This document discusses using mobile phones for language learning or "m-learning". It provides some tips for using students' mobile phones in class, including having students take photos related to a class project and using the photos to create a story. The teacher can then share these student projects with other classes. Using technology in this hands-on way can help motivate students and show them that learning English can be fun.

1. got a class Facebook page, so we had to common and internet access easily
upload these into an album on the page.
Our teacher then split these up on the
available and cheap. Use this to your
advantage! ENGLISH
page so that there was one album of
about six photos for each pair of
students. We worked together, and we
● Do some study skills work with your
students. Show them how they can
TEACHING
professional
record themselves speaking and use
had to write a story which linked all the
the result to improve their This is your magazine.
photos together. We could then share
pronunciation. Show them ELT apps
these with other groups, and we all voted
which are available – the British
We want to hear from you!
on the best story. I was really pleased
Council have a wonderful suite on
because a photo that I had taken of a
iTunes and Android which are free,
graffiti picture in my neighbourhood was
fun and easy to use. ߜ
in the best story! It was great fun, and we
decided that we would do a class project ● Talk to your superiors at work about IT WORKS IN PRACTICE
in the same way, telling the story of the what you’re doing. Share your Do you have ideas you’d like to share
neighbourhood our school is in. We experience with your colleagues in with colleagues around the world?
printed out the results and did a your school and with any professional Tips, techniques and activities;
presentation of this at school – the association you’re a member of. Write simple or sophisticated; well-tried
other teachers loved it and couldn’t about it on a forum. Often, or innovative; something that has
believe we’d done it through Facebook! principals, school governors and
worked well for you? All published
(This is a fun way of using photos, education ministries are keen to invest
contributions receive a prize!
although you could simplify the in technology for the classroom, but
Write to us or email:
approach with the students building not in training on how to use or apply
stories from photos they’d taken the technology. It may become more helena.gomm@pavpub.com
themselves and using the visuals as a and more apparent that m-learning is
prompt. This can be much more a way of incorporating ICT into the
motivating than giving them cut-out
photos from magazines as the content
classroom which doesn’t need
expensive hardware and is, therefore,
TALKBACK!
Do you have something to say about
comes entirely from them, and the worth investing in through training to
instructions can be as specific – eg an article in the current issue of ETp?
see instant positive results.
take a photo of an interesting piece of This is your magazine and we would
architecture in your city/neighbourhood really like to hear from you.
– or as vague – eg take a photo of
Imagine Write to us or email:
something beautiful/interesting – as Imagine your students talking about helena.gomm@pavpub.com
you like.) their English lessons to their friends,
comparing how fun they are to how
drab their other lessons seem. Imagine Writing for ETp
them carrying on enjoying English
Would you like to write for ETp? We are
throughout their studies, learning more
always interested in new writers and
and more, and ascribing a great deal of
fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice,
their success in English to their
write to us or email:
wonderful teacher who showed them
that learning English is fun. ETp helena.gomm@pavpub.com
Bilbrough, N Dialogue Activities:
So this is what a great deal of students Exploring Spoken Interaction in the It really worked
think about m-learning. Some dismiss it
Language Classroom CUP 2008
for me!
as yet another ELT fad, but a fad only Nick Cherkas is a Project Did you get inspired by something
becomes accepted because many people Manager for the British
Council in Morocco. He you read in ETp? Did you do
try it, enjoy it and keep doing it. It
manages ‘English for the something similiar with your students?
seems ridiculous not to exploit the fact Future’, a programme
covering 17 countries in Did it really work in practice?
that almost all our students have their
the Middle East and Do share it with us ...
mobiles with them all the time and they North Africa which aims
can use these as cameras, voice to help young people helena.gomm@pavpub.com
achieve their educational
recorders, browsers, dictionaries, games and career aspirations
© iStockphoto.com / Jon Larson
consoles … by strengthening the
teaching and learning of ENGLISH TEACHING professional
Here are some tips for using m-learning English. His previous Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd,
experience includes
in your classes: teaching, teacher
Rayford House, School Road,
training and academic Hove BN3 5HX, UK
● Find out what your students use their management in Australia, Fax: +44 (0)1273 227308
Russia and the UK.
phones for and exploit this. In some Email: admin@pavpub.com
nick.cherkas@britishcouncil.org
countries, smartphones will be
• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 81 July 2012 • 57