Exciting ways to use Mobile phones in the MFL classroom and beyond

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Session 3- Exciting ways to use Mobile phones in
the MFL classroom and beyond
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Using mobile phones
Objectives for this session 1) to discuss some
possible uses of mobile phones 2) to have an
opportunity to explore your own phone and record
some information 3) to discuss the benefits of
ipod usage 4) to learn how to create a mobile
slideshow 5) to discuss ideas for homeworks using
mobile phones 6) to debate validity of using
mobiles as a learning tool
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Using mobile phones

• Issues
• Banned in many schools
• Risks of inappropriate behaviour
• Fear of pupil intercompetition
• Concern of pupils not having a phone

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Using mobile phones

• However, there are huge benefits...
• Enjoyment and motivation- MFL becomes cool again
• Speaking the pupils language whilst teaching
  them ours
• Increasing range of services available via WAP
• e.g. YouTube, www.mobilephrasebooks.com
• Allows learning to be extended well beyond
  classroom and lesson time

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Using mobile phones
Lasting motivation is about students feeling a
genuine emotional investment in the activities
they undertake. This will come about through a
learning process that centres around rich, real
experience with relevance in the wider
world. Connected magazine, Learning and teaching
Scotland
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Using mobile phones
If pupils can take their driving test theory exam
on their mobile, why can we not teach them to use
them responsibly? Me, today
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Using mobile phones

• Useful tools available on most mobile phones...
• Voice recorder
• Camera
• Video camera
• Stop-watch
• Bluetooth
• Ability to play-back videos and music

How much would it cost a department to have
enough of these to share between 2?
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• Ideas for video projects using mobiles...
• Describing school as go round it
• Describing local area
• Guide to saving the environment
• Following and giving directions
• Describing friends
• Recording grammar explanations during the lesson

Using mobile phones
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Issue how to get the recordings back to the
teacher Options- 1) bluetooth them to a
computer 2) bluetooth them to teachers
phone 3) other options?
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For example, directions - in pairs, pupils
decide which room they will give directions
to -write script - walk around the building and
record the directions - swap phones / bluetooth
to each other and follow the instructions - find
out whether they followed instructions
appropriately FOR EXAMPLE
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House and home - pupils build up to estate-agent
style description of their house - free choice
of recording manners - mobile phone - voice
recording - video on camera
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• Other ideas...
• record an interview / dialogue at home
• leaving answer phone messages through Gabcast
• record grammar explanations during your lessons.
  
• They can then make the worksheet as homework,
  based on your advice.

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• Key extending learning beyond the classroom
• - more and more we will also need to think about
  how to capitalise on the power of ipods
• quizzes produced using www.iquizmaker.com
• videos converted using www.zamzar.com
• podcasts
• mobile slideshows / role-play raps

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• How to make a mobile slideshow
• Change PowerPoint page setup to Portrait
• Zoom out to 25 and ensure that text is legible
• Save as file type .jpeg will put it into
  separate file
• Run the images through Photo Story 3
• - including adding a voice-over as required
• 5. Save as for portable media devices
• 6. Using www.zamzar.com convert to .mp4 file

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Using mobile phones
Moblogging - the ability to update a blog from
distance e.g. During a trip - no need to wait a
week to get back to the classroom www.shozu.com
allows you to send materials to the blog from
mobiles www.gabcast.com an answerphone with a
national number, avoiding expensive phone calls.
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there is no road
Using mobile phones
we make the road by walking
Antonio Machado