Crowd-Sourcing with the Lingobee App: A Study in Facilitating Pollination across Language and Culture in Self-Directed Learning

Many practitioners are currently involved in the exploration of the added value of using M-Learning in language acquisition both inside and outside of the formal classroom. The EU-funded SIMOLA consortium, a Lifelong Learning initiative, has developed the LingoBee app from the seeded JISC-funded project Cloudbank in response to both the perceived need and desire for a learner-centered, crowd-sourced repository of language and cultural items which learners are exposed to in-situ, and also for more trials in the context of informal learning as commented on by Frohberg (2006) and Wright and Parchoma (2011). The functionality of the app has been designed around Web 2.0 features. Current field trials are examining the use of the app in both formal and informal settings. Data are being collected through both quantitative and qualitative methods with reference to perceptions of M-Learning, effects on learners and teachers, and a linguistic analysis of language items captured during the field trials. One of the key aims of the project is to explore whether LingoBee makes a demonstrable difference to learners’ awareness and understanding of both the target language and culture.