Is there an app for getting language learners reading
My Guardian Weekly article on the opportunity that mobile devices offer for graded readers is available in today’s issue. In the article I review the OUP “Bookworm” iPhone/iPad apps and discuss the opportunities and challenges that publishers face in making mobile versions of their graded reader titles.
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The Janus Moment in (BAL)EAP 2013
about 1 week ago - Comments Off
Recently I attended BALEAP’s biennial conference at Nottingham University, which was a great opportunity to catch up with the world of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). I was there with Epigeum to meet potential clients and authors for its forthcoming English for Academic Studies courses. The conference theme was “The Janus Moment” in honour of…
IATEFL Failure Fest
about 3 weeks ago - Comments Off
I’m ashamed to see how long it is since I last updated this blog, I’ve been busy on some very exciting e-learning projects, and working as a member of the IATEFL Conference committee. One of my highlights was working with Ken Wilson to organise the Failure Fest evening at the Liverpool conference, and reading the…
Mobile learning presentation webinar
about 1 year ago - No comments
I’m greatly looking forward to my mobile learning presentation this weekend for the IATEFL Learning Technology SIG, see details on their web page. I will report on a survey of language learning apps carried out with Paul Sweeney, and the features that we liked and those we didn’t and describe how I have applied this…
ESU Awards: have the digital entries got any better this year?
about 1 year ago - Comments Off
A year ago I posted an article on this site that was critical of the entries for the Duke of Edinburgh’s “President’s Award” for innovation and good design in digital materials for English language learning. I was a judge again this year, and I suppose the answer to my question above is “yes, they are…
TESOL versus IATEFL: which is better?
about 2 years ago - 1 comment
For the first time in a while I went to both conferences this spring in New Orleans and Brighton respectively. I gave papers at both events, which were important opportunities to develop my new business, catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Funding my own attendance led to me to reflect sharply…
Developing Mobile Language Learning – Brighton
about 2 years ago - Comments Off
Paul Sweeney and I held another knowledge building event on mobile language learning, this time in Brighton on the fringes of the IATEFL conference presenting our new whitepaper on mobile language learning which we will publish in the next few weeks. Before then we’ll also publish a summary of the event. The event was kindly…
ELT needs to get a grip on smartphones
about 2 years ago - 4 comments
This is the article that appeared in the Guardian Weekly on 8 March 2011: There has been an explosion in the use of smartphones. Around 270m handsets were sold in 2010, while CNN Fortune has forecast that sales could exceed 500m in 2011. With the price of entry-level handsets expected to fall to $100 or…
No Future? The English Language Teaching Coursebook in the Digital Age
about 2 years ago - Comments Off
The market for English Language Teaching aids is huge and growing rapidly. There are around one billion learners and eleven million teachers of English today. However, with the introduction of smart phones, ebook readers and tablet computer devices such as the iPad, learners’ expectations about how they access and use learning content have changed. But…
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about 1 year ago
As a followup to my iintial post, I am especially interested in how you view mobile learning and other mobile device uses as a form of e2€œdisruptive technologye2€9d which has the potential to cause challenges (if not threat of elimination) of older technologies that support online learning. What are the implications of a change in design from larger to smaller and more mobile devices that can be used to support learning at work, at school, and elsewhere?And in the informal use of these devices, are there social and organizational implications? Consider the challenges (and opportunities) posed by the use of these devices in onsite (classroom) learning environments. Their use during lectures and testing has already posed a challenge that resulted in policies to limit or prevent their use, but what about the opportunities for learners, teachers/trainers, and administration/management in onsite or online learning environments?For these devices and the existing online systems that are used to support learning, what user needs and design considerations should we consider at this early point in the adoption of this innovation?
about 1 year ago
Thank you for your post. The implications of mobile are indeed considerable, though I think the impact is more visible in higher education than in schools, as Universities are beginning to modify their provision to be more mobile friendly. In the medium to long term I think BYOD (Bring your own device) offers enormous opportunities to both educators and learners, though to make it work will require investment in research and changes to policies and IT infrastructure. Equally important will be the willingness of educational bodies to experiment and learn.