(1705) MOBILE LEARNING AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL OF E-LEARNING AND A LEVER TO GAIN SKILLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

摘要

The article highlights the benefits and drawbacks of mobile learning as a tool of e-learning and summarizes the experience of teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university. The purpose of the article is to determine the necessity for rational combination of curricular and extracurricular work of students on the basis of Rosetta-Stone information educational platform (e-learning) the use of which correlates with the basic principles of modern methods of blended learning and lifelong education. Introduction: Along with e-learning, the article discusses the method of ‘mobile learning’, that is, the real possibility of using in the learning process of mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices that have become indispensable for young people in different countries. Currently, special applications have been developed for smartphones, in particular, which are recommended for the use in vocational training. Most students actively apply online dictionaries which give the pronunciation and translation of words, explain their meanings in a particular situation. Students can also download electronic versions of textbooks, videos in a foreign language, as they have regular access to the Internet. The growing popularity of mobile learning is evident in the numbers of students expressing an interest in it and willing to use purposefully the full potential of mobile applications for learning foreign languages. However, educational programs generally fail to realize fully students’ ambitions and are slow to adapt to their needs and the speed of technological innovations. The integration of mobile learning into university curriculum is crucial for the advancement of lifelong learning. Methodology: The methodology for analyzing the use of electronic devices is based on the close coordination of students’ classroom and extracurricular activities as well as interactive teaching and a synergy approach to foreign languages learning. The main research tools are the analysis of Rosetta-Stone educational content, its gained benefits and some of the main drawbacks as well as the survey of students' opinion data on mobile learning carried out by direct polling. Results and conclusions: The analysis of Rosetta-Stone content has shown that students can independently create an individual trajectory of learning a foreign language, as an integral part of their university curriculum, select a wide range of tasks on professional, business and everyday topics that are of great significance for their future profession and are of special interest to them. They can also focus on different types of exercises on the recommendation of their teachers, learn several foreign languages simultaneously or master British English, American English and Global English at the same time. As for mobile learning, the data was derived principally from the sociological survey conducted in English at the Financial University in November 2018. The study has shown that the synergy approach makes the process of learning foreign languages more mobile, flexible and career orientated as it allows students to learn foreign languages at any time, in any place, at a rapid, slow or steady pace. Students can take and exchange photos, videos, charts and graphs, various additional materials which encourage them to perform actively their independent work and do research. The application of mobiles and other electronic devices contributes to the improvement of independent work of students and optimization of working time of the teacher. The study has shown an urgent need for an update on the current educational content and methods of teaching.