Peculiarities of using mobile technologies for possessing English by future border guard officers

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Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

Department of Foreign Languages

Peculiarities of using mobile technologies for possessing English by future border guard officers

O. Islamova, PhD in Philos., Ass. Professor

N. Nazarenko, PhD in Ped., Ass. Professor

Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine

Annotation

The article provides a theoretical substantiation and analysis of the use of individual mobile devices as a means of intensifying the educational process. It has been determined that mobile technologies in education are based mainly on the use of mobile phones, which, due to constant improvement, can be considered not only as a means of communication, but also as a means of learning.

It has been established that high-quality professional training of future border guard officers requires continuous updating, expanding knowledge of English in the field of activity, which sets new tasks for the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to train qualified personnel, requiring improvement of interpreting and translation skills.

The article considers mobile technologies as a learning tool that helps to significantly diversify the process of learning English by future border guard officers in a higher military institution and has a number of advantages: introducing and processing new material; checking the lexical and grammatical material learned; conducting listening with the help of audio and video materials; compiling dictionaries for the relevant educational material, etc. Moreover, students can access course materials and participate in online classes from anywhere and at any time using their mobile devices.

The article substantiates the practicality and expediency of their use in the process of mastering English by cadets of the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The practical significance of using mobile technologies in the learning of English by future border guard officers is considered, namely, the author's own optional program of the distance learning course “English for Professional Communication of Border Guards”, as well as the applications Learn English Elementary, Wordshake, LinguaLeo, etc.

Keywords: mobile technologies; English language; future border guard officer; cadet; educational process.

Анотація

У статті розглядаються мобільні технології як засіб навчання, що допомагає значно урізноманітнити процес вивчення англійської мови майбутніми офіцерами-прикордонниками у вищому військовому закладі та має низку переваг: введення та опрацювання нового матеріалу; перевірка вивченого лексичного та граматичного матеріалу; проведення аудіювання за допомогою аудіо- та відеоматеріалів; складання словників до відповідного навчального матеріалу тощо. Більш того, здобувачі освіти можуть отримати доступ до матеріалів курсу та брати участь в онлайн-заняттях з будь-якого місця та в будь-який час за допомогою своїх мобільних пристроїв. Обґрунтовується практичність та доцільність їх використання у процесі оволодіння англійською мовою курсантами Національної академії Держприкордонслужби України.

Розглядається практичне значення застосування мобільних технологій у вивченні англійської мови майбутніми офіцера- ми-прикордонниками, а саме власна факультативна програма курсу дистанційного навчання “Англійська для професійного спілкування прикордонників”, а також додатки Learn English Elementary, Wordshake, LinguaLeo тощо.

Ключові слова: мобільні технології; англійська мова; майбутній офіцер-прикордонник; курсант; навчальний процес.

Introduction

Problem statement. With events invading our everyday life one after another (COVID-19, Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukrainian lands), we are increasingly changing and adapting to the challenges of today. This could not but affect the education sector. Modern challenges of the post-industrial society, continuous development of information and communication technologies, progressive transition to the competence-based education paradigm, and the human need for lifelong learning determine the need to use information and communication technologies in the educational system as a whole and in teaching certain academic disciplines, including English.

Information and communication technologies are modern technologies for processing the necessary information using mobile technologies and telecommunications. The introduction and use of ICT in the educational process spontaneously encourages learning activities, stimulates logical thinking and encourages creative development.

Today, learning is unthinkable without the widespread use of mobile technologies: phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, etc. With technological progress, devices receive updated technical capabilities, increase the speed and reliability of data transmission, and the amount of memory to store the necessary information.

Future border guard officers who will be on duty and the first to greet foreign guests at the state borders of Ukraine are now studying English in depth at the Bohdan Khmelnytsky National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. This will allow future officers to work effectively, quickly navigate in a dynamic environment, and improve their professional level for their future careers.

The relevance of the topic of our investigation is due to the fact that high-quality professional training of future border guard officers requires continuous updating, expanding knowledge of English in the field of activity, which sets new tasks for the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky (further - NA SBGSU) to train qualified personnel. Accordingly, the task of improving the quality of training of future border guards, specialists in the field of translation, requires the improvement of interpreting and translation skills, which is important in their professional activities. Therefore, the problem of professional training of future borderguard officers and the formation of their professional competence in English language classes is of particular importance.

Recent research and publications review. Modern national scientific researches on the peculiarities of using mobile technologies in education belongs to the following scholars: scientific works of Viktor Oliynyk, which are devoted to the theoretical and methodological foundations of adult distance education, Volodymyr Kukharenko - theoretical and methodological foundations of distance learning in higher education [1].

According to Gennadiy Shvavych, Doctor of Technical Sciences, in his book Modern Information Technologies: “information and communication technologies are a set of methods, production processes and software and hardware integrated for the purpose of collecting, processing, storing, distributing, displaying and using data in the interests of their users” [2].

The extent of the spread of mobile technologies is evidenced by the consideration of this issue at the UNESCO level. For example, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education's Position Paper states that the everyday use of mobile phones and other devices by students is currently the main driver of the massive spread of mobile learning around the world, with mobile learning being understood as learning based on the use of learning opportunities provided by mobile technologies [3].

А. Kukulska-Hulme [4, p. 74] notes that the basis of mobile learning should consist of 4 parts: the wisdom of the teacher (his/her personal role and experience); features of devices; mobility of students (includes places and times when they can learn, cultural aspects, intrinsic motivation); language development (thanks to a sharp leap in technology, it has become possible to use social networks to learn the language in its current state).

L. Naysmith [5] notes that mobile learning is an activity-based approach; the learning process is based on a behavioral model: stimuli provoke reflexes, which in turn lead to reinforcement; in this approach, stimuli are tasks that are offered to the student, and reflexes are student decisions. The system's feedback reinforces the result.

The use of mobile technologies is suitable for teaching a foreign language (in particular, English), as these technologies provide a high informative capacity of the material, help stimulate the cognitive activity of students, and ensure the continuity of learning. Learning English using mobile devices is an interesting, easily accessible and relatively new way of learning a foreign language that is gaining popularity among many smartphone and tablet users, but is not yet widespread among cadets. English language learning is supposed to be a continuous process, which means that learning through mobile technologies, using gadgets that are always at hand, is a great opportunity to improve the quality and intensity of learning.

That is why the aim of our investigation is to master and use English by future borderguard officers through personal mobile technologies as a means of intensifying the learning process.

Research results

individual mobile english language officer border guard

The rapid pace of technological progress has led to the penetration of information technology into all spheres of our lives, including military education. Today, pedagogy is unthinkable without the use of computer technologies for teaching subjects at different stages in different types of educational institutions [6, p. 99]. One of the most intensively developing areas in this field is mobile learning, which is due to the expansion of the market of mobile devices, their use in work, for financial transactions, shopping, etc. Mobile devices are becoming an integral part of our lives and are being integrated into the educational process. Back in the early 2000s, D. Keegan defined mobile learning as “the harbinger of the learning of the future” [7].

In higher education mobile technologies are based mainly on the use of mobile phones, which, due to their constant improvement, can be considered not only as a means of communication, but also as a means of learning. The functionality of modern mobile phones is truly impressive: a player, a camera, a mobile browser for accessing the Internet, a communicator, an organizer, a voice recorder, etc. We should also not forget about specialized mobile applications that are constantly being created and improved. Another important factor is that the implementation of mobile learning is practically free for educational organizations, since the owners of mobile learning tools are the students themselves. Currently, mobile devices (or mobile computers) are understood as mobile phones, personal media players, and personal electronic assistants in addition to smartphones and wireless tablets [8, p. 295]. Their functions include creating and reading high-quality multimedia files that are stored in the device's internal memory, on external memory cards, or can be accessed via wireless and telecommunication networks. The use of mobile devices for educational purposes has been discussed since their very first appearance.

At the moment, the number of possibilities of modern mobile devices is great, and their didactic potential in learning English can be expanded. Based on the analyzed literature, we can give examples of applications that National academy SBGS teachers can use to achieve various learning objectives in English classes that cadets should achieve.

Mobile technologies have become an integral part of modern life. At the moment, motivation in learning English can be expanded due to the greater capabilities of modern mobile devices and the permission of lectures to use them in class.

According to this type of work in classes, you can diversify learning, while saving time and money for printing. On the one hand, a smartphone can be used in any section of the curriculum, and this has a large number of advantages: the possibility of using and learning anywhere and anytime; all cadets have their own mobile phones; compactness, and therefore take up less space and are more convenient to use compared to laptops or manuals; possibility of instant exchange of information; compliance of the use with the main idea of the Law on Education [9], because its essence is the introduction of new technologies; personalization of learning, the ability to download applications according to the level, topic, learning functions and effective use of learning time in lessons.

Despite the positive aspects of the use of mobile technologies in the educational process, there are also negative ones: there is always a possibility that the cadet will use his device for personal purposes during the lesson; the gadget can be forgotten in the barracks or the battery will have insufficient charge. So that such problems do not arise and do not create discomfort, the process should be organized so that mobile devices become a tool that qualitatively complements the main educational process.

Currently, there are a huge number of educational applications of various profiles for the quality learning of English by future border guard officers: some of them teach only grammar, others only words. Their advantage is that they practice and train some skills in more detail without distracting attention from others. Some of the most popular educational programs are Lingualeo, Duolingo, Memrise, and Busuu [10].

The use of mobile applications in the classroom can significantly increase cadets' interest in learning English. The range of possibilities they provide can be built into the structure of almost every lesson for the following purposes: introducing and processing new material; checking the lexical and grammatical material learned; conducting listening with audio and video materials; compiling dictionaries for the relevant learning material, etc.

We tried to diversify our teaching by using mobile technologies, as we are very interested in this idea. We have had experience using mobile technologies during practical English classes, and we wanted to convey to future border guard officers that it is very convenient and greatly facilitates their work. Based on our own analysis of existing mobile applications, here are the characteristics of some of them that are focused on learning English.

Learn English Elementary is a series of podcasts for English language learners that can be downloaded to mobile phones and practiced on the go. Each episode lasts 20 minutes and is accompanied by questions for listeners.

Wordshake is an interactive game in which you are asked to make as many words as possible from the given letters within a limited time. The longer the word, the more points the learner scores.

LinguaLeo is a program for memorizing words that offers 4 types of training: word-translation, word-translation, word-builder, and listening. The app is integrated with a website where you can learn words, read and listen to texts, and do crossword puzzles. All the words that a student learns on the website become available in the mobile version. This mobile app is available for all devices, so you can practice anytime, anywhere. All training is interactive and based on proven methods. The app makes it easier to master grammar rules, expand vocabulary, and improve reading and listening skills.

Highly qualified English language teachers of the National Academy have developed their own optional distance learning course program “English for Professional Communication of Border Guards”. The aim of this course is to provide students with professional foreign language communicative competence, which involves the development of all types of speech activities. The learning objective is achieved through the implementation of tasks aimed at developing reading, listening, dialogic and monologic skills, as well as the formation of the ability to use the acquired knowledge in the practice of foreign language communication. The objectives of the discipline are to prepare students to use English in their professional activities and in the process of communicating with foreigners and include the development of foreign language communication strategies, mastering the phonetic and grammatical structure of English, mastering professionally oriented vocabulary, as well as developing skills in communicating in English while performing official duties. In the process of achieving the practical goal of training, it is envisaged to implement educational and educational tasks in a comprehensive manner.

The study of the discipline ends with a comprehensive test, which includes a written assignment and an oral interview, which determines the level of English proficiency in accordance with the requirements set out in the NATO Standardization Agreement STANAG 6001 and the Interagency Roundtable on Foreign Languages Description of Proficiency Levels (ILR).

The above applications can be used by cadets during independent study or in their free time. Moreover, you can study on your own or in small groups, thereby improving your English language level, conducting reasoned debates, improving each other's level by naming synonymous words, etc.

As you can see, there are currently a large number of applications that implement the idea of teaching English using technical means on the mobile device platform. At the same time, the potential for expanding English language learning opportunities lies not only in continuing existing ideas on the mobile platform, developing mobile applications for teaching English, but also in implementing fundamentally new learning models possible with the use of mobile devices.

Conclusions and prospects for further research

This article provides a theoretical justification and analysis of the use of individual mobile devices as a means of intensifying the educational process.

We have noted that the use of mobile applications by border guard cadets in the classroom can significantly increase the interest of future border guard officers in learning English. The range of possibilities they provide can be built into the structure of almost every lesson for the following purposes: introducing and processing new material; testing the lexical and grammatical material learned; conducting listening with audio and video materials; compiling dictionaries for the relevant educational material, etc.

We have indicated that, in addition to the main curriculum for learning English, the cadets' educational process should include their own optional distance learning course “English for Professional Communication of Border Guards”, which aims to master the students' professional foreign language communicative competence, which involves the development of all types of speech activities.

Currently, there are a large number of applications that implement the ideas of teaching English using technical means on the mobile device platform. At the same time, the potential for expanding English language learning opportunities among border guard cadets lies not only in continuing existing ideas on the mobile platform, developing mobile applications for teaching English, but also in implementing fundamentally new learning models possible with the use of mobile devices (for example, a distance course).

Therefore, the use of mobile technologies is suitable for teaching English, as these technologies provide high information content, help stimulate students' cognitive activity, and ensure continuity of learning.

Prospects for further research is to qualitatively and thoroughly analyze the possibilities of using the latest programs for learning English by future border guard officers with further application in the educational process.

Список використаних джерел

1. Кухаренко В.М. Про систему дистанційного навчання у відкритому дистанційному курсі. Інформаційні технології в освіті. 2012. Вип. 11. С. 32-42.

2. Сучасні інформаційно-комунікаційні технології: навч. посіб. / Г.Г. Швачич та ін. Дніпро: НМетАУ, 2017. 230 с.

3. Park Y.A. Pedagogical Framework for Mobile Learning: Categorizing Educational Applications of Mobile Technologies into Four Types.

4. Kukulska-Hulme A. Smart Devices or People? A Mobile Learning. International Journal of Learning and Media. 2014. Vol. 4. №3-4. P. 73-77.

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8. Kukulska-Hulme A. Mobile language learning now and in the future. London: Swedish Net University, 2006. Pp. 295-310.

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10. Петрик А. 10 мобільних додатків для вивчення іноземної мови.

References

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