MOBILE-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (MALL): PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Mobile technologies are explosively spreading in every part the world. Unlimited options of mobile applications (apps) are now available mostly through leading mobile platforms such as Apple (R) (App Store and ITunes), Google (R) (Android). A learner of English, who owns a relatively cheap Smartphone, can download a totally free language app such as a dictionary in seconds. According to recent studies and global reports on the spread of mobile technology, 90% of people on our planet are now covered by mobile network and that by 2011, 85% mobiles shipped worldwide will have an Internet browser on them. Not only that but, it is expected that by 2015 mobile Web browsing will exceed desktop Web browsing. Taking into consideration the fact that generation Y is highly geared towards this evolving new mobile technology, we as educators and language teachers have no choice but to adapt ourselves to adopt mobile learning (m-learning) in our teaching and development of educational materials. Recent research in the area, states we need to re-conceptualize learning for the mobile age Sharples et al. (2005) and to equip educators at individual and institutional levels with appropriate designs (Beethan & Sharpe, 2007) for learning that can cope with and work well for new generations of learners who take the use of sophisticated technology for granted. Failing to do so, will only result in widening the gap between educators' ideas about learning and those of their students (Kukulska-Hulme & Jones, 2011). The challenge for us as educators, however, is how to best utilize this unbelievably fast growing technology within the framework of the well-established methodologies based on current learning theories to avoid offering learning experiences to our learners that are merely technology-driven. Another challenge is also to consider unique learning and teaching solutions and experience for unique educational and cultural contexts and to resolve the threats felt by some educators as well as learners and consequently their resistance to this new mode of learning.