Breaking Physical Barriers With Mobile Technologies

Abstract

Considering the growing popularity of mobile technologies and therefore social media tools, the idea of this study is not to promote or romanticise a social media tool but to explore the potential of social media for educational use by presenting a specific example. The study also aims to bring a deeper understanding of how mobile applications could be used to foster language education and consider their possible potential in education. Unlike the common trend investigating English vocabulary in the field, this study does not expose students to word lists but attempts to support the curriculum that students have to follow in their formal education. In this context, this chapter suggests an example of going beyond the physical constraint of language classroom by providing learners informal opportunities to practise English outside school in various contexts by using one of the most popular tools, namely WhatsApp.