Language learning on the move: a review of mobile blogging tasks and their potential

In this chapter, we examine how mobile blogging can be used for language learning and propose a definition of mobile blogging activities as those “which use the mobility of the learner and the availability of a mobile device as the basis for the design of the task.” We acknowledge that technological advances have made most blogging activities accessible from mobile devices, and for this reason, include a review of the literature on blogging for language learning as well as some theoretical considerations that are common to blog and mobile blog task design. We highlight a number of issues that have emerged in the implementation of this kind of task, among others, the renegotiation of the roles of teachers and learners, the need for extensive training and support, and the personal and cultural factors that may influence the success of these tasks. We conclude with a reminder that tasks need to be well integrated with programs of learning and that the quality of the learner's learning experience needs to be further investigated