10 ways of using mobile phones in the languages classroom

Camera Phones: Ten Ways to Use Them and 8 ways to use Camera Phones in Education are two interesting posts I came across today which list suggestions of how camera phones can be used to aid learning both in and out of the classroom. Although not all the ideas are suited to language learning opportunities, most of them are. Here is my list for the record based on findings gathered from other people's blogs over the last year or so:

Instant Feedback for assessment for learning opportunities

Take a photo of a piece of writing and send it to your computer via a Bluetooth dongle for discussion on the interactive whiteboard. Pupils can then discuss as a class what was good about it and how it could be improved based on given success criteria.

Record some audio

Use the voice recording function to record pupils chanting verbs, drilling vocabulary, singing songs, practising dialogues or making presentations, then ask them to send the audio files to your computer, so they can be assessed and uploaded to a website or blog or exchanged amongst peers.

Shoot a video clip

Create a short video clip of a role-play, presentation or performance as part of a portfolio of work

Quiz buzzer

Let different pupils use their ringtones to indicate they are ready to give an answer in a language quiz

Tour Guide

Ask pupils to make an audio tour of their local area, school or home in the foreign language

Learning vocabulary using real situations

Pupils take photos of objects or scenes signifying words or expressions they are trying to learn for a photo story or PowerPoint presentation.

Moblogging

Capture the excitement of an educational visit abroad by writing posts and and sending multimedia files to a dedicated blog via your mobile phone

Homework reminder

Send your pupils homework reminders via text-messaging so they never forget another homework again.

Distance learning

Encourage your pupils to listen to grammar podcasts, watch photo stories, read text documents or complete interactive quizzes away from the classroom

Raise your language awareness

Ask your pupils to take photos of examples of foreign languages in your local area: signs, packaging, number plates etc.

What do you think?

Comments

[Craig]

I ask my students to listen to audio books via their mobile phones. Also they can record interviews, create music videos and even become vloggers use them.

[Joe Dale]

Thanks for the comment Craig. Do you find your pupils have problems with battery life on their mobiles if they are listening for long periods?

[Craig]

No, not really as I ask them to listen to a chapter at a time for the audio books. These usually last less than 30 minutes.

Using the mobile is much easier than say, sitting in front of a PC at home.

[Teri]

Finding this info about using cell phones gives me some great ideas for using the target language in a way that the kids can relate to. Can you give me any more resources on what has been done with this idea?

[Joe Dale]

Hi Teri,

Thanks for your comment. Have a look at all the posts I've written about mobile phone use in the last year:
http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/mobile_telephones/index.html

Best wishes

Joe

[Roy Sanchez]

I'm interested in finding peer-reviewed journal articles about classroom instruction and exercises using cell and smartphones. Where do you research for this information?

Thanks,
Roy

[Debra Atherton]

Hi Joe--I did my action research project last year on using cell phones in the classroom; here's the final web site: http://web.me.com/debraatherton/Site_2/Final_Presentation.html
Do you use google.voice? It's a great communication tool, where my 175 students can text or voicemail without me having to worry about them waking me in the middle of the night. (Why are they all up at 1:00 am?) I can also call parents from home without my home number showing on their caller ID.

[Joe Dale]

Hi Debra,

Thanks for your comment. I thoroughly enjoyed the YouTube clip from your final presentation: http://youtu.be/9Biu7OQV-tA Great reflections!

Unfortunately, Google Voice is not available in the UK. I've followed a few foreign language educators use it in the US with interest though. May be one day!