Fernando Rosell-Aguilar

Top of the Pods--In Search of a Podcasting "Podagogy" for Language Learning

The popularization of portable media players such as the iPod, and the delivery of audio and video content through content management software such as iTunes mean that there is a wealth of language learning resources freely available to users who may download them and use them anywhere at any time. These resources vary greatly in quality and follow different approaches to learning. This paper provides a taxonomy of podcast resources, reviews materials in the light of Second Language Acquisition theories, argues for better design, and outlines directions for future research.

WELL done and well liked: online information literacy skills and learner impressions of the web as a resource for foreign language learning

One of the most common uses of the World Wide Web for foreign language learning is as a resource for students to find information when researching essay topics. When language instructors ask students to perform searches for information about a given issue it is assumed that students know how to perform those searches and appreciate the usefulness of the Web. However, we do not really know much about the relationship between learners and the Web: what processes are involved, how the students go about the search process and what their perceptions of the Web are. It is therefore essential that these assumptions are examined and researched. To find out more about these questions, a study was initiated with the aim of obtaining information on how foreign language higher education students interact with the Web in general and in the context of a search for content/reading tasks in particular. The goal was to produce a descriptive snapshot of student impressions and abilities at one given moment. For this purpose 198 students of Spanish at the University of Southampton were asked how they use the Web, what for, how they go about finding the information they need, what they perceive to be the advantages and disadvantages of using the Web as a research tool for language learning, to compare it to other resources and what their perceptions of it are. To measure their degree of online information literacy, a scale was created. In this paper the details of the project will be presented, and the findings of the study discussed.

Podcasting as a Mobile Learning Technology: A Study of iTunes U Learners

Despite the fact that portability was perceived as one of the major benefits of podcasting as a teaching and learning tool, little evidence has been found of users taking advantage of this feature for academic use. This paper reports on a major study 1886 responses of iTunes U users. The analysis compares the responses of those participants who use static devices to play the materials they download with those of users who utilise mobile devices. The results show that more users play iTunes U materials from mobile devices than static devices. Users share some similarities in their use of podcasts but some marked differences as well, in contrast with previous research. The author argues that different perceptions and practices are based on whether the users are formal or informal learners and discuss the implications for the use of podcasting as a mobile learning technology.

Integrating informal learning into formal language education: an introduction

This volume collects selected papers from the 2017 Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University conference (InnoConf), which took place on the 16th of June at The Open University. The theme of the conference was Integrating informal learning into formal language education. The aim of the conference was to engage in productive collaboration between language professionals to further equip students to succeed in our ever-growing landscape of formal and informal learning. Given the unprecedented amount of online resources and communities available to language learners, the conference focussed on exploring how language teachers are integrating these opportunities into their settings.

Autonomous language learning through a mobile application: a user evaluation of the busuu app

ABSTRACT Studies into the use of mobile applications (apps) for language learning have found positive results on language improvement and learner engagement, but they have mostly focused on small samples of learners using apps that were selected by a researcher/educator rather than on learners using apps of their own choice. This article presents the results of a large-scale survey (n = 4095) into the use of one of the most popular language learning apps in the market: the busuu mobile app (over 60 million registered users). Data were collected through an online questionnaire with 30 items. The survey was distributed both in English and in Spanish. The results provide a profile of busuu app users, show patterns of use, and what app features learners find most valuable for language learning. Most users are at beginner level and learn for personal interest. They find the app has helped them improve their knowledge of the language they are learning, with vocabulary as the main area of improvement. The high expectations from users and the fact that a third of respondents use busuu as their only language learning source suggest that a large proportion of users consider apps a reliable tool for language learning.