Mobile learning is helpful, efficient and fun.
To begin with, mobile learning is not rocket science. Nowadays, almost everyone possesses a mobile device for study, work and life. This platform is becoming more and more powerful with efforts from both hardware manufacturers and app developers. Just as many other tools, mobile platforms, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, can play a crucial role for English learners all around the world if they can know how to use them properly.
This portfolio provides you with insights from me, an mobile English learner who has been keen on using mobile learning to facilitate my English learning. Three apps on iOS are introduced here, which can demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency and joy of mobile English learning experience. Don't get frustrated if you don't have an iPhone, because these apps are available through all platforms (to a certain extent).
This portfolio provides you with insights from me, an mobile English learner who has been keen on using mobile learning to facilitate my English learning. Three apps on iOS are introduced here, which can demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency and joy of mobile English learning experience. Don't get frustrated if you don't have an iPhone, because these apps are available through all platforms (to a certain extent).
|
Review #1: 扇贝单词 (Scallop in Shell Words) |
|
This app mainly helps me with vocabulary learning based on a flashcard approach. As you can see, it shows the English words with pronunciation first. If you don’t know the meaning of a word, just click here, and it hints a sample sentence, further, you have the Chinese translation.
If you know the word, it will be counted on the green side, if you click ”you don’t know” of the word, it is counted on the red side so you will learn it again. You can set up a target for each day. I set forty this time. You have to meet that target to get a stamp every day (“打卡”), which shows you are constantly making progress. These are the days that I got stamped. Sorry I have been travelling since June and I have no data on my phone, so I do not use it. When I am at the university, I use it every day. So one weaknesses of about the app is that you need internet access. Many university students know that learning vocabulary is very important but we are too busy to spend time on vocabulary learning every day. The stamp system (“每日打卡”) is an extrinsic factor that encourages me to spend time on vocabulary learning each day. Besides, I have also joined the community with my friends, which can show the progress of my fellow students. These are all my friends, so it gives me some “peer pressure” to use it every day. I can see the rates of getting stamps “打卡率”of all my friends, as well as my ranking in the group |
|
*Available on
Apple Store & Google Play |
Official website:
https://www.shanbay.com/ |
|
Review #2 Podcast |
|
Thanks to the introduction by our programme leader Dr. Wang, I have been using Podcast to improve my English learning since Year 1. Listening to podcast is very simple. It is like listening to music from the cell phone, while the difference is that you get fresh feed from podcast every day, and your music stays almost the same throughout a week. To start with, you can choose from the list of channels, and explore what interests you.
I have been listening to BBC news for a long time. It is not very long, 2 episodes per day with around 30 mins in length. I listen to the news when I am on public transport, or waiting in the line at CCAN (canteen). When I want to relax, it is also a good way to close my eyes and simply listen to the podcast. It has not been a burden for me as I do not set any targets every day. Just listen to it at fragment time available. However, I may suggest, for the beginners, you can choose some channels with slower speaking speed and in which you have interest in (with basic vocabulary foundation) I had been using an Android device before I switched to iPhone (with a built-in podcast) in 2016. In the past I have been using "Podcast and Radio Addict", which has similar function. |
BBC news on the podcast. 2 episodes per day with 30 mins each.
My new interest - Social Engineering for Internet and information security. Also available in English.
|
Just close your eyes, relax and enjoy the podcast.
Simply select the channel that you are interested in, the newest episodes will be pushed to you fresh and hot.
|
|
*Available on:
(Built-in) iOS, Podcast and Radio Addict in Play Store |
Official website:
http://podcastaddict.fr/about/ |
|
Review #3 South China Morning Post |
Push notifications from SCMP. Major news only.
News report in full length, with captions.
|
Reading news is a good approach to help you expand your vocabulary (every word is in its context) and increase the reading speed. The South China Morning Post is a great app that can help you achieve these purposes.
Recently, this well-known English newspaper has been made free to all. They provide the content featured in-depth knowledge and authentic examples of English. Just like the Podcast, you can select whatever you are interested in and put them on the top of the list, then all the related news in your selected topics will be prioritized to push to you. The other great thing about this app is that it will push notification about major news and keep you updated with the world. It uses daily English to describe the things happening around us. One thing I have noticed recently in English Learning and Teaching is that, I have very good command of academic English but I have problems with everyday English, especially in terms of vocabularies (proper nouns & adjectives). This was a significant problem when I was dong the Creative Writing course. Thus, reading news may be very helpful for all English learners. |
Videos also. The power of multimedia compared to traditional newspaper
You can change the topics that you are interested in, which will be shown on the bar at the top
|
|
*Available on
Apple Store & Play Store |
Official website:
http://www.scmp.com/ |
English learning at the finger tips...
|
These apps that I have reviewed greatly enhance my English proficiency through learning at fragment time. In the recent IELTS exam, I scored 8.5 in Listening and 9 in Reading, which I would give credit to these mobile learning apps. As an English major student, I sometimes feel frustrated with my limited vocabulary. These apps help me to explore the new vocabulary.
In the first app, I am using the vocabulary set of IELTS, which contains the most common 5000 words. I am so used to using the auto-correct function of Microsoft Word these days, as all the writing are done on computers. I have troubles in spelling the words when I do the Writing part in IELTS. Through both learning and reviewing the vocabulary, I am more confident when I am writing without auto-correction. There is no ending to this portfolio, as English teachers are English learners throughout their life. Learning through mobile devices will definitely become a trend that benefit all users, with its effectiveness, efficiency and joy. For a more effective practice, I highly recommend you to join our Student Network Group (SNG) for Mobile Learning of English, from where you can find more app reviews and exchange ideas with other fellow students. |
|
