Implementing M-Learning in Saudi English Language Classrooms. Today in our smart devices, we have a huge number of free applications, which are very useful and interesting in leaning a language. 

    One of them is the “EduKitty ABC” application that available free in Apple App Store. EduKitty ABC is designed to help kids who ages from 1to 6 to learn read, write English Alphabets, and spell words and Phonics in a very interesting and useful way. I like this app and I found it very useful in learning English. Recently, I was download for my sister and she is still using it. Because it designed as a game but the main fundamental of the application is to learning English in fun way. A student can use out classroom with their parents to practice who can write English Alphabets and spell words. I can ask my students to a list English Alphabets. In addition, I can ask them to write on the board. I can ask them to doing game puzzle as a groups.

    

    Another one called “Little Fox”. The application is English stories and song. You can download from Google Play, which available free. Little Fox is a library of animated stories and songs for kids who ages from 5 to 13. The application help learner to build English vocabulary. The main goal of application to improve reading and four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).  I can make a discussion about the story. Another way I may ask them to take a quiz, which available in app, then take a screen short for their result and post it in a blog. I can asking my students to work as pair and give me a reflection about a story.

  
     Nowadays, a mobile device became a part of our live. Everyone has own mobile device. Mobile learning is a subset of e-learning, which itself is a subset of education, and has a distinct focus on learning through the use of devices that can be easily carried. There are many advantages to enhance mobile devices in a teaching and learning process. First, it is encouraging students to searching for information they want looking for. In addition, it will be improving students to use critical thinking. Furthermore, it will motivating the students to collaborate with each other’s. On other hands, it is very useful for teachers, because they are a lot of web sites and applications to participate with their students. Teachers can guide a learning process in indirect way, for Example, teacher can create blog, webQuest, and using any useful app. As a result, students can post in blog asking questions and other colleagues answer to them. As well, collaborating and participating with each other to complete a task in webQuest. The students nowadays do not like the traditional way of learning. I think Saudi students need to use Mobile learning to progress our learning process. Because the majority of the students having own mobile device. In addition, they are very intelligent for using these devices. Because this generation are born with this technological revolution. There are a huge of apps, which are available on mobile device. That is very helpful, interesting and easier to use.

    In Saudi Arabia, there is a gap between using mobile technology at home and in school. I divided into two reasons. First, the Saudi schools do not allowing students to bring their devices in the classroom. In addition, schools do not providing mobile devices for the students. Second, many of students they are not using their device for learning. The majority of them they are using their device for entertainment purposes.

    I think we can support our education system by providing a variety of technological applications, which improving learning and teaching process. As a result, Students will be more awareness for how can benefit from their devices to increase their knowledge and understanding. Mobile learning can be easily practice as an individual, pair and group work in English language classroom. For example; students may reading e-books or listening to audiobooks, recording audio/visual content, Posting questions or work products on shared websites, sending files to peers or instructors, or using social networking sites/shared websites to collaborate with others anywhere in the world. However, students can easier dealing with technology revolution anytime and anywhere. Furthermore, students will be center approach in learning process.

    Finally, I hope for our Ministry of Education to benefit from Mobile learning for progressive learning and teaching process in our schools. Mobile learning is becoming very active part of the learning and teaching process.

Reference

    Nowadays, many students and teachers around the word they are using a webQuest site. WebQuest is activities that using internet recourse, which encourage student to use higher order thinking skills to solve a problem. A WebQuest provides a means of supplying to students a topic-oriented hotlist of Web sites as a starting point for gathering information.

    The one advantages of web quest in a forging language is to improve the student language quickly. Because the teacher give a student’s activity, which provide with a structure then students will be participate with others colleagues to complete the task. Moreover, students are using English language in a situation rather than in a class. As a result, students will be able to expand their vocabulary and participate through communicate with others. On other hand, it is help second language because students will be creativity when they are doing a task. Moreover, they will be support to use higher thinking skills. I think wepQuest it is very useful website.

    When I will be a teacher in one day, I will use webQuset to guide my student for best learning techniques. Nowadays, students are very intelligent about a technology especial smart phone, iPad, and laptop. When I use webQuest to asking them to do activity, they are will be more motivation and interesting to do it. However, the learning process will be indirect, so students will be learning a huge number of English language skills. 

Can you watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMHl2riF4oc

http://www.esl-lab.com/

   

  

    Randall's Davis,he's the one who created a website which is called "ESL Cyber Listening Lab".There are several ways to contact with him,by an email address or his account on Facebook,twitter and YouTube.The purpose of this document is to improve listening and speaking skills in order to be a good person in communicative skill. Also by providing some quizzes which make the learners interested .So, the main goal for produced this page is to make people or learners speak fluently and communicate easily with each other in different situations. Randall's is qualified person because his web is meaningful and clear which is good. The author has two ways to make the people contact with him by his an email address or by web form but, he did not mentioning his phone number.

   Randall's he is the one who published and create the document .That means who is the responsible and the editor for the document. He is the author and Webmaster at the same time. He clarified some of his qualification as he got a degree in TESL. Improving accent and rhythm in English was the main goal in this document so, we can say the pages its meet together in great way because the website supported by quizzes, activities and links. That means the information are subtitles with more links. The videos and quizzes make this website more active, which is useful so, its good point to the publisher. The advertisements on the website make the page more interesting to attract people to come back to read the document.

    The web is produced since (1998), and still updating until know on 2014. The page contains many links. The web was updating regularly. In addition, the information it is updating frequently. The links are complement the documents' themes. Likewise, the information in web is presenting cited correctly. Furthermore is organizing very well and we found it easy to get the information that we want to looking for it within clicks. On other hand, the page do not require software in the case, when we want download for example a Media Player. Also, does not obtain for text, frames, or even a suggested browser. Moreover, the web is sit visually appealing and the design suit with the overall purpose. Otherwise, the web available multimedia elements used for a specific purpose. In addition, the web have tow advertisements but they do not distract us. However, the web does not take a long time when we load it. Finally, we like this website because it is very helpful, interesting and easy to use. 

   

 

    Nowadays,the technology became a part of our life. Especially in education. The huge information available in web support teacher and student access to language learning resource. So,when the teachers create web-based activity they are help them and in same time improve student language.

   I think Saudi teachers need to create their own-based language activates. Because it more interact for teacher and student. Sometimes the material do not fit to the level of the student. In addition, the course require more practice. So in these cases,teacher need to create their own digital materials,instead if using the available ones online. In my point of view the web-based language activities is more need for academic level rather than school. Because the academic level require more information, quizzes and reassures. Wherefore,student will be enhance with the use of web-based activity. At the end,when the teacher apply this in learning language ensure the student will be more professional. As well as our learning language will progress.

       Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) Is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element.

Though CALL has developed gradually over the last 30 years, this development can be categorized in terms of three somewhat distinct phases which I will refer to as behavioristic CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL.

           First behavioristic conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and '70s, was based on the then-dominant behaviorist theories of learning. Programs of this phase entailed repetitive language drills and can be referred to as "drill and practice" Drill and practice courseware is based on the model of computer as tutor. 

           Second Communicative CALL was based on the communicative approach to teaching which became prominent in the 1970s and 80s. Proponents of this approach felt that the drill and practice programs of the previous decade did not allow enough authentic communication to be of much value.

 According to Underwood, communicative CALL:

·        Focuses more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves.

·        Teaches grammar implicitly rather than explicitly.

·        Avoids telling students they are wrong and is flexible to a variety of student responses.

·        Will never try to do anything that a book can do just as well.

      Third, Integrative approaches to CALL are based on two important technological developments of the last decade - multimedia computers and the Internet.

•      Multimedia:

 Multimedia technology as it currently exists thus only partially contributes to integrative CALL. Using multimedia may involve an integration of skills (e.g. listening with reading), but it too seldom involves a more important type of integration. 

•     The Internet:

  Computer Mediated Communication allows users to share not only brief messages, but also lengthy (formatted or unformatted) documents - thus facilitating collaborative writing - and also graphics, sounds, and video. They can also use the Web to publish their texts or multimedia materials to share with partner classes or with the general public.

     Finally, These activities are supplemented by a range of other classroom activities, such as in-class discussions and dialogue journals, which assist the students in developing their responses to the stories' plots, themes, and characters - responses which can be further discussed with their email partners in the US

Terms

E-learning

E-learning provides the potential to provide the right information to the right people at the right times and places using the right medium. EX: e learning of YUC.

Online Learning

Is a type of distance learning taking course without attending school.

Blended Learning

Combination between face-to-face and online learning.

M-learning

M-learning technologies include handheld computers, MP3 players, notebook, mobile phone and tables.

Social bookmarking

A way for individual to create link to website or web page that they like and then share those link with others. Ex, twitter.

Plagiarism

The practice taking some one work or idea passing as own work.

Citation

The way you tell your readers that certain material in your work come from another source. 

Netiquette
It is respecting others' privacy and not doing anything online that will annoy or frustrate other people. 

Difference between Internet and the Word Wide Web

The internet is the large contains but the Word Wide Web is a part within the contains. 

   Educational Technology mean to use of technology to facilitate and teaching. Technology has the capability to improve how teachers run their classrooms. Tablets, SMART Boards and the Internet are all tools that can be used to improve the delivery of lessons and provide specific instructional plans based on individual student needs.

Hi. I AM MAHA ABDULLAH

This is my first post in this blog.

God blessing and peace upon Prophet Muhammad.

I ask Allah to give as success in all we do.

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