Mobile blogs in language learning: making themost of informal and situated learningopportunities

The application of mobile technologies to learning has the potential to facilitate the activeparticipation of learners in the creation and delivery of content. Mobile technologies can alsoprovide a powerful connection between a variety of formal and informal learning contexts andcan help to build a community of learners. However these versatile tools present challenges toeducators and learners alike. The paper discusses the pedagogical challenges that result fromthe introduction of mobile technologies in language learning in the context of an intensiveweek of study abroad. We describe and evaluate a pilot project that uses mobile blogging topromote a constructivist, situated and informal learning experience of the foreign languageand culture based on theories of active learning. We aim to encourage interaction and a senseof community among learners outside formal educational environments and in differentlocations as we ask them to engage with the foreign culture by capturing, sharing andreflecting on their experiences for their peers