http://www.emeraldinsight.com/2041-272X.htm Table of contents from the most recently published volume of Innovation and Leadership in English Language Teaching Book series en-gb Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited editorial@emeraldinsight.com support@emeraldinsight.com 60 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/common_assets/img/covers_book/2041-272X.gif http://www.emeraldinsight.com/2041-272X.htm 120 157 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010034&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006004 Language learning is changing in a mobile technology-rich landscape and under the influence of new learner practices stemming from personal perspectives on the best places for learning and from evolving uses of available time. The key aim of this chapter is to conceptualize the relation between the focus of language learning and the dimensions of time and place. What if language learning were to be defined by time and place? What would change? The chapter aims to assess what effect this might have on language learning in terms of curriculum or the design of learning activities. It draws on a series of studies led by the author, investigating how university students and other learners use mobile technologies to support their learning, and particularly on interview data from the most recent project which has focused on learners' experiences with the use of mobile devices to support language learning. Learning activities undertaken by the interviewees were wide-ranging, with evidence of the importance of both easy learning and challenge. Specific findings relating to time and place of learning are reported. As mobile technology developments and the availability of mobile services and applications accelerate, educators and researchers need conceptual frameworks to enable them to interpret emerging learner practices. New language learning activities and services can be designed on the basis of this understanding. By reviewing individual learner experiences in learner-determined contexts, researchers and the language teaching community can work together to build up a picture of emergent practices and formulate the implications for the design of language teaching and learning now and in the future. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Agnes Kukulska-Hulme) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010035&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006005 A mobile learning project for using cell phones in an English for Special Purposes (ESP) course for providers of tourism services in Mexico is described. The project is at the design stage, but has prioritized the systematic description of the relationship between technology, the service provider, and the end user, and exemplifies an approach to providing learning affordances. The resulting design makes use of appropriate characteristics of the cell phone for the delivery of material, for exploring language, for practice, and for assessment of learning, and includes the use of human and paper resources in a system of affordances fully integrated with the technology. Mobile learning paradigms have their own growing literature, and this chapter contributes by relating the use of cell phones with computer-assisted language learning (CALL), ESP, distance learning, and learner autonomy. The systematic recording of design decisions for the delivery and practice of language learning activities and the assessment of language acquisition aids the transference of innovations between different learning situations and technologies as well as orientating research and the evaluation of innovations at the design stage and in use. This chapter seeks to provide theoretical foundations for grounding mobile learning projects and to ensure the provision of appropriate learning affordances. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Frank Farmer, María Elena Llaven Nucamendi) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010036&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006006 In this chapter, we examine how mobile blogging can be used for language learning and propose a definition of mobile blogging activities as those “which use the mobility of the learner and the availability of a mobile device as the basis for the design of the task.” We acknowledge that technological advances have made most blogging activities accessible from mobile devices, and for this reason, include a review of the literature on blogging for language learning as well as some theoretical considerations that are common to blog and mobile blog task design. We highlight a number of issues that have emerged in the implementation of this kind of task, among others, the renegotiation of the roles of teachers and learners, the need for extensive training and support, and the personal and cultural factors that may influence the success of these tasks. We conclude with a reminder that tasks need to be well integrated with programs of learning and that the quality of the learner's learning experience needs to be further investigated. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Anna Comas-Quinn, Raquel Mardomingo) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010037&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006007 This chapter shows potentials for learning in context which language learner mobility allows. It uses the European Union funded AMICITIAS Project as a central case study. The significance of gaming and the necessity of interdisciplinarity mobile learning design are argued for. Evaluative, on-location focus groups are reported on, with reflection and key lessons gained in using mobile games as a complementary pedagogy. Differences in user context between e-learning and m-learning are reviewed. Narrative as a location framing tool is explained with game-script extracts. Successes in improving intercultural interaction levels were achieved, but this does not necessitate a technology-centered approach which sees the mobile device as the determinant. Rather, it implies a need for loosened learning experience design, which can benefit from chance encounters that occur when students are mobile. Design lessons include the need for better integration with real-world experiences. J2ME (Java for mobiles) may be receding in the face of Android and iPhone OS. Platforms are discussed and free online tools for language technology projects such as Google Spreadsheets and Dropbox are highlighted. The research points to ways in which individuals may negotiate privacy, spatial awareness, and technology interaction for learning within public areas. The intermingling of intercultural, touristic, historical, and language learning elements into location-based scenarios and narratives is highly innovative. The discussion should be valuable to those considering using mobile learning in a language teaching context and also be of value to those interested in augmented reality and location-based learning. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (David Robison) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010038&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006008 This chapter addresses the potential for mobile learning (m-learning) to facilitate the initial stage of second language learning. It first looks at the general learning barriers facing L2 learners. It then draws on three distinct areas of research: (1) augmentative communication systems, such as TALK, developed to promote conversational fluency in disabled, nonspeaking individuals; (2) intermediate to advanced L2 learners' ‘artificial’ use of prefabricated material in real-life conversation; (3) proficient L2 learners' tendency in relying too much on a limited range of phrases to be nativelike. The chapter thus leads to an attempt to establish a balance between relying heavily on formulaic material and promoting creativity in the use of individual words. Implications for both lifelong learning and language-learning virtual environments are drawn in conclusion. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Yanling Su Jones) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010039&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006009 Two groups of EFL first-year university students participated in the study. Pretest scores showed no significant differences in their oral proficiency level. Both groups were then exposed to the same in-class instruction that depended on the textbook. They covered the same lessons, skills, exercises, and tests. Since first-year students have no opportunities to listen to native speakers or practice English out of class and have problems in auditory discrimination, listening comprehension, oral expression, and oral fluency, the experimental group used a self-study mp3 English listening and speaking program. They practiced 90 lessons and 900 short audio files of basic English structures and commonly used expressions out of class, on their own. The mp3 lessons consisted of short sentences which the students could read, listen to, and mimic as many times as they needed. On average, the students practiced 3.5h a week. At the end of the semester, they were posttested. Results showed significant differences between both groups as a result of using the mp3 self-study lessons. The experimental group made higher gains in listening and speaking abilities. Improvement was noted in listening comprehension, oral expression, fluency, pronunciation correctness, and vocabulary knowledge. Results also showed positive correlations between (a) practice time and number of lessons covered by the students and (b) listening and speaking posttest scores, i.e., improved listening and speaking skills. Students reported positive attitudes toward the mp3 self-study listening and speaking lessons and reported several benefits. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Reima Al-Jarf) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010040&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006010 Focusing on the affordances of mobile technology and computer-mediated feedback, this chapter comprises a description of the development of a collaborative Web-based reading comprehension exercise for first-year English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) majors at a university in Japan. The goals of introducing such feedback in a mobile environment have been (a) to promote reading comprehension; (b) to support students who study online, especially without the presence of a peer or teacher, such as when commuting to university; and (c) to stimulate student interaction. Based upon recent research highlighting the contribution that computer-generated elaborative feedback can make toward promoting reading comprehension and student interaction, this current study comprises an investigation into the effects of introducing elaborative feedback from an instructor within computer-mediated written chat. Before reading a text and completing the first of two reading comprehension exercises, students were randomly assigned an anonymous partner, and pairs were then randomly selected to receive either computer-generated knowledge of correct response (KCR) feedback only or elaborative feedback from an instructor upon request before the KCR feedback. Afterwards, all students individually completed a second reading-comprehension exercise with KCR feedback only. Data was then analyzed to identify any effects of the elaborative feedback in this mobile environment. Reading comprehension scores on an individual follow-up exercise indicate that no statistically significant difference resulted from the different types of feedback. However, results from a qualitative analysis of interactions suggest that elaborative feedback is particularly beneficial for generating quality interaction. Guidelines for incorporating elaborative feedback in a Web-based reading comprehension exercise are recommended for use on mobile technology. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Philip Murphy, David Bollen, Craig Langdon) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010041&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006011 This case study describes how available mobile technology (students' own camera phones) can be used to enhance learners' input into the curriculum and to promote intercultural learning among university staff as well as among students. The students at Zayed University are local Emirati women, while the members of the university staff come from many countries around the world. Each year new staff arrive with little knowledge about the local culture, and their orientation course has usually involved the university giving them basic information about their students' cultural background. Recently however we have tried to tap into students' worlds by using their own familiar technology: their mobile phone camera. We invited students to send us a photograph taken on their mobile phone which would give new, foreign staff insight into the world of their new students. The resulting images became the starting point for a dialogue between the new staff and students. This was followed up with a more extended writing task for students, based around an image from their phone. The images created and selected by students were interpreted by incoming staff as glimpses of a foreign culture, often in ways which revealed the staff's own preconceptions. Staff's questions to students about these images, and the responses obtained, showed both convergence in the understandings of the two groups, and an opening up of what is understood by “local culture.” In this dialogue, processes of mobile, autonomous learning begin as the students use their new language (English) to explain their culture to the highly educated cultural neophytes who are the staff. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (David M. Palfreyman) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010042&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006012 In this chapter, we describe a project on Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) for adult second language learners. The project has designed a mobile learning environment that supports meaningful, collaborative production, and sharing of learner-generated authentic content. The project is aimed at linking formal and informal, that is, classroom versus everyday and workplace, learning. The project is in a pilot phase and the chapter reports the preliminary findings, which indicate a high level of learner ownership, engagement, and motivation. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Lisa Gjedde, Mads Bo-Kristensen) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&chapterid=17010043&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006013 This chapter presents a method for using text messages in second language teaching for immigrants. The method consists in daily “mini-tasks” sent by text message and carried out face-to-face in collaboration with local speakers of the target language. The case study describes how linguistic tasks sent as text messages combined with the support from local target language speakers help immigrant learners of Greenlandic in Greenland to overcome social and practical barriers that prevent them from using and practicing the language. Tasks sent by text messages provide an easy-to-use, low-tech m-learning solution. The exercises, being limited to 160 characters, are quickly made, although some pedagogical considerations should be borne in mind. Besides improving the actual language teaching, the exercises seem to support the development of better personal relations between the immigrant learner and the native mentor. The use of text messages for language teaching is not widespread, and the use of texting combined with support from language mentors is a relatively novel idea. The study may inspire other language teachers to make use of texting for language teaching purposes. Chapter literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Barfuss Cathrine Ruge) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010033&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006003 Editorial literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Javier E. Díaz-Vera) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010045&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006018 Editorial Board Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010046&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006020 Editorial Board Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010048&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006028 Index Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010047&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006021 Miscellaneous Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010032&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006002 Miscellaneous Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=2041-272X&volume=6&articleid=17010044&show=abstract http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/S2041-272X(2012)0000006017 Personal Report Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000