*Feruz Akobirov (PhD) & Nargiza Vokhidova
Abstract
We live in the era of the modern technology and day by day new types of technologies emerge. One of the widely discussed technologies is Mobile learning or M-learning. This article discusses the importance of the M-learning in teaching and learning English language. It particularly focuses on mobile messaging application “Telegram”, created by Durov brothers and which is being used in many parts of the world, especially in Asia. This informative article gives an overview of the application, its positive effects and its use among the students of Tourism Department of Bukhara State University in Uzbekistan to learn English better. The article uses recent research works of some scholars about the advantages of the Telegram application. Their studies show that using social media networks in teaching language features could be very effective and promising.
Introduction
What is Mobile learning? Why do we need it? Is it important for the classroom? These are the questions that we are having for last couple of years. We see some students wandering inside the Telegram, trying successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully upload their video, audio and pictures of their notebook through Telegram mobile application. Telegram is a mobile application launched in 2013 by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, the founders of Russia’s largest social network VKontakte. It is a messenger app allowing the users to exchange messages, upload audio and video materials. It has a speed of WhatsApp and advanced new security measures. Some teachers enjoy receiving assignments and other classroom related tasks through the app, but some argue that not all the students submit their assignments and that the students have to be reminded over and over again. The latter type of the teachers is rare and will be the main point of our next article, but in this article, we are going to show positive sides of the mobile learning and especially the ‘Telegram’ app.
M-learning
According to Wikipedia, M-learning or mobile learning is “learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices.” A form of distance education, m-learners use mobile device educational technology at their time convenience. M-learning technologies include handheld computers, MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones and tablets. M-learning focuses on the mobility of the learner, interacting with portable technologies (Trentin G. & Repetto M., 2013). Using mobile tools for creating learning aids and materials becomes an important part of informal learning. Other scholars define mobile learning as following: Two of the scholars and users of the ‘Telegram’ app for their lessons Iksan & Saufian (2017) bring about various authors’ ideas on mobile learning, such as of Nawi, Hamzah, & Rahim (2015) when the researchers state that mobile learning is a learning platform and it uses mobile communication devices such as mobile phones, iPad, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and tablets. Similarly, Sharples, Taylor, & Vavoula, (2007) admit that m-learning is a tool that can be accessed anytime and anywhere and has the potential to be utilized as a teaching tool and a learning platform, especially when the students are from different geographical background and it fosters collaborative learning. On the other hand, Abas, Peng, & Mansor, (2009) posit that learning through this method can also be an alternative for face-to-face lecture and last but not the least, Ally (2009) in her research study quoted Aliff, Isa and Arif (2015) when the researchers stated that “mobile learning is one of the developments of teaching and learning which offers teachers and students to be more flexible and mobile as well as to create a spontaneous, informal, and privacy without ignoring the context of learning”.
The ideas of Aliff, Mhd Isa and Azwin is very innovative, because they are stating that the application itself is making the students ‘mobile’, thus mobile apps make students mobile too, because the apps are available as long as the students have access to internet.
Literature review
Iksan & Saufian (2017) conducted a study on Telegram app. According to the authors the aim of this study was to find out how Telegrams could be used in teaching and learning process. Their study involved a case study approach, where 31 students were the participants in the postgraduate courses “Science Education and Human Development”. The data were collected by Telegram discussion. Their study found that several techniques can be carried out using Telegram: attendance, one way discussions, technique 1-2-3 discussion, pictures, drawing, and audio. Students responded that the teaching and learning using Telegram allow them to gain new experience, be more creative, generate spontaneous ideas, provide authentic ideas without the risk of being humiliated and encourage them to be excited as well as passionate with their learning. Their study implied that the latest innovation could solve the teaching according to the problems faced by teachers.
Similarly, Alkhezzi & Al-Dousari (2016) explored the impact of using mobile phone applications, namely Telegram Messenger, on teaching and learning English in an ESP context. The main objective was to test whether using mobile phone applications had an impact on ESP learners’ performance by mainly investigating the influence such as teaching technique could have on learning vocabulary, and how this could affect the learner’s’ ability to use grammar correctly and whether their writing skill was improved. The results of their work showed that using mobile phone applications to teach a foreign language skill is fruitful and did impact learners’ comprehension of vocabulary and grammatical rules. The results specifically indicated that mobile phones could be used to teach and learn technical and semi-technical vocabulary easily outside the classroom, but they also added that, however, to teach grammatical rules and writing it was recommended that other strategies be used due to certain limitations.
Similarly, Xodabande (2017) in his research examined the effectiveness of using social media network Telegram in teaching English language pronunciation to Iranian EFL learners. Participants of this study included 30 Iranian EFL learners (in two experimental (N = 14) and control (N = 16) groups) who received different treatments over the four weeks. The results of pre-test and post-test revealed that the pronunciation of participants in experimental group improved significantly compared to control group but they found no significant improvement in pronunciation of participants in experimental group from post-test to delayed test which was administered four weeks later. The study shows that using social media networks in teaching language features could be very effective and promising.
‘Telegram’ application
Iksan & Saufian (2017) probably give the best definition to the telegram when they state that “Telegram is not just easy to be handled but it can also give users the option to access it through any types of communication devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers.” They further continue that unlike other application such as WhatsApp, the members of the Telegram application can serve as administrators and they can also add other members to their group. Also, Telegram is available through the desktop computers which makes it more flexible for those users who want to see larger display, rather than a smartphone. Another good quality of the Telegram is its user friendliness and simplicity. Here we recall Don Norman’s words in his book “The Design of Everyday Things”, where he states that whatever you create must be easy to use. The creators of software, cars, building, phones, tea-pots must make sure that the users have no difficulty in operating their product. We can say that Telegram is one of those user-friendly mobile phone applications that is very easy to be handled by the users.
Use of Telegram at Bukhara State University
Prior analyzing the use of the Telegram app at Bukhara State University (BSU), let’s give a brief information about the university itself. According to UniRank, “Established in 1930, Buxoro Davlat Universiteti (Bukhara State University) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the small city of Bukhara (population range of 250,000-499,999 inhabitants). Officially accredited by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education, Uzbekistan, Bukhara State University is a medium-sized (uniRank enrollment range: 6,000-6,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. BSU offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as Bachelor’s degrees, master degrees in several areas of study (UniRank, 2017).
The students of BSU enjoy using Telegram on a daily basis. We will not be generalizing the use of this app throughout the University, but rather give some examples on how the students of ‘Tourism’ Department use Telegram in improving their English language. The students of Tourism Department are keen to master their English by any means. They are actively engaged in face-to-face and online communications to improve all four skills of their English. One of the means of developing their listening, writing and speaking skills is the use of Telegram app. The students create groups in Telegram and actively engage themselves in writing messages, posting video and audio materials in English language. One of the simplicities of the Telegram, as we have mentioned earlier, is that any member of a group can invite other people to join the group. The English instructors from the Interfaculty Foreign Languages Department encourage every group they teach to create a Telegram group after the first lesson, because all the assignments, discussion threads, class notifications are distributed through this app. After groups are formed, the instructors check if everyone has been registered in the group. Starting from the second or third lesson the instructors post notifications starting from simple ones, such as “We will be having a short quiz next class. The quiz won’t affect your grades, but rather evaluate your understanding about the topic that we covered in the previous class”. The instructors encourage their students to type only in the English and the students who do not comply with the rule will have lower scores in their midterm as well as final exams. Some of the instructors at the Department of Tourism encourage their students to post every day, so that all the students are on the same page.
The group forming process is quite challenging, because the instructors must always be alert and make sure every student is in and making contribution to the group discussion. So, how does the group look like? Below are some examples from the group page:
Fig.1 Group Discussion
Fig. 2 Two people discussions
Fig. 3 Uploaded video
From the above three examples, we can see that in the first picture, there is a group discussion of the word “Bandwagon”. Students are active and bring their own point of view about the meaning of the word. In the second picture, the instructor has asked the student the meaning of the words “Veneration, Cogitate, Fortes, Aptitude and Attainment” and the student is giving his understanding of the words. The third picture is the example of video uploading. The instructors encourage the students to watch the video and prepare for the discussion. At the lesson, the students and the instructors go over the video and conduct “question and answer” session. Besides, ESL teachers at Bukhara State University assign homework and quizzes through this app. For example, one of the ESP instructors assigned her students to prepare a short video of their sister, mother or father cooking traditional food. The students then need to explain the process of cooking.
Such activities not only encouraged our students to master the language, but also involved them in embracing the technology. The twenty first century is the technology century, and the Internet is available in most of the places where people go. Therefore, one can use Internet resources to learn the desired language
Theory of Constructivism
According to the Concept to Classroom (WNET Education), constructivism is basically a theory – based on observation and scientific study – about the way people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.
In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure she understands the students’ preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them. Iksan & Saufian (2017) state
In mobile learning, teachers act as facilitators, while students should be completely involved in the process of teaching and learning. Instructors should begin the learning process by proposing an open question which is followed by the students responding spontaneously and directed. Students will prepare an
argument based on their perspective until it constructs a new knowledge. The whole learning process goes head to head with the theory of constructivism, where students acquire and develop their own knowledge Iksan & Saufian (2017, p.21)
According to the scholars the students will give an argument based on their understanding until it forms in them a new knowledge. In the theory of constructivism, the students acquire and develop their own knowledge, and the learning process is aligned with this theory. In this way, knowledge is not just spread by individuals or teachers (Husin & Abdul Azis, 2004). Constructivist approach also seeks to change passive to active learning environment where students are exposed to the open-ended questions that require them to think at higher levels.
As it has been mentioned above, constructivism is “encouraging students to use active techniques” and this is exactly what we have been trying to do during our English lessons and beyond. We actively engage our students to be constructive and work collaboratively online.
Conclusion
Iksan & Saufian (2017) conclude that using Telegram positively impacted the students when the they recorded an audio on their opinion as a teacher. This gave them some sort of motivation when they shared the values that should be nurtured within them. They felt themselves as educators and understood the role of a teacher. The scholars ensure that probably 100% of the students are usually ready when they come to class, because all of them have Telegram and they all get messages and alerts about the things they must be ready for the next class. Mobile learning encourages students to stay focused, unlike traditional teacher-centered classes where some, if not most of the student were prone to lose their focus. Similarly Bukhara State University students are just learning to use it and finding various ways to not lose the grip of it. Because sometimes the students join several English groups, but communicate only in one of them, thus leaving empty the other group. Students embrace technology, but it is up to us, the ESL isntructors, to show them the right direction and make sure that they actively use all means of technology to improve their English learning skills. The Telegram app gives students confidence, because they know how to send instant messages, upload video and audio materials, share photos and simply engage in one-on-one or group English conversation. We believe, that Telegram will continue to serve Bukhara State University Tourism department students, as well as other students on their way to master the English language.
References
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UniRank, ranking of the Universities. Bukhara State University, retrieved from https://www.4icu.org/reviews/universities-english/11926.html
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(Nargiza Vokhidova is an independent researcher at Uzbekistan State University of World Languages and an ESP teacher at the Interfaculty Department of Foreign Languages at Bukhara State University. She is doing her research on English literature. In 2012, she won a Fulbright FLTA scholarship and had a chance to teach Uzbek Language and culture at Arizona State University. She actively participated in the projects as “Authorship Development project: English for Future professionals”, “Uzbekistan Assessment Specialist Training” and “ESP Curriculum Design”. She is the author of more than 30 articles and one of the co-authors of the textbook “B2Ready”.
Dr. Feruz Akobirov is an English and Educational Technology Instructor, specializing in EFL, ESL and ESP. He has two Bachelor’s Degrees, one in Journalism and the other in English Language. He obtained his Master’s Degree in English Linguistics and has recently received his PhD in Educational Technology and English. Dr. Feruz has 36 articles and 4 books. He was a Fulbright Foreign Language Assistant at Arizona State University during 2007-2008. He is currently working at Bukhara State University, teaching English.)
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