Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of Smartphone for Language Learning Purposes

Utilization of smartphone technology and English language, emerging English language and smartphone technology in non-academic and academic activities for learning purposes, student’s perception towards the usage of smartphone apps for English learning purposes, and smartphone apps for enhancing English proficiency are the area where this study is focused, gained from Indonesian High School students. Two hundred participants from 10th-12th grader of private high schools in Surabaya - Indonesia participated by completing an anonymous questionnaire and 16 participants of each grade were randomly selected and interviewed to gain further understanding towards the findings. The findings indicated smartphone technologies are mostly used by the participants for communication and social media purposes. On the other hand, smartphone is also used incontrovertibly by participants for the certain educational purposes.  In addition, learning English via smartphone mobile apps, and diverse types of teenager’s online activities were discovered, as well as area of their English skill improvement. The findings suggest that: the students are considerably enthusiastic for using apps to support learning and they also view that smartphones bring substantial potentials and should be optimized for learning through systematic and purposeful activities properly designed for school learning-related activitie

Beneficios de la gamificación en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas

Teaching methods have evolved substantially over time, as students’ learning styles and needs nowadays are different from those that students used to have in the past. That is the reason why the integration of technology in the language learning process has been progressively introduced in the classrooms. Mobile Learning and gamification are only some of the most recent trends. Gamification in education refers to the use of game design elements in educational contexts. The aim of this paper is to discuss the benefits derived from gamification in second language learning in the areas of vocabulary and grammar learning, language and soft skills development, and second language assessment. Some of the benefits found in this study include frequent and personalized feedback, development of social learning, and an increased motivation.Los métodos de enseñanza han evolucionado considerablemente a lo largo del tiempo puesto que los estilos de aprendizaje y las necesidades de los estudiantes hoy en día difieren de los que solían tener en el pasado. Éste es el motivo por el cual la integración de la tecnología en el proceso de aprendizaje de lenguas se ha ido llevando a cabo gradualmente en las aulas. El Aprendizaje Móvil y la gamificación son sólo algunas de las tendencias más recientes. La gamificación en educación se refiere al uso de elementos propios del diseño de juegos en contextos educativos. Este artículo tiene como objetivo explorar los beneficios de la gamificación en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas en las áreas de vocabulario y gramática, desarrollo de destrezas lingüísticas y blandas, y evaluación de la segunda lengua. Algunos de los beneficios observados en esta investigación incluyen la obtención de retroalimentación frecuente y personalizada, el desarrollo de aprendizaje social y el aumento de la motivación

Realidad Virtual y aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras: Análisis de las 6 aplicaciones móviles más populares de Google Play Store y App Store para aprender inglés

Research in the area of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has shown that smartphones offer multiple opportunities for supporting foreign language learning. The development and increasing accessibility of new tools such as virtual reality technology (VR) has opened new perspectives in the area of MALL, paving the way for a new research field called virtual reality assisted language learning (VRALL). In this context, the current study aims to explore the potential of VRALL by analyzing the 6 most popular VR apps from Google Play Store and App Store to learn English, with a special focus on language contents and the learning approaches provided. Results suggest that although VR technology provides new opportunities for language learning, VRALL is still on the fringes and more research needs to be done in order to take advantage of the real potential of VR.La investigación en el área del aprendizaje de lenguas asistido por dispositivos móviles (MALL) muestra que los teléfonos móviles ofrecen una gran variedad de posibilidades para ayudar a aprender una lengua extranjera. El desarrollo y el fácil acceso a nuevas herramientas como la tecnología de realidad virtual (RV) han abierto nuevos horizontes en el área de MALL, preparando el terreno para un nuevo campo de investigación llamado aprendizaje de lenguas asistido por realidad virtual (VRALL). De este modo, este estudio busca explorar el potencial del VRALL mediante el análisis de las 6 apps de RV más populares en Google Play Store y App Store para aprender inglés, centrándonos en los contenidos lingüísticos y en los enfoques de aprendizaje que proporcionan estas apps. Los resultados indican que, aunque la RV aporta nuevas oportunidades para el aprendizaje de lenguas, el VRALL todavía permanece al margen, y se necesita más investigación sobre el tema para poder aprovechar el verdadero potencial de la RV

Mobile devices in education: trends and impact for innovation

La innovación es fundamental para el desarrollo de nuevos productos que contribuyan a la generación de valor en la sociedad. Dentro de la educación, la integración de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones ha posibilitado la innovación de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, como es el caso de la utilización de dispositivos móviles (M-Learning) dentro y fuera del salón de clase. En la presente investigación se analiza producción académica sobre la utilización de dispositivos móviles con fines educativos, privilegiando el análisis de las tendencias e impacto. Los principales hallazgos de esta investigación evidencian que la adaptación del M-Learning debe ser una prioridad dado que es la base para el desarrollo de otras estrategias como la realidad aumentada, realidad virtual, realidad mixta, gamificación, laboratorios virtuales y remotos, y la integración de la inteligencia artificial en pro de fortalecer los desafíos del sistema educativo.Innovation is essential for the development of new products that contribute to the generation of value in society. Within education, the integration of information and communication technologies has enabled the innovation of teaching-learning processes, as is the case of the use of mobile devices (M-Learning) inside and outside the classroom. This research analyzes academic production on the use of mobile devices for educational purposes, favoring the analysis of trends and impact. The main findings of this research show that the adaptation of M-Learning must be a priority since it is the basis for the development of other strategies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, gamification, virtual and remote laboratories, and integration of artificial intelligence in order to strengthen the challenges of the educational system.Innovation is essential for the development of new products that contribute to the generation of value in society. Within education, the integration of information and communication technologies has enabled the innovation of teaching-learning processes, as is the case of the use of mobile devices (M-Learning) inside and outside the classroom. This research analyzes academic production on the use of mobile devices for educational purposes, favoring the analysis of trends and impact. The main findings of this research show that the adaptation of M-Learning must be a priority since it is the basis for the development of other strategies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, gamification, virtual and remote laboratories, and integration of artificial intelligence in order to strengthen the challenges of the educational system.La innovación es fundamental para el desarrollo de nuevos productos que contribuyan a la generación de valor en la sociedad. Dentro de la educación, la integración de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones ha posibilitado la innovación de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, como es el caso de la utilización de dispositivos móviles (M-Learning) dentro y fuera del salón de clase. En la presente investigación se analiza producción académica sobre la utilización de dispositivos móviles con fines educativos, privilegiando el análisis de las tendencias e impacto. Los principales hallazgos de esta investigación evidencian que la adaptación del M-Learning debe ser una prioridad dado que es la base para el desarrollo de otras estrategias como la realidad aumentada, realidad virtual, realidad mixta, gamificación, laboratorios virtuales y remotos, y la integración de la inteligencia artificial en pro de fortalecer los desafíos del sistema educativo

Teaching and Assessing Foreign Language Learning through Apps

Languages change and develop together with human race. As time goes on, languages adapt to human beings’ needs and preferences. This also applies to foreign language learning and teaching processes, which keep on renovating their approaches and teaching methods in order to connect to learners’ needs in modern times. Nowadays, information and communication technologies (ICT) play such an important role in our everyday lives that they have also found their way into this field. This has given rise to constant innovations such as Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). Although MALL has existed for more than twenty years, it still undergoes changes and even faces some challenges. Currently, apps appear as new ways of approaching foreign language learning and teaching. In this paper, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is conducted, in which MALL studies on the use of apps are examined. The purpose of this analysis is to determine if their use is increasing, on the one hand, and, on the other, to present the tendencies these papers reveal. To this end, a total of 35 valid studies published from 2012 to 2015 are thoroughly analysed, focusing on both the different types of learning supported by the apps and on the kind of assessment the papers propose. The results show that the use of apps in MALL is increasing, but also that the type of learning supported by most apps is not very different from that of traditional learning approaches.Las lenguas cambian y avanzan junto con la raza humana, adaptándose a nuestras necesidades y preferencias a medida que el tiempo transcurre. Esta misma idea se puede aplicar a la enseñanza y aprendizaje de idiomas extranjeros, cuyos métodos se renuevan continuamente con el fin de conectar con las necesidades de los alumnos en tiempos modernos. Como resultado del papel tan importante que hoy juegan las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) en nuestras vidas, estas han sido integradas en el mundo de los idiomas. Esto ha dado lugar a continuas mejoras como el aprendizaje de idiomas mediante tecnología móvil. A pesar de que esta disciplina nació hace más de veinte años, todavía sufre cambios e incluso se enfrenta a algunos desafíos. Actualmente, las apps se han convertido en nuevas formas de enfrentarse a la enseñanza y al aprendizaje de idiomas. En este trabajo, se lleva a cabo un estudio sistemático de la literatura existente, en el que se analizan publicaciones donde se expone el uso o la presentación de apps con este propósito. El objetivo de este análisis es demostrar que su uso está en aumento, así como estudiar las tendencias que se presentan en ellas. Para ello, se pretende estudiar a fondo 35 estudios válidos publicados entre 2012 y 2015, centrándonos especialmente en los diferentes tipos de aprendizaje que las apps soportan y los tipos de evaluación propuestos. Los resultados obtenidos apuntan que el uso de apps en la enseñanza de idiomas está en aumento, pero también que el tipo de aprendizaje que estas soportan no es muy diferente de aquel propuesto por métodos tradicionales

Monitoring, Awareness and Reflection in Blended Technology Enhanced Learning: a Systematic Review

Education is experiencing a paradigm shift towards blended learning models in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). Despite the potential benefits of blended learning, it also entails additional complexity in terms of monitoring, awareness and reflection, as learning happens across different spaces and modalities. In recent years, literature on Learning Analytics (LA) and Educational Data Mining (EDM) has gained momentum and started to address the issue. To provide a clear picture of the current state of the research on the topic and to outline open research gaps, this paper presents a systematic literature review of the state-of-the-art of research in LA and EDM on monitoring, awareness and reflection in blended TEL scenarios. The search included six main academic databases in TEL that were enriched with the proceedings of the workshop on ’Awareness and Reflection in TEL’ (ARTEL), resulting in 1089 papers out of which 40 papers were included in the final analysis

Investigating effects of digital gamification-based language learning: a systematic review

The purpose of this study is to investigate and synthesize the trends and key findings of the studies related to gamification as a new method in the field of learning a Foreign language (LFL) over the past 11 years. Databases including Web of Science, ERIC, and Scopus were searched for this purpose, analyzing a total of 28 articles. The research methodology of this study was a systematic review. A content analysis method was used for analyzing the selected articles. Our findings found that after 2015, the use of gamification in LFL became popular among researchers, and the number of field studies increased rapidly over the past two years (2017–2018). Additionally, quantitative methods were found to be the most frequently used research methods regarding gamification in LFL studies. In the analyzed studies, vocabulary and grammar abilities were the most commonly investigated basic language skills. In addition, English language, Duolingo, high school, and feedback were the most commonly investigated Foreign language, gamified platform, education level, and gamification element for learning a new language in the reviewed articles. More analysis disclosed challenges, as well as advantages associated with using gamification in LFL. Furthermore, in studies examined concerning the effectiveness of using gamification in LFL, the results mainly pointed to the benefits of gamification based learning. The systematic review also provides valuable recommendations for future researches and practitioners

Monitoring, Awareness and Reflection in Blended Technology Enhanced Learning: a Systematic Review

Education is experiencing a paradigm shift towards blended learning models in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). Despite the potential benefits of blended learning, it also entails additional complexity in terms of monitoring, awareness and reflection, as learning happens across different spaces and modalities. In recent years, literature on Learning Analytics (LA) and Educational Data Mining (EDM) has gained momentum and started to address the issue. To provide a clear picture of the current state of the research on the topic and to outline open research gaps, this paper presents a systematic literature review of the state-of-the-art of research in LA and EDM on monitoring, awareness and reflection in blended TEL scenarios. The search included six main academic databases in TEL that were enriched with the proceedings of the workshop on ’Awareness and Reflection in TEL’ (ARTEL), resulting in 1089 papers out of which 40 papers were included in the final analysis

Guess It!, APP para aprendizaje comunitario de idiomas con monitorización

Software educativo basado en tecnología móvil (APP) para el alumno y panel de control para profesores. Los alumnos interactúen ubicuamente mediante juegos gamificados con rankings, (alumno de la semana, etc.) con los que aportan nuevo contenido al sistema que después será jugado y evaluado por sus compañeros. Los profesores supervisan su uso y tienen acceso a learning analytics que permiten intervenir de manera no intrusiva en el proceso educativo