.
• In class
• At home
Challenges with mobile learning.
• Resources compatible with all mobile types.

10. M-learning websites
• Available, inexpensive and
practical.
• Only requires an internet
connection.
• Works with all mobile devices.
BBC Learning English “Express English”

11. Video Resource/Tool
ESLvideo.com
http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_high_intermediate.php?id=16091

12. Example: Listening Activity
Pre-listening:
- Choose an interesting topic.
- Take out some difficult words and share them with the
students, to learn their meaning.
- Post the words on Whatsapp, a day before the activity
and ask the students to discuss their meaning.
- Or ask the students to use their mobile dictionaries in
class, just before the activity, to learn the meaning and
pronunciation of the words.
Listening:
• Share the link of the website on
Whatsapp or any other medium and
then tell the students to listen to the
audio or watch the video.
• Tell the students to take some notes,
while listening and focus on the main
idea and some details.

13. Using YouTube in class has many benefits.
- Genres: Films, documenters
- Compatible with all devices.
Short Film Activity
- Devise a comprehension activity using Google Docs, Hot Potatoes
etc. based on a short film available on YouTube.
- The students learn the meaning and pronunciation of the words
using a mobile a dictionary app.
-
During class, the students watch the film and then answer the
multiple-choice questions.
- Each student writes a short paragraph about the main idea, or what
they have learnt from the film.
- The students can be asked to share their paragraphs on
Whatsapp, or write them down on a piece of paper.
- The teacher reads some of the paragraphs in order to create a
discussion.
- Alternatively, the students may be asked to create a short
conversation, on the theme of the film, practice it and then record
the conversation with the video or audio tools available on their
mobile phones.

14. QU Learn apps
Download link: http://bit.ly/HnPhXK .
Video demo: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtk17Cy7KQ0 .

15. ESL Daily English/ Learn English App

16. Australian Network Vodcasts App
App store:
http://australianetwork.com/
learningenglish/vodcast.htm
Australia Network is Australia’s
international television and online
service, broadcasting 24/7 across
46 countries in Asia, the Pacific and
the Indian sub-continent and is
brought to you by the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation. This free
Australia Network app for iPhone
offers you direct access to Australia
Network news, sport, TV guide,
English language learning
resources, other Australia Network
video content and streams Radio
Australia! The app also provides
emergency consular alert push
notifications

17. WhatsApp
WhatsApp Messenger is a crossplatform mobile messaging app which
allows you to exchange messages
without having to pay for SMS.
WhatsApp Messenger is available for
iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows
Phone and Nokia and yes, those
phones can all message each other!
Because WhatsApp Messenger uses
the same internet data plan that you use
for email and web browsing, there is no
cost to message and stay in touch with
your friends.
In addition to basic messaging
WhatsApp users can create groups,
send each other unlimited images,
video and audio media messages.

18. Dictionary.com App
• Android: http://www.androidtapp.com/dictionary-com/
• App store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dictionary.com-dictionary/id308750436?mt=8
Dictionary.com is the official app,
unsurprisingly, of Dictionary.com, one
of the best known dictionary
websites on the Internet (certainly
the easiest to remember). Obviously
the app helps you find correct
spellings of words and word
definitions, but it also comes with a
load of additional features that
makes this more than just a
reference application when you
forget the correct spelling of
‘necessary’.

19. TED Mobile App
• Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ted.android&hl=en
• App store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ted/id376183339?mt=8
Description
- A totally new look.
- You can watch your video
with subtitle.
- You can now download the
videos and watch them
offline.

20. Research Findings
• Survey
• Interview

21. Survey Findings
• Popular: 105 Arab respondents age 16-26
• 40% female students use smartphones.
• 73% have a smartphone and 13% of them also had a tablet
device (e.g., iPad/ Galaxy). 28% of students had more than
one smartphone.
• Most students use mobiles for communicating (texting,
chatting, speaking to friends and surfing the internet)
65%-80%.

22. Mobile Feature
Usage
Listening to audio files, writing notes
and using the alarm clock
were very popular features
(81%) on “weekly” basis
Documents apps
second popular choice 50%
“Taking photos” and “watching videos”
were also very popular features
80% of their daily/ weekly mobile
usage.
Using Blackboard, (assignments and
dictionary)
were of the most common
features (50% - 75%).
GPS navigation
rarely used
Polls, speaking to teachers, listening to
lectures, watching video materials/
slides, games, reading study materials or
sending messages to teachers
rarely used

23. Learning patterns
Percentage
“accessing the university LMS” as well as “completing
assignments”
(50% - 75%)
“looking up words in electronic dictionaries”
(50% - 75%)
“chatting, practicing quizzes, participating in discussion
forums”
(47%-55%)
using “polls”, speaking to teachers, listening to lectures,
watching video materials/ slides, games, reading study
materials or sending messages to teachers.
(10%-25%).

24. Learners’ overall perceptions & concerns
Smart mobiles are very expensive.
Smart mobiles privacy & security are threatened.
I don’t know how to use a smart phone.
We don’t have enough internet bandwidth/ wireless
connection to use a smart phone properly.
Percentage
90%
88%
88%
59%

25. M-Learning Potentials & Challenges
Mobile learning is the future of e-learning
Mobile learning will not help me develop.
Mobile learning motivates me to learn more wherever I am.
Mobile learning is going to develop more in the near future
Percentage
93%
92%
90%
92%
More courses need to adopt mobile learning solutions in
order to facilitate our learning
92%
Teachers need to develop more mobile learning activities
and resources
92%
Mobile learning is more personalized sort of learning for me
personally than the activities done in the classroom.
55%

26. Interview Findings
• Arab learners are strongly attached to their
smartphones
• Smartphones are motivating for students. They are
ready to use them for learning and practicing ESL.
• Arab students appreciate smartphones as great tools for
communication. But they still need to fully understand
their potentials as learning devices.
• Many students already use their smartphones for
practicing listening and speaking skills. They need
more help and encouragement from their teachers and
institutions.

27. Interview Questions
Mobile phones
• In your opinion, what is the best tablet/smartphone and why?
• What kind of mobile tablet/smartphone do you possess?
• Why have you decided to purchase this type of tablet/smartphone?
Mobile Usage
• What built in features do mobile tablet/smartphone offer?
• What mobile/smart board services do you mostly use and why?
• Can you use mobile tablet/smartphone to learn English?
• Can mobile tablet/smartphone distract students in class?
Mobile Applications
• What kind of applications do you have on your mobile tablet/smartphone?
• In your opinion, what are the best mobile tablet/smartphone applications and why?
• Do you know of any applications that can be used in learning?
• Have you used any of these applications before?
• Do you know of any applications that can be used to learn English?
Learning Motivation
• Which is better using a textbook or a mobile tablet/smartphone for learning, and why?
• In your opinion, can mobile tablet/smartphone features and applications encourage you
to learn more? Why/Why not?

28. Recommendations
• Introduce m-learning by all universities.
• Find good websites and applications for learning.
• Use communication apps like Whatsapp.
• Use an online/app dictionary
• Check websites/apps compatibility with Android, IOS or
Blackberry devices.
• Develop listening and speaking skills by many apps

29. Thank you