Mobile Learning
                                                                                      (Image via www.belmonttech.com)    

All signs tell me that I need to get "on board" with mobile learning and I'm certainly open to it. However, it is difficult to conduct mobile learning lessons as an ESL teacher in South Korea in a formal classroom setting. Mobile phones are banned in the classroom; rightfully so, in my opinion. There is a gaming and electronic device addiction and phenomenon here in South Korea. So much so, that the term "hand phone zombie" was coined to describe the amount of people "glued" to their mobile phones. I have observed my students during breaks or lunch when they are allowed there phone; they don't blink an eye! They are zombified! Though phones are banned, I am certainly open to the idea of tablets being used in the classroom. 
  

(Mobile device storage unit located in the teacher's office in my school)

I admit that I still have reservations and am not fully "on board" with mobile devices in the classroom. However, I am not an old dinosaur, and I could easily be persuaded to use such technology in my classroom (if it is used properly and not abused or used for other purposes).  My students are tethered to their mobile phones; truthfully, so am I. When students arrive at school; the first thing they must do is turn their mobile phone into the teacher where it is stored in a mobile device carrier bag. The bag is then stored securely in the teachers' office. 

Daily Smart Phone usage according to Google (2016)

According to Google, 80% of millennials use smart phones. Did you read that? Eighty percent! Though, I thought the number would be much higher. Did you notice how small the percentage is of those who only use a computer? Fourteen percent%! I think this is probably due to desktop computers obsolescence. Desktops are not convenient; they are tethered to one location and they are more expensive than a tablet or mobile phone. Students can put their mobile phone in their pocket and a tablet in their backpack. Mobile devices are not a trend, and they are not going away! It is how people use technology. It is instant, we can have answers at our finger tips in a matter of seconds...it only makes sense that we incorporate mobile devices into the classroom. 

(Image via www.caveolearning.com)

Only in schools are mobile devices banned. Think about the corporate world; when your boss assigns you a task or project, he usually isn't concerned with how the task is researched or completed. He usually cares about the finished product. However, schools have not adapted this mentality yet and I feel that's where we fail students. Schools need to get on board with the twenty first century. 

I have already started to incorporate mobile learning into my classes (at this point it is limited to my after school English club because it is not during "official" school hours. From what I've seen, it can be successful. Like anything, you need to set some guiding principals and guidelines. I asked myself the following:

• Can I trust my students to behave? Yes, my after school students are good students and they know I treat them respectfully. They are usually pretty respectful most of the time!
• Start small. I struggle with this! I always think I need to have some grandiose lesson; but that defeats the purpose. If the lesson is too big or involves too many things and ideas; then it becomes off putting and students will lose focus. 
• Are the apps or lessons that I am teaching relevant? I want to teach students about things that affect their lives or teach them things that can relate to. Sometimes I just need to shrink and personalize "the bigger picture." This is a lesson that I recently taught using smart phones as the lesson companion device. 

(Title slide in my lesson)

(can you find the mistake?)

I will discuss a successful activity that I recently did with my English After School Club.It involved the use of students using their mobiles phone's camera device, rather than a particular app. The lesson is called "Konglish" (a fusion of Korean and English), it's about how English words in Korean have a completely different meaning in Korea. It is almost identical to Daniel Roggenkamp's "Snippet" lesson. In this lesson, I had my students take pictures of Konglish and/or incorrect English usage/spelling signs that they found around town. The students had fun with the lesson; they reported back and presented many examples of incorrect English and how it could be corrected. They also said they didn't realize how prevalent the signage is everywhere. We all had a good laugh. My students are intermediate level speakers and they recognized many of the errors right away!  I obtained permission for my students to use their mobile phones in class to show the class the pictures that they took. This lesson was a fun way to incorporate mobile device usage for an ESL lesson.  My students were responsible with their mobile phones in class, nobody was using them to play games (which was my worry). Proud teacher moment! I will definitely try and incorporate more mobile learning lessons into my curriculum. 

Resources

Gutierrez, K (2016, December 1). Mobile Learning Stats Will Make You Rethink Your Teaching Strategy. Retrieved April 24, 2017 from 

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/331987/mobile-learning-stats-that-will-make-you-rethink-your-training-strategy

Roggenkamp, D (n.d). TEACH-NOW platform. Gathering Authentic Language Snippets with Mobile Devices. Retrieved April 24, 2017 from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_4BhgdIQcnXV21FdUxlTGxRb2M/view

Think with Google. (2016, October). How People Use Their Devices. Retrieved April 24, 2017 from: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/device-use-marketer-tips.html