Integrating mobile devices into language learning to meet the 21st century educational challenges

This paper focuses on the value added by digital and mobile learning tothe development of language competences and to the teaching/learning ofsubject content in a foreign language through CLIL methodology (Contentand Language Integrated Learning).The European Commission recommends CLIL as one of the mostinnovative strategies for the modernization of our education and trainingsystem. It has been successfully experimented in most European countries(Eurydice, 2012).This paper makes reference to a report recently published by theEuropean Commission (2014a), that focuses on the link between CLIL,CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and MALL (Mobile AssistedLanguage Learning).A brief literature review cites research in the field of digital and mobilelearning and considers some different theoretical models and acronymswith the aim of outlining the potential of technologies in improvingstudents’ learning outcomes and the challenges that technologically-basedteaching pose for teachers. As an example of good practice, a European project called CreativeClassroom Labs, on behalf of European Schoolnet (http://www.eun.org),is noted and described. The project, carried out in an Italian school,piloting the project, makes a significant contribution to the use of tabletsin schools and discusses how tablets can support new learning approachesand scenarios, such as content creation, collaborative learning,personalized learning and flipped classrooms, integrating content,language, digital and socio-collaborative dimensions.