Mobigam: Mobile Technology for Language Learning Group Discussion: My Views 11/22/2013

I’m very glad and excited  to take part in Project Mobigam Group Discussion. I'm pleased to share my views regarding my mobile phone usage.  

Question 1. The first question invites you to reflect on your own mobile use. In the paper we state that in Gujarat ‘Mobile phone usage is also high. There were 25 million phones in use in 2008 reaching 40 million in 2012. This means there are 85 mobile phones for every one hundred people.’ What about your own mobile phone use? Who do you talk to (or text) on your mobile device? About what? Are these interactions with the same people as in your face-to-face or more established networks?

Answer 1:

• I’m lucky enough to have an android smart phone. It supports all the SNS apps which I use, such as fb, twitter, whatsapp, wechat, line, g+,bbm, and in. ( I am using myspace no more.)
• I use my cell phone to listen to podcast and believe me guys podcasting does help in language learning. bbclearningenglish.com is my favourite website. They offer .mp3 pods alongwith .pdf transcripts. Beauty! Adobe reader is a nice app for .pdf reading. Thanks to Callum Robertson and #BBC Learning English Team for the service they offer. 
  
  • Language learning apps are awesomely cool over android.
• When I was a kid, I used to play lots of games on my pc. I do play games on my cell if it’s of my kind or else, I download a game try it for a while and nah, uninstall it. 
• I text to respond mostly; to my teachers, to my family, to friends, and to students. If it’s real time urgency then I call ASAP. What’s it regarding? Conversational messages. Such as..
• To family: Mommy pls go home. Got d bus. On d way. Will go hm after 30 mins.
• To friends: Hey whats up! R U home? Wanna meet. I’m not on hike 4 a while.
• To teachers: Sir, caution money is credited into my SBI account. Thanks
• I believe in power of networking. Ice-breaking is not a mammoth to conquer!  Therefore I try to maintain relations and initiate to establish more networks.

My Cellular Hamartia:

My cell was damaged twice due to heavy rain in Gujarat in the month of August 2013!!!! In the month of Oct 2013 my cell was dropped and the display got corrupt so I was living a hellish cell less life during those days. & felt alienated. And I’m sorry for not responding to those who called me or sent a text to me and I couldn’t respond, made a wall post on my fb though, but those were the natural calamities and it certainly was my cellular hamartia!

Question 2. To follow on from the first phase of the Mobigam research we are planning a project which will ask: How do mobile communicative practices disturb, interrupt and otherwise challenge established patterns of inequality amongst marginalised groups? Focusing on the state of Gujarat, we address the issue of the role of mobile and networked digital technology in enhancing people’s capacity to aspire, and to counter marginalisation, through the development of voice. The second question in the Mobigam discussion invites you to comment on the next steps in our research. What is the relevance of this question to you and groups in Gujarat which you are aware of? You will find a list of our potential case study groups in the paper. Do you have any comments about these groups as a focus for our work? Are there any others that you think we could work with?

 

Answer 2:

The question is very relevant and mobile phone technology brings equality. We live in the age of having our own voice. The beauty of mobile phone technology is the platform is same for all. There are not differences. Everyone is equal. Mobile phone use is like wild fire. Likes attract like, similarly it’s like people helping people even in remote places. And the learning and teaching process becomes informally very interesting. People are becoming aware regarding mobile phone use in rural areas of Gujarat. How to use it? How internet can be accessed with the help of a mobile phone? How to use fb on a cell phone? Therefore a mobile phone is not a mere device to attend calls and for texting only but it gives people their voice in society. The real constraint is mobile phone pricing and data connection charges. 3g connection speed on mobile is good but the connection charges are even better! Mobile phone technology is changing rapidly and the cellphone prizing is too much if you intend to buy an android beast. Cheaper devices have grave yard kind of loop holes such as ‘cell battery drains out quickly’ problem. ‘Weak display’, ‘Poor ram’, ‘pathetic processor’, ‘Charging a cell takes around 4 to 5 hours a day!’ In this situation person having a mobile phone becomes immobile! In Gujarat network connectivity is a problem in the rural areas when people do not have 3g smart phones at that time they lose network. Such as Calls drop. I'll be very happy to provide potential case studies in these field of work. Many thanks.

Reference: Please click here to know more about Project Mobigam. Thanks for your precious time.