Week 7: Learner Autonomy and Mobile Devices

Hello everybody,

Obviously, autonomous learning is a crucial component of modern world of education. The education system in Kyrgyzstan has changed a lot joining Bologna Process. According to this system the students have to work a lot individually. For instance we used to meet five days per week with the students of International Relations Department. Now it is only once. Sounds unbelievable. Both students and instructors are not ready for this change. So autonomous learning is a way to adjust to this change more smoothly. It allows students to see their learning from a different, more active perspective and take control over their own learning. The world develops very rapidly and in order to keep track we have to think about the necessity of autonomous learning again and again.

I cannot miss in my blog an article by Hayo Reinders ‘Twenty ideas for using mobile phones in the language classroom’. I would like to expand the title and say ‘in education process’. Most of my students here in Kyrgyzstan are the slaves of their gadgets and we have to make advantage of it. I liked all ideas but choose some which would work for my students. They are: use the note to collect everyday language; use text massaging; use phones for “phlogging”; use phones to distribute listening/readng material; use phones to check student comprehension and get feedback.

Finally, the tool of the week PADLET. Lots of heavy applause! The wall could become a course-going tool to post links and video, pictures to describe. I would use it to see how active my students are and what they actually use to study language.

That’s  it. Waiting for one more interesting week!

Hugs,

Marina,

Kyrgyzstan