Using smartphone texting applications to help students Contents introduction

2.2.Devoloping an Android- Based mobile application Civic education Learning.

Technology is transforming the way we communicate, socialize, play, shop and conduct business. Besides, the social networking revolution makes the world a small village and gives people opportunities to be independent learners rather than receiving knowledge merely from teachers in a traditional manner. These recent, profound changes place pressure on the traditional models of language learning and teaching, such as teaching in a formal classroom setting. They also present us with challenges to re-design the way we teach and learn English. One new facet of our life today is the wide spread use of mobile phones. This widespread use of mobile phones makes it necessary for educationists to find means of utilizing this new trend in teaching. TEFL can benefit from this technology in a number of ways especially that the use of mobile phones can extend far beyond the classroom where it is more convenient to the student allowing for more freedom and time. In addition, the students' easy access to the Internet through their phones enables them to make use of learning resources which had not been within reach in the past.Learning English has always been of greater importance to the learners in Kazakhstan. Especially the secondary level students engage themselves emphatically in achieving the four skills of English which is very imperative in ensuring better career and prospects of higher study abroad for them. Lately, the trend of learning English has gained momentum because of the widespread use of technological devices adorned with language facilitating applications and software. The school learners are making the best use of the smart phones which are beautified with charismatic characteristics that allow the users to enjoy myriad advantages mostly relating to learning English. The total number of cell phone users in Kazakhstan reached 25.24 millionin 2011 ^[1]. Majority of this aggregating number consists of the smart phone users of which the lion’s share is the school students who are very apt in applying technology in learning no matter wherever they are.Mobile learning, or m-learning, has recently emerged as a new type of learning model which allows learners to obtain learning materials anywhere and anytime, which can be defined as the use of mobile or wireless devices for educational purpose while on the move ^[2]. Using mobile technologies and the Internet ^[3] learners become more involved in learning process. Given that mobile learning refers to a set of technological devices, including smartphones, MP3 players and hand-held computers, learners get a huge benefit from these devices in language learning. Moreover, for some, such learning can be regarded as the facilitator of learning, and easily access to educational materials for students using mobile devices via a wireless medium ^[4]. That is, it is an education model that emerged with the development of mobile technologies. It is admitted that face-to-face teaching in some certain situations is quite limited for many learners and they need more time and opportunities to interact and be exposed to the target language. In order to compensate this gap and supplement the EFL face-to-face class, mobile learning or e-learning might be used. Besides, using real world resources for teaching and learning in the classroom can make education more meaningful and relevant to our students. The academicians have always been putting their utmost efforts to liberate learning from the constraints of time and place. And, the liberation of learning from the constraints of time and place can be better facilitated mostly through ‘Mobile Learning’. In this regard, Prithivi Shrestha presents that mobile phones can be comprehensively applied and utilized in English Language Teaching ^. In addition, Ramiza Darmi and Peter Albion reviewed previous studies about the use of mobile phones in language learning contexts ^[7]. They assert that the integration of mobile phones in second language teaching is acceptable to learners and has a significant role in improving language skills and related language areas. All abovementioned facts show the topicality of the given research.When, in 1973, the mobile devices were invented for the first time, no one ever thought some day they would become an important part of routine life. As soon as the mobile phones became a crucial part of our lives, their felt a need for using them in language learning tasks.These days mobile devices such as PDAs, phones, and other handheld devices, are used everywhere for doing everything ranging from voice calling to making short message, video chat, listening to audio (Mp3, Mp4, Mpeg), web surfing, shopping, and the like. Apart from these benefits, mobile devices have increasingly grown toward becoming tools for education and language learning, and all its users from teachers or students are getting used to this environment to make education as ubiquitous as possible. Moreover, the emerging of internet made open and distance learning a means of receiving education from all parts of the world. In a short period, the attractiveness of distance learning led to the realization that various mobile devices provide a very effective resource for education. This way, many researchers tried to make mobile devices a rich resource for teaching and learning. MALL deals with the use of mobile technology in language learning. Students do not always have to study a second language in a classroom. They may have the opportunity to learn it using mobile devices when they desire and where they are. As learning English is considered a main factor for professional success and a criterion for being educated in many communities, providing more convenient environment for people to learn English is one of the strategic educational goals towards improving the students' achievement and supporting differentiation of learning needs.

In this technological era, everyone has their own handheld mobile devices. Using these devices, with easy access to the Internet, they interact with people from anywhere in the world. Irrespective of time and place people chat or exchange information with each other. The very term “mobile” stands for the “mobility” or the ability to move freely and easily from one place to another. Mobile learning refers to the implementation of mobile devices in any branch of study. The features of mobile technology such as the portability and information accessibility play a major role in the enhancement of English language teaching and learning.The main characteristic of M-Learning can be the discretion of the learner. It lies in the hands of the learner to decide upon the place and time for language learning. The outbreak of mobile learning makes it harder for anyone to arrive at a stable concept because of the availability of new mobile devices in the market .Generally, mobile learning can be defined as mobility of the personal, portable and wireless devices such as the Smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), iPod, palmtop, laptops used in language learning. Mobile learning can be divided into:

“Mobility of technology”

“Mobility of learner”

“Mobility of learning”

The Mobility of technology refers to mobile devices with Wi-Fi capacities and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) that deliver information and learning materials through the internet. With portable and personal mobile devices, learners could be engaged in more flexible, accessible and personalized learning practices without constraint on places. Mobile learning enhances the mobility of learning process without time constraint^[10].Mobile language learning is a field that is quickly maturing, and to this end, a growing body of research has appeared that highlights the various ways in which mobile devices may be used in the teaching and learning of languages. Research has for the most part shed a very positive light on the potential of the role that mobile devices may play. At the same time, however, there has also been indication of several areas that certainly deserve consideration in their implementation.The main features of mobile learning are accessibility, immediacy, interactivity and situating of instructional activities ^[11]. Accessibility refers to the extent to which every learner owes the mobile. These days almost most of the learners are having the technology regardless of the place they are living. In addition, as the technology is available in most places, except remote areas, learners can be connected and extended their opportunity to learn immediately. It is also possible to the learners to communicate each other around or with their colleagues and professionals in distant areas through the mobile which has different applications. Classroom instructions are expected to be contextual. Thus, mobile learning creates prospects to contextual leaning which the connection provides.Mobile based language learning has its own advantages and limitations. There is a tendency in implementing mobile solutions, both broadly and locally, to sometimes uncritically focus on technology merits. Among the merits for technology in language learning that are particularly relevant to mobile environments are access, authenticity, and situated learning. However, these affordances are accompanied by challenges and limitations. For example, while mobile learning allows anytime/anywhere access, the learning experience on mobile devices may be degraded by a number of factors such as limited screen size and the often distracting environments in which they are used.Thus, mobile activities, tasks, and applications should distinguish both the merits and limitations of the mobile device, and the merits and limitations of the environment in which the device will be used in light of the learning target. Crucially, if the fundamental goal is language learning, then these affordances and limitations should be directly connected in a principled way to second language learning research and theory.There are a number of resources and tools on the Internet that may offer invaluable contributions to the learning process of language learners. All of the language skills including main and sub-ones can be fostered through effective use of these resources and tools. These rich opportunities are mostly accessible through both computers and mobile devices. At this point, the above-listed advantages and disadvantages of these two should be looked at. If a tool or website will be utilized on the bus to school, a mobile device like a tablet or smartphone appears to be more practical. Likewise, if an unknown lexical item is the case in the classroom, dictionary apps on smartphones can be quickly looked up. MALL turns out to be cut out for such scenarios. Nevertheless, if school offers computer laboratories for students or learner wants to further study on English independently at home, CALL appears more preferable. It is apparent that CALL is more advantageous for certain purposes while MALL is more practical for other purposes. Accordingly, learners should make use of the opportunities offered by both eclectically.Technology should not be deemed as “a magic bullet to solve educational problems, but rather as a powerful tool that can have both positive and negative impact, and that must be carefully exploited” ^[14]. At this point, the important role of the language teacher becomes noteworthy. Opportunities offered by technology should be carefully handled and the use of CALL or MALL should be carefully guided by language teachers so that the learning process attains the educational goals.Among all modern communication devices, mobile phones are the most powerful communication medium even richer than email or chat as it can act as a learning device despite its technical limitations. With such a learning device the learner controls the learning process and progress in his/her own space based on his/her cognitive state.Learning through the computer or e-learning enables the learners to learn in a non-classroom environment when they are at home in front of their personal computers online or offline. However, learning through the mobile phone or m-learning provides the learners with the opportunity to learn when they are in the bus, outside or at work doing their part-time jobs. In fact, they can learn every time and everywhere they are. Two main characteristics of mobile devices are portability and connectivity. As for connectivity, designing the mobile system must have capability of being connected and communicated with the learning website using the wireless network of the device to access learning material ubiquitously including short message service (SMS) and mobile e-mail. Portability enables learners to move mobile devices and bring learning materials.