Mobile applications for teaching English as a foreign language available online have the following characteristics: They allow for both formal and informal learning anywhere and anytime through smartphones. While still developing, they provide learning through various formats like games, dictionaries, textbooks and practice exercises. Both free and paid apps exist, though the quality is uneven across thousands available. Teachers can integrate relevant apps into their lessons, but must consider how to adapt teaching approaches for mobile devices.

1. Aplicaciones móviles para la enseñanza del inglés
como lengua extranjera disponibles en la web
Mobile applications for EFL available on the web
Pilar Rodríguez Arancón
prodriguez@flog.uned.es

2. What we are going to see in the course
• Background of Mobile Learning
• Characteristics
• Positive points
• Weak points
• Some tools to develop apps
• First task – apps evaluation
• Second task – lesson plan
• Sharing some conclusions

3. Background
• The origins of Mobile learning /m-learning or
MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) are
in e-learning

4. E-learning
You have probably used the Internet to answer questions
about English or to find activities for your classes. As you
know, the search can be done in several ways:
• You can find full courses, especially for levels A2 and B1
of the CEFR; such as:
– La Mansión del inglés
http://www.mansioningles.com/nuevocurso.htm
– Curso-ingles.com http://www.curso-ingles.com/
– Aulafácil http://www.aulafacil.com/
– OM Personal http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/
– Inglés Mundial http://www.inglesmundial.com/index.html

5. E-learning
• You can ask a question and access a forum such as
Wordreference or Yahoo respuestas, or the BBC; a page
with the answer, such as English Plus, or a grammar
point within a course, such as Saber inglés. As an
example we can type especially specially:
– http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=12996
94&langid=24
– http://es.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2010102
4122354AA7MeI7
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/gramm
ar/learnit/learnitv265.shtml
– http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000287.htm
– http://www.saberingles.com.ar/which/95.html

6. E-learning
• You can search for activities for a specific grammatical
point and get worksheets to do in class or pages in
which to do the activity and get immediate feedback.
As an example, if we type “past continuous activities”:
* We find worksheets to print and hand out:
– https://www.google.es/search?q=past+continuous+act
ivities&client=firefox-a&hs=Pzm&rls=org.mozilla:es-
ES:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=f6
zKUZHXCu_g7Qba-
4DQDQ&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=629
– http://www.esltower.com/GRAMMARSHEETS/pastcont
inuous/pastcontinuousboardgame.pdf

7. E-learning
* Or for self-correction which can be more or
less sophisticated:
– http://s.mound.free.fr/skyblues67/WasWereVing/c
onjwasworking.htm
– http://www.really-learn-english.com/past-
progressive-exercises.html#01
– http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-
up/grammar/past-progressive

8. MALL
• MALL is the next step in the evolution of
educational technology reflecting the
convergence of mobile technology and e-
learning in response to a more dynamic society
that seeks a personalized, lifelong and
universal education (Romero et al., 2010)

9. Characteristics
• Formal and informal learning
• Ubiquitous (any time and anywhere): at
home, at work, while travelling, when waiting
or even walking
• Dynamic
• It seems to be the natural progression from e-
learning
• Flexible

10. Positive points
• A platform that supports many things
(text, image, sound)
• Technology is now cheaper than printing
• Promotes individual and collaborative learning
• Integral part of life
• Rather large number of users:
http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-
tools/latest-mobile-stats/b#mobilebroadband

11. Positive points
• This type of stimuli as a combination of
sound, image and creative elements is ideal for
learning
• As Glasser (2000) pointed out, humans retain
10% of what they read, 20% of what they
hear, 30% of what they see and 50% of what
they see and hear at the same time

12. Negative points
• It is still in the early days of development
• Apps are not designed for all operating systems
• It makes us re-think how to teach
• It is a challenge from the designing point of
view
• There are over 28,000 apps for educational
purposes available on the market at present, so
they do not all have the same standard of
quality (http://www.eduapps.es)

13. Developing tools

14. Types of apps
• Games, very often aimed at children, e.g. apps available from Cambridge
English Online
• App versions of dictionaries, handbooks and textbooks, e.g. Cambridge’s
EFL methods, dictionaries, etc.
• Apps providing vocabulary, grammar and/or pronunciation practice, such as
My Word Book, Johnny Grammar’s Quiz Master, 60 Second Word Challenge
or Sounds Right.
– Some go beyond mere drilling or quizzing: listening comprehension practice by means of podcasts and the
exploitation thereof, e.g. Listen-to-English and A Cup Of English;
– apps allowing conversation practice, e.g. English Feed, even with other users, e.g. The Language Campus
Adaptation of online courses such as Busuu and EF’s English Town to mobile devices
• Apps exploiting the use of language in context (most closely related to the
interests and goals of SO-CALL-ME): through podcasts –e.g. Learn
English, Talking Business English– videos –e.g. Learn English Audio &
Video, Conversation English– films –e.g. English Attack– and cartoons –e.g.
Big City Small World.

15. Types of app - Price
• Mobile versions of traditional dictionaries, textbooks, vocabulary or
grammar tests, etc., (as high as around 30€)
• Apps downloadable for a small amount –usually around 1€, and rarely
above 3€ (e.g. Cambridge’s English Monstruo)
• Apps with an initial free sample pack and the possibility to download
further packs for a small amount (again, around 1€; e.g. the British Council’s
LearnEnglish Grammar
• Completely free apps, e.g. The wide choice of apps available from the
British Council.
• Full-fledged English courses , e.g. Busuu or EF’s EnglishTown (the price
depends on the needs of the user and/or seasonal offers)

16. Some apps available on the web
• http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en
• http://elt.oup.com/feature/global/apps/?cc=global&s
elLanguage=en
• http://www.cambridgeapps.org/

17. Task 1 (15mn.)
• This is a rubric that you can use to assess two
of the apps available in the previous
pages, although you could use your own
criteria
http://det.wa.edu.au/ipadsforeducation/detcm
s/navigation/applications/#internalSection1

18. Your ideas
• What are the most important features for you?
• Why?
• Do you think that you would use them as part
of your classroom activities? As homework?

19. Task 2 (15 mn.)
• Draft a Lesson plan including specific activities
from one of the apps available in those links

20. Your ideas
• How would you integrate them?
• Do you think they provide something extra to
your teaching? Why? Why not?

21. Some more apps
Herramienta Web TwinVox
http://www.twinvox.com/
Herramienta Web Cookit Creator
http://cookit.e2bn.org/recipe_creator_beta/
Herramienta Web PhraseMix
http://www.phrasemix.com/
Herramienta Web BrainPop
http://www.brainpop.com/english/
Herramienta Voxi (para llevar)
http://voxy.com/about-us#press
Herramienta Web EnglishAttack
http://es.english-attack.com/
Herramienta Web Language City
http://london.languagecity.com/login#.UIP6lm8yI7I
Herramienta Web On-line utility
http://www.online-utility.org/english/index.jsp
Learn out loud
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/Languages
Free rice
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1387
Listen-to-english
http://www.listen-to-english.com/
Word Champ
http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Home.do
Anglomaniacy
http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/
Bite sized English
http://bite-sized-english.com/
Podcast App
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/tips/mobile-learning
LearnEnglish Audio & Video
https://itunes.apple.com/app/learnenglish-audio-video/id529480955?mt=8
Learn English Grammar
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/learnenglish-grammar
MyWordBook
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/mywordbook
LearnEnglish
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/elementary-podcasts
LearnEnglish Sports World
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/learnenglish-sports-world
Sounds Right
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/sounds-right
WordShake
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/wordshake
Johnny Grammar’s Quizz Master
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/mobile-learning/johnny-grammars-quizmaster
60 Second Word Challenge
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/60-second-word-challenge

22. Some more apps
Big City Small World
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/big-city-small-world
Premier Skills
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/premier-skills
EnglishTown EF
http://www.englishtown.com/online/dp/press_11-09-2010.aspx
Aprende inglés con busuu.com
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.busuu.android.enc
The language campus
http://www.thelanguagecampus.com/?page_id=937
Cnn Asia Pacific
http://www.cnnasiapacific.com/press/en/content/541/
Wag mob Apps
http://english.wagmob.com/
Talking business English
http://www.talkingbusinessenglish.com
80 apps to learn a new language
http://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/lifestyle-roundups/80-apps-to-learn-a-new-
language/
English Feed
http://www.englishfeed.com/?p=134
Quiz up
http://www.cambridgemobileapps.com/education/quiz-up.html
Grammar
http://www.cambridgemobileapps.com/grammar.html
Exams
http://www.cambridgemobileapps.com/exams.html
Interchange
http://www.cambridgemobileapps.com/general/intarc.html
SpeakingPal English Tutor
http://mobile.brothersoft.com/speakingpal-english-tutor-download-919188.html
Genko Flascards
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-free-british-english/id307876281?mt=8
Talking Dictionary
http://download.cnet.com/Cambridge-Advanced-Learners-Talking-Dictionary-
iPhone/3000-18495_4-206345.html
Oxford Dictionary
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oxford-deluxe-ode-ote-powered/id307233030?mt=8
IELTS vocabulary
http://appfinder.lisisoft.com/app/ielts-master-vocab-guide-english.html
Vaughan radio
http://www.vaughanradio.com

23. Thank you very much for your
attention