Mobile Learning Technologies
The mobile learning technologies that I want
to introduce are two applications available in iTunes App Store. Flashcards Deluxe
can be viewed and downloaded on iPhone and iPad from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flashcards-deluxe/id307840670?mt=8 and Notes Plus can
be viewed and downloaded on iPad from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/notes-plus/id374211477?mt=8
Flashcards Deluxe is designed for both
iPhone and iPad. It is not free, but it is not expensive; it costs $3.99, and
there is a lite version available, which is free. This application is great
because, as well as creating their own flashcards within the application, the
users can download 4 million+ flashcard sets from Quizlet.com and
FlashcardExchange.com easily. This application can especially benefit language
learners. They can practice vocabulary, grammar, listening and speaking (there
is a text to speech audio in 18 languages), and spelling in a fun way. I could
incorporate this technology into my professional practice in a number of ways.
In my reading lessons, before studying a text, I could assign a number of words
from the text to each learner, which they should learn at that level. Each
learner then would prepare flashcards for his words using Flashcards Deluxe. We
would set some standards for this; for instance, all learners will include the
part of speech, meaning, other forms of the word and an example sentence for
each word that they are assigned. Then, learners can present and share their
flashcards in class, and everyone in class will be responsible for learning
these words. I would also benefit from this application to improve my learners’
spelling. Turkish learners usually have difficulty learning the spelling of
English words, and they generally need extra practice in this area. I would
record a list of commonly misspelled words that we studied, like acquire,
conscious, foreign, and the like, and send it to my learners to upload on their
application. Then, they would listen to them on their headphones in class and
try to write them with the correct spelling. I could do this in class as a
practice activity or as an exam.
Notes Plus is designed only for iPad and
is not cheap; it costs $7.99, but the excellent ratings and the customer
reviews it has received show that it is worth the price. Users of this
application can handwrite smoothly using their fingers, mix handwriting with
typed text, record audio while taking notes, import a PDF file, and insert
images easily. My learners could use this application to take notes in class.
While I am teaching grammar or writing, my learners either stop listening to me
and start copying what they see on the board or they focus on listening to me
but fail to take notes, so they do not remember anything the next day. Notes
Plus is a perfect solution for this. My learners can record my voice and take a
picture of what is on the board and take notes on it at the same time. This
would give them both the audio and the visual account of the lesson, so when
they go home, they can easily revise what was studied. I can also make use of
this application in my reading lessons. Once my learners upload the text that
we will study in class onto this application, they do not need to bring their
textbooks to class. Then, they can practice reading for main ideas,
skimming/scanning a text, reading for details easily. For instance, they can
highlight the main idea of the text in yellow, underline the places X visited,
order the jumbled paragraphs, make inferences by taking notes in the margins,
and the like. When they do these on a printed text, it gets messy after a
point, but with this application, they can use different colors, fonts,
handwriting, and other features for every type of question, so it would look
more organized.
Flashcards deluxe can be used by so many people. Many adults have forgotten the great use of flashcards and this does bring that idea to the technology forefront. The fact that they can use other sites to help them find information and it really looks like it could be a lifesaver for many adults in any level. Notes Plus looks great as well and thank you so much for helping me learn more. -Janet
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and responding to my blog post Janet. I am glad that you have found it useful.
DeleteIzlem,
ReplyDeleteI have similar difficulties when teaching grammar in class. Students often will only write down what I write on the board or the brief lines that may come with a video presentation. The Notesplus system would be really handy, and the price is not bad considering all of the things that can be done with it. It seems all it would take to get students started once it is purchased is a quick overview with some basic guidelines for use during class times. Further, they could be using it for all of their other classes making them that much more involved in their overall education.
Thanks!
-Octavia.
Octavia, I am sure that many instructors have similar problems that we do in class. I honestly do not know if Notes Plus is the solution, but it is worth a try. Thanks for reading and responding to my blog post.
DeleteIt sounds like you are an Apple subscriber. I am an Android subscriber. Both of these platforms provide different learning programs and there are many different apps to choose from. I looked up the Flashcard Deluxe program that you spoke of. There is an Android program that is comparable. I had no idea that there were so many and is so many different subjects.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this information. It will help me in my continued study of the Korean language.
Sincerely,
Jeremy G.
Jeremy, I am glad that you found the program useful. I, too, was amazed by the number of categories. Thank you for reading my blog and responding.
Delete