MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning) and Nearpod

MALL - What is it?

A mix of formal and informal learning, in and outside the classroom, across different devices (mobile phones, tablets, laptops, notebooks) in different settings. Such devices are used less prevalently in the classroom as they're predominately used outside the classroom. Although a definition helps to conceptualise the concept, there is no overarching, universal meaning. Why? It reflects the fact that mobile technology is forever changing and evolving therefore there isn't an agreed definition of the term. An example of this is...

Nearpod!

This is a basic, introductory tutorial on how to set it up as a teacher, which also shows the students' perspective:

Why use it?

• Increased classroom interaction, engagement, and participation.
• Easy to create and deliver customised content, or find ready-made lessons in their extensive back catalogue of materials (Explore Lessons).
• It's a good way for a teacher to manage and control a class full of Ipads.
• Real time data collection.
• Good for both deductive and inductive learning.
• Choice between live session (real time) or homework (where students can go at their own pace).
• The participation log lets the teacher know who is contributing, and who's shirking.
• Archive answers as a PDF file which could be sent to students later on for consolidation.
• Learner's don't realise they're learning half the time, they're just performing tasks, which promotes incidental learning.
• No restrictions or learning curve - it's a very dynamic and fluid tool.
• A limitless resource with so much potential for learner autonomy.
• Good for all levels and ages - but the teacher should grade it appropriately.
• Tasks include quizzes, match ups, gap fills (drag and drop), and video analysis (from youtube)
• It's free!

Limitations?

• Reliant on decent devices and durable internet connection for optimum use.
• Once the teacher shares something to the class (a correct answer maybe), the other students can no longer respond. The only way around this is for the teacher to go back and it resets itself accordingly, so it can be somewhat fiddly.
• Issue of teacher constriction - students content is controlled and they're locked into the app therefore ultimately they lack autonomy and have minimal freedom, however this will atleast keep them focused on the task at hand.

The beast in action!

Sign in, click on 'explore lessons,' pick a suitable lesson for your learners, go to 'my library' (as seen below):

Once you pick the lesson you want for that day, you can assign it as 'homework' but this is a premium feature. However, 'live session' is free and once you click on that a PIN code will appear...share this with your students and get them to join the session.

Once shared, this will then take you to the start of the activity where you can scroll through between the slides:

This really is a fantastic tool. It could be deemed quite similar to TodaysMeet but  it's possibly more advanced and technical. Yet, like any ICT tool there needs to be sufficient training, plenty of guidance at hand, and lots of patience. So what do you like/dislike about Nearpod?