Although modern language teachers may be using mobile learning, they may not be aware of the various categories of mobile learning apps or of tools. The following list gives teachers new resources to use in their classroom. Teachers can use some mobile apps to help flip the language classroom since students can pre-study the vocabulary or pre-study a verb video. Likewise, the foreign language teacher can have students use specific apps if they display a learning gap on a formative assessment. Even more important, the teacher can have the students listen to native speakers, read target language newspapers, and see up-to-the-minute culture in the country. To find a particular app, the teacher searches with terms such as “Spanish radio app ipad” or “French verb forms android app”. Many apps and tools are free or have introductory lessons.
- Words and Meaning: Dictionary/ Thesaurus
- Translation including Google voice
- Verb Forms
- Vocabulary / Phrases / Traveling
- Learn the Language (language study course)
- Flashcards
- Culture- General such as a city tour and specific such as French recipes
- Radio and TV stations
- Newspapers and magazines
- Voice and Video recording
- Camera pictures
- Media production such as written text on a picture, talking objects, digital stories
- Whiteboard Sharing
- Communication (texting…)
- Brainstorm / Graphic organizers
- Search the web / search for images
- Internet movies/ YouTube
- Website Connectors
- Collaboration – group writing/ project creation
- E-readers
- Calculators / Spreadsheets
- Mobile videoconferencing (Skype)
- Organizers / Schedulers
- E Portfolios such as a student’s own wiki
- Clock / Stopwatch / Timer
- Learning Management Service Connectors
- Phone
cross-posted at http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com
Harry Grover Tuttle teaches English and Spanish college courses at Onondaga Community College and blogs at Education with Technology. He is also the author of several books on formative assessment.
