The Role of a Mobile App for Listening Comprehension Training in Distance Learning to Sustain Student Motivation

In this article the importance of listening comprehension for language students is discussed and the possible benefits of using a mobile app to motivate its practice and development are considered. The Audio News Trainer (ANT) is presented as an example of this type of app that uses the news domain as the source of audio recordings. Three research questions related to the use of this app are outlined regarding the effectiveness of the news domain for motivating the practice of listening comprehension, whether social media (such as Facebook) can increase the motivation, and how the students’ exposure to the target language can be prolonged here. An experiment is undertaken that provides data (obtained by interaction with the app and from pre- and post-questionnaires) which appear, based upon initial analyses, to support both the use of ANT to motivate the prolonged practice of listening comprehension and also the potential of social media-based interaction in second language learning nowadays

Mobile open social language learning: towards a paradigm shift

The authors have undertaken a combination of theoretical analysis together with reflection on a range of practical applications and explorations of mobile, social and open learning, over the years, leading them to the conclusion that a new language learning paradigm, Mobile Open Social Language Learning (MOSLL), is required. MOSLL is based upon the following axiom: In most societies today, characterized by permanent, ubiquitous and pervasive connectedness and mobility, language and learning and digital technology are no longer separate or discrete; they are simply and merely manifestations and aspects of the way things are now. The consequences of articulating this paradigm should be the formulation of the associated research agenda, the scholarly community and the foundational texts that are part of it. The authors have already started this process in the SWITCHED-ON project and other related work and projects

Hacia un marco para los MOOC de idiomas y el aprendizaje de idiomas con asistencia móvil

In this article a proposal is presented for a theoretical framework that could provide the structure and coherence needed for the development of effective LMOOCs (Language MOOCs) and MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) apps in a systematic way that would facilitate online second language learning. The framework is argued to be appropriate for language teaching and learning since it could be used for the elaboration of online courses such as LMOOCs and syllabi and didactic materials for MALL apps, regardless of the number of students. It has been refined during the process of designing and developing a Professional English LMOOC and the examples provided here are from that course. The framework is built upon the CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment) since it offers a way to structure the knowledge and skills required in second language learning in a way which is coherent with the constructivist paradigm, following widely accepted European recommendations. It has been adopted because it provides a notional-functional classification of language use and learning (“elegantly” capturing the vastness and complexity of languages and their functional nature), and it is the first general attempt to produce a taxonomy of the elements that intervene in language use and learning, enabling comparable syllabi to be created for all European languages.En este artículo, se presenta una propuesta para un marco teórico que podría proporcionar la estructura y la coherencia necesarias para el desarrollo de aplicaciones eficaces de LMOOC (Language MOOC) y MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) de una manera sistemática que facilite el aprendizaje en línea de un segundo idioma. Se argumenta que el marco es apropiado para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de idiomas, ya que podría usarse para la elaboración de cursos en línea como LMOOC y programasde estudio y materiales didácticos para aplicaciones MALL, independientemente del número de estudiantes. Se ha perfeccionado durante el proceso de diseño y desarrollo de un LMOOC de inglés profesional y los ejemplos que se proporcionan aquí son de ese curso. El marco se basa en el MCER (Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas: Aprendizaje, Enseñanza, Evaluación), ya que ofrece una forma de estructurar el conocimiento y las habilidades requeridas en el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua de manera coherente con el paradigma constructivista. siguiendo recomendaciones europeas ampliamente aceptadas. Se ha adoptado porque proporciona una clasificación nocional funcional del uso y aprendizaje del lenguaje (captura "elegante" la inmensidad y complejidad de los idiomas y su naturaleza funcional), y es el primer intento general de producir una taxonomía de los elementos que intervienen en el uso y aprendizaje de idiomas, lo que permite crear programas de estudio comparables para todos los idiomas europeos

La metacognición como andamiaje para el desarrollo de la comprensión oral en una App de MALL social

This article focuses on the role that metacognition can effectively play in the development of second language listening comprehension, and specifically, how a mobile app can be specified for this end. A social mobile assisted listening app, ANT (Audio News Trainer), is presented as a prototype for exploring the way in which students can be helped to use metacognition to improve relevant linguistic communicative competences. A study has been undertaken with students using ANT to explore the intricate nature of the listening comprehension development process and the main metacognitive strategies that can be successfully applied. Special attention is paid to the implicitly and explicitly applied metacognitive strategies within the app, and related social network, where follow-on activities were undertaken, the strategies in question being: focus (a conscious effort on the gradual development of individual skills), engagement (interest is enhanced when a learning activity is enjoyable/successful), interaction (since collective activities seem to enhance emotional and social involvement), reflection (upon what works and does not work for each individual), self-regulation (through data about the students’ own progress and achievements), and attitude (here a further distinction is made between satisfaction, self-confidence and encouragement). The stages of engagement of a student with the app are explored in relation to the metacognitive strategy used and how they can contribute to the overall success of the learning experience. A final reflection is made about how metacognitive strategies offer an effective way to compensate for the lack of teacher presence, support and guidance on a medium/long term basis. However, although the study of the initial use of this social listening training app shows the potential for incorporating ‘knowing about knowing’ into mobile technology, it is suggested that future research is required to provide further finer-grained insights into this process.Este artículo trata acerca de la función que puede desempeñar eficazmente la metacognición en el desarrollo de la comprensión oral de segundas lenguas y, específicamente, cómo se puede crear una app móvil con este fin. Se presenta como prototipo una app de aprendizaje social asistido por móvil, de nombre ANT (Instructor de Noticias de Audio), con el fin de explorar el modo en que se puede asistir a los estudiantes para que empleen su capacidad metacognitiva y mejoren competencias lingüístico-comunicativas relevantes. Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio con estudiantes usando ANT para explorar la compleja naturaleza del proceso de desarrollo de la comprensión oral y las principales estrategias metacognitivas que pueden aplicarse satisfactoriamente. Se presta especial atención a las estrategias metacognitivas aplicadas implícita y explícitamente en la app y la red social relacionada, donde se realizan actividades subsiguientemente, siendo las estrategias en cuestión: foco (un esfuerzo consciente en el desarrollo gradual de habilidades individuales), compromiso (el interés crece cuando se disfruta y realiza con éxito una actividad), reflexión (sobre lo que funciona y no funciona para cada individuo), auto-regulación (a través de datos sobre el progreso y logros de los propios estudiantes) y actitud (en la que se aprecia una subdivisión entre la satisfacción, la confianza en uno mismo y el estímulo). Se exploran las etapas de compromiso de un estudiante con la app y como pueden contribuir al conjunto del éxito de la experiencia de aprendizaje. Finalmente, se realiza una reflexión sobre cómo las estrategias metacognitivas ofrecen un modo eficaz de compensar la falta de la presencia, el apoyo y la guía del profesor, a medio y largo plazo. Sin embargo, aunque el estudio del uso inicial de esta app para el desarrollo social de la comprensión auditiva muestra su potencial para incorporar ‘conocimiento sobre conocimiento’ en tecnología móvil, se sugiere la necesidad de contar con más investigación que permita una percepción más precisa de este proceso

Toward a Framework for Language MOOCs and Mobile Assisted Language Learning

In this article a proposal is presented for a theoretical framework that could provide the structure and coherence needed for the development of effective LMOOCs (Language MOOCs) and MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) apps in a systematic way that would facilitate online second language learning. The framework is argued to be appropriate for language teaching and learning since it could be used for the elaboration of online courses such as LMOOCs and syllabi and didactic materials for MALL apps, regardless of the number of students. It has been refined during the process of designing and developing a Professional English LMOOC and the examples provided here are from that course. The framework is built upon the CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment) since it offers a way to structure the knowledge and skills required in second language learning in a way which is coherent with the constructivist paradigm, following widely accepted European recommendations. It has been adopted because it provides a notional-functional classification of language use and learning (“elegantly” capturing the vastness and complexity of languages and their functional nature), and it is the first general attempt to produce a taxonomy of the elements that intervene in language use and learning, enabling comparable syllabi to be created for all European languages

Incomplete immunity in a natural animal-microbiota interaction selects for higher pathogen virulence

Incomplete immunity in recovered hosts is predicted to favor more virulent pathogens upon re-infection in the population. The microbiota colonizing animals can generate a similarly long-lasting, partial immune response, allowing for infection but dampened disease severity. We tracked the evolutionary trajectories of a widespread pathogen (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), experimentally passaged through populations of nematodes immune-primed by a natural microbiota member (P. berkeleyensis). This bacterium can induce genes regulated by a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway effective at conferring protection against pathogen-induced death despite infection. Across host populations, this incomplete immunity selected for pathogens more than twice as likely to kill as those evolved in non-primed (i.e., naive) or immune-compromised (mutants with a knockout of the MAPK ortholog) control populations. Despite the higher virulence, pathogen molecular evolution in immune-primed hosts was slow and constrained. In comparison, evolving pathogens in immune-compromised hosts were characterized by substantial genomic differentiation and attenuated virulence. These findings directly attribute the incomplete host immunity induced from microbiota as a significant force shaping the virulence and evolutionary dynamics of novel infectious diseases

Mobile and Massive Language Learning

This chapter explores the relationship between mobile language learning and massive open online courses (MOOCs) and suggests how they may be combined. Over the past decade or so, mobile devices have become more powerful and potentially valuable for second language learning. Improvements in network bandwidth for such devices has also opened the door for them to be used as clients for online courses, social networks and social media, and more recently LMOOCs (or language MOOCS), thereby potentiating the mobility that they offer to language learning students. The authors argue and illustrate that Mobile-Assisted LMOOCs (or MALMOOCs) could improve the language learning experience for many people through task-based online and situated learning, including activities that encourage learners to collaborate and to capture and share their language experiences from everyday life