Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning -- Dr. Revathi Viswanathan

Overview

Effective users of advanced mobile devices are considered as digital literates.  Every language teacher of this era has to evaluate  herself  in relation to her digital literacy. When we reflect on our current knowledge of various mobile devices, it also includes our level of confidence in using them efficiently in a given situation. It is worthwhile to state that these devices could be used even beyond a classroom environment and that makes it easy for teachers to handle activities to students even in a large classroom.

Let us first understand the term, ‘Mobile Device’. A Mobile Device is a Web 3.0 tool that is portable and could be used with ease anywhere and everywhere.  Mobile devices have processors that provide connection, accommodate input and output, sensors, software and data storage. They enhance communication between people and other computers (Beal, 2010). It is important to consider the use of these devices in traditional classrooms as teachers face difficulty in providing authentic situations for students to use language skills (Viswanathan, 2012). The portable quality makes it easy for students to record their input and self-evaluate their own performance. The Internet connectivity provided by these devices can help students and teachers to share information with each other and at the same time collaborate (Conole, 2004).

Macmillan dictionary (2010)defines the word, Web 3.0 as “a third phase in the evolution of the World Wide Web, based on the idea that the Internet 'understands' the pieces of information it stores and is able to make logical connections between them”. Devices that are listed under Web 3.0 are mobile devices such as Smart phones, 3G Mobile phones, IPads, Tablets, Digital Cameras and LapTops. The unique features of these devices are,

• they are user-friendly
• mobile
• information could be accessed anywhere and everywhere.
• comfortable to work every where.
• modern way of communicating with others.

These devices could be used for training students in language skills. It is worthwhile to mention that the devices make use of the features of Web 2.0 technology in the aspects of creating, contributing information, sharing and networking with other users.

Now having gained a basic knowledge about the mobile devices, our next concern is to find ways of exploiting the tool for language teaching. In this chapter the trainer would provide an exhaustive account of using the devices for training students to make presentations, take part in role-plays, group discussions to develop Speaking skill and for orienting students to download and listen to Podcasts in order to develop their Listening skill. The trainer would also throw light on using the devices for developing Reading and Writing too.

This module would also provide step by step instruction to the participants for accessing the devices and working on them for every language activity. The participants will also find a few sample situations in which those activities could be given to their target students.

Outline

The module intends to cover the aspects like orienting participants to the use of the mobile devices,  introducing various activities that could be done with the help of devices and showing ways of designing tasks that could be handled through mobile devices.

Objectives

• To introduce the devices Smart Phones, Ipod, Ipad, Tablet, Digital Camera and Lap Top to participants.
• To discuss the unique features of those devices.
• To create awareness of the facilities available in those devices that could be exploited for training students in language skills.
• To demonstrate the ways of using the devices for language activities such as making presentations, taking part in role-plays, downloading conversations in ESL context and encouraging listening skills, to list a few.
• To highlight the possibility of using the devices for peer correction and for offering feedback.

Features of the Devices:

• 1. 3G Mobile Phones: 3G Mobile phones: The mobile phones that 3G network capability can easily transfer data with the speed of up to 3Mbps (Brain, Tyson, & Layton, 2000).This facilitates downloading of all types of information from the Internet. They work like mini-laptops and can include even video conferencing, different videos from the web and download e-mail messages with attachments.
• 2. Laptops: A traditional device that serves as a mobile device as it can hold data, and increasingly it can be connected to other devices such as an LCD projector to display the data on a screen. The user can work on this device anywhere, anytime. It has a keyboard and screen, and built-in audio (even stereo), and camera.
• 3. Smart phone: It is a combination of three mobile devices namely, a phone, with a camera and PDA built in. The user can easily connect this device to the Internet for email and web browsing through the network connection. It could also be connected to a computer for transferring data. One useful feature of this phone is its virtual keyboard. As Reinders (2010) mentions the note feature in these latest phones help us to take notes while listening to a guest lecture or while interviewing someone. Further more, the text messaging feature could be used for developing writing skills by motivating students to interact with the teacher even beyond the classroom. They can use this feature to text their queries while interacting with their team members (relating to their project work or assignment), from home.  
• 4. Tablet: It is a device found as a one-piece mobile computer. It “typically offers a touch screen, with finger (or stylus) gestures acting as the primary means of control (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computer)”. Tablets are normally small in size and so weigh very less compared to a laptop, thus making it easy to carry wherever we go. It has all the features of a computer and when the user attempts to type out a word, the keyboard pops-up to facilitate it. It has adequate storage capacity and so we can download ebooks, which could be stored. (Viswanathan, 2014).
• 5.Digital camera: It is a device that is being used for taking photos and video clips. The
• images are formed with the help of tiny units called pixels. The photo resolution
• is determined by the number of pixels. If there are more pixels, the photos will have higher resolution. The images and videos taken with this device could be easily transferred to a computer with the help of a data cable or the built-in data card. Similarly, it is easy to delete the data stored in the camera either while on the camera or through the computer after transferring them (Viswanathan,2012)

Instructions to Use the Tools

a. Recording Audio:

(i) Smart Phone & Tablet

-- Download an audio recording apps to your device.

The apps are designed in such a way that you can make recording easier and can be controlled.

-- Do not access other apps while recording, because the input might get noisy due to radio waves.

-- Familiarize yourself how recording is done with the apps, before start recording the dialogue.

-- Check the storage capacity before recording.

-- Try to avoid windy areas while recording.

-- Remember, the recording gets stored in Mp3 format.

(ii) Laptop-

-- Open ‘start’ button  and go to ‘Accessories’

-- Access ‘Sound Player’ and double click on it to open

-- Record the voice and save the audio file in the computer.

b. Recording Video

(i) Smart Phone-

-- Access ‘Camera’ button and open camera.

-- Choose ‘Video’ option

-- Shoot the video and save the file

-- Video gets stored in Mp4 format.

(ii) Laptop-

-- Open ‘start’ button  and go to ‘All programs’

-- Access ‘Web cam’ icon.

-- Choose ‘Record’ option and record the action

-- Recorded video gets stored in ‘My videos’ by default.

(iii) Tablet-

1. Turn on the video recorder

• Tap the menu icon.
• Tap Camera.
• If the camera is turned on:
• Drag the indicator to the video recorder icon.

2. Use the video recorder

• The following steps describe how you:
• Zoom in or out
• Turn video light on or off
• Select resolution
• Select memory
• Record a video clip

3. Zoom in or out

• Tap the upper or lower part of the volume key   

4. Turn video light on or off

• Tap the video light icon.
• Tap On or Off.

5. Select resolution

• Tap the settings icon.
• Tap Resolution.
• Tap the required resolution.

6. Select memory

• Tap Storage.
• Tap Device or Memory card.
• Tap the return icon to return to recording mode.

7. Record a video clip

• Tap the record icon to start the video recorder.
• Tap the stop icon to stop the video recorder.
• The video clip is automatically saved.

8. Return to the home screen

• Tap the home icon to return to the home screen.

(Adapted from http://devicehelp.optus.com.au/web/samsung-galaxy-note-101/functions/office-and-leisure/using-the-video-recorder-on-my-tablet/ )

iv. Digital Camera:

-- Switch on device after charging the battery.

-- Check ‘memory stick’ inserted in the device

-- Choose ‘recording’ option

-- Change ‘Video recording’ mode

-- Record video and stop.

-- Video gets stored in WAV format.

Converting WAV format to Mp4 format

-- Download a free software, ‘AllOK’ from the web and install it in computer.

-- Click on ‘select file’ option to select the saved video.

-- Choose the ‘output’ option for selecting the requirement format. That is, if you want to convert the WAV format video into Mp4 format, go to ‘output’ and select Mp4. The converted video will be in Mp4 format.

-- Save the converted video.  

Transferring Audio and Video to Computer

-- Use USB cord to transfer files.

-- Connect device with this pin ➡   ⇐⇐  this pin to the computer.

-- Select ‘Mass Storage’ option in the mobile device.

-- Click on audio and video and transfer them to computer.

-- save them as separate files in computer.

Activities for Practice (beyond the classroom)

(i) Making Presentations

Procedure:

a. Brainstorm the topics that students choose to give a talk.

b. Provide guidelines for presentation, preparing powerpoint and delivering the talk.

c. Ask students to prepare note cards for making effective presentations.

d. Encourage them to use either mobile or Laptop or Tablet for recording their presentations.

e. Show the recording options available (given in previous sections).

f. Ask them to save the video files and share them with you.

(ii). Getting into conversations:(Role Play)

Procedure

a. Brainstorm various topics for doing dialogues --general or business situations

eg. Asking for directions, Inviting the partner for a party, dialogue between a  Shopkeeper and customer etc.

b.  Divide them into pairs

c. Encourage students to write at least 5 exchanges on their own.

d. Monitor their preparation and offer suggestions.

e. Encourage them to record their conversations in one of the mobile devices.

f. Ask them to save and share with you.

(iii) Mock Interviews

procedure

a. Divide students into pairs.

b. Discuss the points that are asked in an interview.-  introducing oneself, about academics, subject area of specialization and so on.

c. Frame questions relating to those points.

d. Ask students - one of the partners to be an interviewer and the other as the candidate.

e. Encourage a few pairs to do the mock interview before the class..

f. Correct their mistakes and provide suggestions.

g. Motivate them to do the interviews even beyond the classroom and record them in mobile or Laptop or Tablet.

h. Ask them to save the audio files and share them with you.

(iv). Developing Listening Skill

 Procedure

a. Access a few Podcasts from the web-- www.eslcafe.com , www.businessenglishpod.com , www.eslpod.com and www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish . Similarly try to google and get the links of ESL/EFL Podcasts.

b. Subscribe for the Podcasts.

c. Encourage students to subscribe and download them in their Mobile phone or Tablet.

d. Prepare worksheets that include exercises such as ‘gap-filling’, ‘true or false statements’, ‘multiple-choice’ and ‘note taking’ , to encourage students actively listen to the audio files.

Note: Remember, the exercises have to test students level of comprehension, inferencing skill, knowledge of vocabulary and note taking skills.

Thus the exercise have go with the audio content.

e. Distribute worksheets and encourage students to listen and do the exercises.

Additional activities with Free Applications:

There are a few applications that could be downloaded for free in our mobile phones. Students could be encouraged to download them and practice activities at home.

1. MyWordBook-- an interactive vocabulary notebook with some of the most useful words in the English Language taken from Cambridge University press dictionaries for English learners. These words could be downloaded, practiced even outside the classroom. Students can browse preloaded flashcards of the most important words in English. Each flashcards contains pictures, sounds, sample sentences, traslations and so on.

2. Workshake or 60 second word challenge

They are quick word games.

3. LearnEnglish Grammar

Students can use it for improving their grammar while they are at home.

Summary:

Thus this module has given a detailed information about the mobile devices that could be used by teachers beyond the classroom. As mentioned earlier, the introduction of mobile devices in this digital era is a boon to teachers, as they help language teachers to develop language skills even with the constraints like teaching in a traditional classroom set up with rigid rules, handling large classrooms and dealing with mixed abilities of students. Furthermore, can we forget the enhanced storage feature of the mobile devices like Tablet and Laptop that prove us the facility of downloading e-books and other web resources? Needless to say that it is teachers’ ability to integrate the use of these devices with classroom teaching in order to facilitate learning.