Learning language on a mobile phone - Calldysc

By definition, dyslexics struggle in the first language, and learning a second is, at best, problematic. Analysing and synthesising new sound, learning vocabulary, and the new grammar and syntax are just some of the areas of difficulty. Calldysc is an EU funded project that brings together partners in the UK, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Sweden and Romania to investigate the potential to use mobile phone to help dyslexic individuals learn English. By providing motivational technology, along with games that are designed with them in mind, it has been possible to demonstrate the possibility to make progress in an area previously known to be difficult for dyslexic individuals. Activities include learning around 150 words of basic vocabulary in ten categories, building adjective-noun combinations, Web 2 social network type activities and learner-developed sentence building games. The games are designed to be played on any Flash-enabled phone as well as the computer, including the very mobile Flash-enabled Linux netbooks. The project does not claim to teach English, but it does show that a combination of motivational technology and structured, sequential, multisensory games can lead to second language learning often well beyond expectations. If you would like to try these games yourself, please send an email to ian.smythe@ukonline.co.uk

Calldysc

Keywords: Calldysc, mobile, language learning