Volume 40 Number 1

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NAVIGATING MOBILE LEARNING: ENGLISH LEARNERS’ LANGUAGE LEARNING AND LITERACY PRACTICES

Despite the fact that the majority of teenagers and young adults use smartphones, little research has studied English Learners’ (ELs’) actual mobile phone language practices, specifically, how and why ELs use their smartphones as language learning assistant devices (Godwin-Jones, 2008). The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to explore ELs’ perceptions of mobile-assisted language and literacy practices, and to document ELs’ literacy practices through their mobile devices. Drawing from New Literacies Studies (Gee, 2004, 2010; Kress, 2003), research questions that guided this study were as follows: 1) How do participants use mobile devices in their classes, and what features of mobile devices do they find useful (e.g., recordings, video, still photo, etc.)? 2) What mobile device applications do participants find important in school and/or in their everyday lives? 3) Is there a relationship between participants’ use of mobile devices and their identity in and out of school? Participants were four ELs aged from 15 to 21: Three high school students and one university student. Primary data for this study were semi-structured interviews collected over a three-month period. Data were analyzed using constant comparison, looking across participant interviews to generate themes. Several important findings emerged. First, participants utilized various applications/features for language learning, and their mobile device practices were inextricably linked to their social practices through their use of mobile phones. Second, participants intentionally used mobile devices as tools to translate, capture class notes, and seek out auxiliary materials to support their learning in school. Third, ELs’ reported that their transition from their home country to the US, resulted in a shift in their personality and identity and their mobile devices provided an emotional support. This study extends current literature and explains how mobile devices play an essential role in ELs’ lives in and out of school. With increasing EL populations in US schools, this study articulates ELs’ actual use of mobile devices, and how mobile devices are important to ELs’ success in the classroom

Digital Natives\u27 Perceptions on Feeling Understood by Teachers: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Informing 21st Century Education

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the academic and social experiences of digital natives at Patrick Harrison High School (pseudonym) located in southern California. The research questions addressing the study were: (a) What are digital natives’ academic and social experiences; (b) How does feeling understood by teachers shape digital natives’ learning experiences; and (c) How does the use of social media, the Internet and digital devices contribute to 21st-century education as perceived by digital natives? Prensky’s (2001) theory on digital nativity, Gordon’s (1988) theory on feeling understood, and Vygotsky’s (1978) constructivist learning views informed the study. Participants came from a purposeful criterion sample consisting of 11 high schoolers who reported using digital devices, the Internet, and social media. The data collection came from interviews, a focus group, and drawings. The data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) strategies on the phenomenological reduction process that assisted in revealing the digital native experiences. The results of the study revealed three themes commonly shared among the participants’ that related to their digital, life, and school experiences. The study supported best practices for 21st-century learners

A mobile learning framework for higher education in resource constrained environments

It is well documented that learning oppourtunities afforded by mobile technology (m-learning) holds great potential to enhance technology-enhanced learning in countries and communities with low socio-economic conditions where web-based e-learning has failed because of limited infrastructure and resources. Despite the potential for m-learning, its actual uptake has been low. The extant literature in this sphere provides some theoretical insight, with evidence of limited on-the-ground practical studies that often do not progress beyond the pilot phase. Failure to embed sustainable learning opportunities has been attributed to the absence of a contextual framework suitable for the heterogeneous nature of many developing countries. This paper thus presents an m-learning framework that considers the sociocultural and socio-economic contexts of low-income economies. The framework is based on a range of studies conducted over four years, including the outcome of two empirical studies conducted in a Nigerian university. Documenting the research underpinning the design provides practitioners and policymakers with a framework for a potentially sustainable strategy for long-term mainstream m-learning integration in higher education in low-income countries

Vision, Mission, and Technology Implementation: Going One-to-One in a Catholic School

As one-to-one computing initiatives become commonplace, some Catholic school educators might find themselves wondering what, if anything, such technologies might have to do with Catholic identity. This case study drew upon survey and interview data to explore the intersection of Catholic vision and mission with the implementation of a one-to-one (BYOD) initiative. The study finds that Catholic values informed the school’s support of teachers, as well as its efforts to help students navigate the personal and social issues associated with devices. In the end, teachers were positive about one-to-one. Many teachers had experimented with devices in their classrooms, and some even reported using devices for social justice purposes. In other words, the school’s unique vision and mission enabled it to engage in activities that might not occur elsewhere. The implications of this study on how to conceptualize about technological change and how to lead technology initiatives are discussed. A medida que las iniciativas cara a cara con dispositivos se convierten en cotidianas, algunos educadores de escuelas católicas se preguntan qué tiene que ver la tecnología con la identidad católica. Este estudio de caso se basó en datos de encuestas y entrevistas para explorar la intersección entre la visión y la misión católicas con la implementación de una iniciativa cara a cara (BYOD, o “traiga su propio dispositivo”). El estudio halla que los valores católicos informaron del apoyo a los maestros por parte de las escuelas, así como los esfuerzos por ayudar a los estudiantes a navegar a través de los problemas personales y sociales asociados con los dispositivos. Al final, los maestros mostraron reacciones positivas hacia los cara a cara. Muchos maestros habían experimentado con dispositivos en sus clases y algunos informaron que los usaban para la justicia social. En otras palabras, la visión y misión especial de la escuela permitió su participación en actividades que no podrían ocurrir en ningún otro lugar. Se discuten las implicaciones de este estudio en cómo conceptualizar el cambio tecnológico y cómo dirigir iniciativas tecnológicas. Palabras clave: cara a cara, implementación, visión escolar, identidad escolar, tecnologí

Text Messaging Between School Counselors and Students: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory case study examines the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships when used as an outreach between school counselors and high school students, where established relationships are lacking. An SMS gateway was used to mediate communication between school counselors (N=2) and students (N=5) over a three-month timeframe. The SMS gateway converted email, sent from counselors, to text messages, which were received on mobile devices of students and allowed students to respond back to counselors. Findings indicate that the use of text messaging may ease scheduling of face-to-face meetings between counselors and students, but evidence does not support any conclusions about the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships. Students prioritized transactional relationships and perceived direct access to counselors, via text messaging, as a way to mitigate help-seeking barriers and control the counseling process. Ethics of the counseling field, social perceptions of professional communications, and sensitivities to traditional counselor-student relationships are to be considered when applying these findings in practicum. Further study about the ways text messaging can impact relationships in a school setting is necessary to expand our understanding of text messaging as a potential communication tool between high school students and their school counselors

Designing personalised, authentic and collaborative learning with mobile devices: Confronting the challenges of remote teaching during a pandemic.

This article offers teachers a digital pedagogical framework, research-inspired and underpinned by socio-cultural theory, to guide the design of personalised, authentic and collaborative learning scenarios for students using mobile devices in remote learning settings during this pandemic. It provides a series of freely available online resources underpinned by our framework, including a mobile learning toolkit, a professional learning app, and robust, validated surveys for evaluating tasks. Finally, it presents a set of evidence-based principles for effective innovative teaching with mobile devices

Research-Informed Teaching in a Global Pandemic: "Opening up" Schools to Research

The teacher-research agenda has become a significant consideration for policy and professional development in a number of countries. Encouraging research-based teacher education programmes remains an important goal, where teachers are able to effectively utilize educational research as part of their work in school settings and to reflect on and enhance their professional development. In the last decade, teacher research has grown in importance across the three i’s of the teacher learning continuum: initial, induction and in-service teacher education. This has been brought into even starker relief with the global spread of COVID-19, and the enforced and emergency, wholesale move to digital education. Now, perhaps more than ever, teachers need the perspective and support of research-led practice, particularly in how to effectively use Internet technologies to mediate and enhance learning, teaching and assessment online, and new blended modalities for education that must be physically distant. The aim of this paper is to present a number of professional development open educational systems which exist or are currently being developed to support teachers internationally, to engage with, use and do research. Exemplification of the opening up of research to schools and teachers is provided in the chapter through reference to the European Union-funded Erasmus + project, BRIST: Building Research Infrastructures for School Teachers. BRIST is developing technology to coordinate and support teacher-research at a European level

Preteens\u27 Engagement With Interactive Technology: Implications For Face-To-Face Interactions And Social Distancing

Interactive technologies are widely accepted as important communication tools. This said, they may not function the same way for all age groups. Preteens, for instance, spend a considerable amount of time with media devices, however their interactions involve little social content. Therefore, for preteens, engagement with technology may create a social disconnect. This can happen in at least two ways. 1) Interactive technologies may displace face-to-face interactions with individuated screen time. 2) Interactive technologies may create social distance by making individuals independent of other people and devices. To address the social correlates and the situational consequences of interactive technology use among preteens, the present research utilized survey and experimental design. Results of the survey indicated that preteens who spend more time with interactive technologies have fewer face-to-face interactions with their family members and friends. Experimental findings of this research provided preliminary support for interactive technologies potential to bolster social distance. Specifically, it was found that priming interactive technologies increases children’s preference for solitude, as evidenced by less willingness to engage with another child on a collage task. Analyses also demonstrated that children from individualistic cultures who hold independent self-construal are more susceptible to the social distancing effect of interactive technologies, than children with collectivist background, who have interdependent self-construal. Results of this research help address pediatricians’, developmentalists’, and parents’ concerns regarding social consequences of interactive technology use for children. The significance of findings for social development, family dynamics, education, and research design are discussed in detail