SMART ADULT LEARNING CENTRES: DISTANT, YET CONNECTED. AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY INTO IMMIGRANTS’ USE OF SMARTPHONES IN ADULT LEARNING CENTRES
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Jul 15, 2020
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Abstract
The presence in Italy of an increasing number of students of foreign origin, specifically so-called connected immigrants with strong skills in using electronic devices, requires a rethink of the learning/teaching practices applied in the country’s Provincial Centres for Adult Education (CPIA), including the educational use of digital technologies. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study on the use of smartphones by a sample of 140 immigrants attending Italian language courses at the CPIA in Udine.The preliminary data show that these learners use smartphones extensively not only to keep in touch with their communities of origin, but also to navigate and interact within their new country and learn the target language. Given widespread smartphone use among immigrants, it is believed that the the potential of these tools could be utilized to amplify learning opportunities and foster personalization, integration and in-depth study of linguistic contents in online mode.
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Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2016). Personalization of language learning through mobile technologies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2018). Mobile-assisted language learning. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/57023/1/__userdata_documents5_ak35_Desktop_Accepted%20Manuscript_Concise%20Encyclopedia.pdf
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Ranieri, M., & Pieri, M. (2014). Mobile learning. Dimensioni teoriche , modelli didattici, scenari applicativi. Milano, IT: Edizioni Unicopli.
Ravicchio, F., Robino, G., Trentin, G., & Bernava, L. (2019). CPIAbot: un chatbot nell’insegnamento dell’Italiano L2 per stranieri. Atti del Convegno Nazionale Didamatica 2019. Reggio Calabria, 16-17 maggio 2019. Retrieved from https://www.aicanet.it/documents/10776/2659822/Informatica_per_la_didattica_2019_pa_2.pdf/4c5e7fb2-db1f-46b1-a19c-8e6ead399fe0
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Zijlstra, J., & van Liempt, I. (2017). Smart(phone) travelling: understanding the use and impact of mobile technology on irregular migration journeys. International Journal Migration and Border Studies, 3(2/3). doi: 10.1504/IJMBS.2017.083245
UNESCO (2013). Policy guidelines for mobile learning. Paris, FR: UNESCO. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000219641
Zoletto, D. (2018). I contesti eterogenei come occasione pedagogica. In S. Polenghi, M. Fiorucci, & L. Agostinetto (Eds.), Diritti, Cittadinanza, Inclusione (pp. 205-216). Lecce, IT: Pensa MultiMedia.
Alencar, A., Kondova, K., & Ribbens, W. (2018, November 30). The smartphone as a lifeline: an exploration of refugees’ use of mobile communication technologies during their flight. Media, Culture & Society, 1-17. doi: 10.1177/0163443718813486
Amelio, S. (Ed.). (2017). Piano Paideia. Opuscolo 2. Bologna, IT: Azeta Print Service. Retrieved from http://www.indire.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Paideia_opuscolo2_blu_def.pdf
Bauman, Z. (2016). Stranieri alle porte. Bari-Roma, IT: Laterza.
Behr, D. (Ed.). (2018). Surveying the migrant population: Consideration of linguistic and cultural issues. (GESIS-Schriftenreihe, 19). Köln, DE: GESIS. Retrieved from https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-58074-2
Benedetti, F. (Ed.). (2018). Viaggio nell’istruzione degli adulti in Italia. Alla scoperta di esigenze, problemi e soluzioni. Firenze, IT: INDIRE.
Brunwasser, M. (2015, August 25). A 21st century migrant’s essentials: Food, shelter, smartphone. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/world/europe/a-21st-century-migrants-checklist-water-shelter-smartphone.html
Bruschi, B. (2017). Educazione e convergenza digitale: dall’e-learning al digital storytelling. In R. Trinchero, & A. Parola (Eds.), Educare ai processi e ai linguaggi dell’apprendimento (pp. 146-155). Milano, IT: FrancoAngeli.
Codagnone, C., & Kluzer, S. (2011). ICT for the social and economic integration of migrants into Europe. European Commission. Luxembourg, LU: EU Publications Office. Retrieved from https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC63183/jrc63183.pdf
Collin, S., & Karsenti, T. (2012). ICT and migration: A conceptual framework of ICT use by migrants. In T. Amiel, & B. Wilson (Eds.), Proceedings of EdMedia 2012-World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (pp. 1492-1497). Denver, CO, USA: AACE. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/40945/
Dekker, R., Engbersen, G., Klaver, J., & Vonk, H. (2018). Smart Refugees: How Syrian asylum migrants use social media information in migration decision-making. Social Media + Society, 4(1). doi: 10.1177/2056305118764439
Demmans Epp, C. (2017). Migrants and mobile technology use: Gaps in the support provided by current tools. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1(2), 1-13. doi: 10.5334/jime.432
Diaz Andrade, A., & Doolin, B. (2016). Information and communication technology and the social inclusion of refugees. MIS Quarterly, 40(2), 405-416. doi: 10.25300/MISQ/2016/40.2.06
Diminescu, D. (2008). The connected migrant: An epistemological manifesto. Social Science Information, 47(4), 565-579. doi: 10.1177/0539018408096447
Diminescu, D. (Ed.). (2012). E-Diasporas Atlas. Explorations and cartography of diasporas on digital networks. Paris, FR: Ed. de la Maison des Sciences de l’Homme.
Dubinsky, Z. (2015, September 12). For Syrian refugees, smartphones are a lifeline – not a toy. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/for-syrian-refugees-smartphones-are-a-lifeline-not-a-toy-1.3221349
European Political Strategy Centre (2017). Ten trends shaping migration. Brussels, BE: EU.
Frouws, B., Philips, M., Hassan, A., & Twigt, M. (2016, November 2). Getting to Europe the “WhatsApp” way: The use of ICT in contemporary mixed migration flows to Europe. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2862592
Fulantelli, G., & Pipitone, V. (2017). Ripensare la formazione in un contesto di migrazione forzata. Italian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(1), 6-17. doi: 10.17471/2499-4324/914
Gaved, M., & Peasgood, A. (2017). Fitting in versus learning: A challenge for migrants learning languages using smartphones. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1(1), 1-13. doi: 10.5334/jime.436
Gelb, S., & Krishnan, A. (2018). Technology, migration and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. In ODI, Migration and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. London, UK: ODI. Retrieved from https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/12422.pdf
Gillespie, M., Ampofo, L., Cheesman, M., Faith, B. Iliadou, E., Issa, A., & Skleparis, D. (2016). Mapping refugee media journeys: Smartphones and social media networks. Milton Keynes, UK: The Open University/France Médias Monde.
Hepp, A., Bozdag, C., & Suna, L. (2013). Mediatized migrants: Media cultures and communicative networking in the diaspora. In L. Fortunati, R. Pertierra, & V. Jane (Eds.), Migrations, Diaspora, and Information Technology in Global Societies (pp.172-188). New York, NY, USA: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203148600
ISTAT (2018). Vita e percorsi di integrazione degli immigrati in Italia. Roma, IT: ISTAT. Retrieved from https://www.istat.it/it/files//2019/05/Vita-e-percorsi.pdf
ISTAT (2019). Cittadini non comunitari in Italia. Anni 2018-2019. Roma, IT: ISTAT. Retrieved from https://www.istat.it/it/files/2019/10/Cittadini-non-comunitari-in-Italia-2018.pdf
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2013). Re-skilling language learners for a mobile world. Monterey, CA, USA: The International Research Foundation for English Language Education. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/39034/
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2016). Personalization of language learning through mobile technologies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2018). Mobile-assisted language learning. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/57023/1/__userdata_documents5_ak35_Desktop_Accepted%20Manuscript_Concise%20Encyclopedia.pdf
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2019). Mobile learning innovation inspired by migrants. Journal of Learning for Development – JL4D, 6(2), 116-129. Retrived from https://jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d/article/view/349
Latonero, M., Poole, D., & Berens, J. (2018). Refugee Connectivity: A survey of mobile phones, mental health, and privacy at Syrian Refugee Camp in Greece. Harvard, USA: Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Data & Society Research Institute. Retrieved from https://datasociety.net/output/refugee-connectivity/
Leurs, K., & Ponzanesi, S. (2018). Connected migrants: Encapsulation and cosmopolization. Popular Communication, 16(1), 4-20. doi: 10.1080/15405702.2017.1418359
Leurs, K, & Smets, K. (2018). Five questions for digital migration studies: Learning from digital connectivity and forced migration in(to) Europe. Social Media + Society, 1, 1-16. doi: 10.1177/2056305118764425
Ministero dell’Interno (2010). Accordo Quadro tra Ministero dell’Interno e MIUR, 10 novembre 2010, Modalità di svolgimento del test di conoscenza della lingua italiana, previsto dall’art. 9 del D.L. 25 luglio 1998, n. 286, introdotto dall’art. 1, comma 22, lettera i) della legge n.94/2009. Retrieved from http://www.immigrazione.biz/upload/Accordo_Quadro_min_interno_e_min_istruzione_10_11_2010.pdf
Nedelcu, M. (2009). Le migrant online. Nouveaux modèles migratoires à l’ere du numerique. Paris, FR: L’Harmattan.
Nedelcu, M. (2016). Online migrants. In H. Friese, G Rebane, M. Nolden, & M. Schreiter (Eds.), Handbuch Soziale Praktiken und Digitale Alltagswelten (pp. 1-8). Wiesbaden, DE: Springer. doi 10.1007/978-3-658-08460-8_35-1
Notari, A. (2018, giugno 28). ”Presente”, la app per i cittadini stranieri appena arrivati in Italia. Redattore Sociale. Retrieved from https://www.redattoresociale.it/article/notiziario/_presente_la_app_per_i_cittadini_stranieri_appena_arrivati_in_italia
O’Malley, J. (2015, September 7). Surprised that Syrian refugees have smartphones? Sorry to break this to you, but you’re an idiot. Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/surprised-that-syrian-refugees-have-smartphones-well-sorry-to-break-this-to-you-but-youre-an-idiot-10489719.html
Poliandri, D., & Epifani, G. (Eds.). (2020). Scoprire i centri provinciali per l’istruzione degli adulti: contesti, ambienti, processi. Roma, IT: Invalsi.
Ponzanesi, S., & Leurs, K. (2014). On digital crossings in Europe. Crossings. Journal of Migration and Culture, 5(1), 3-22. doi: 10.1386/cjmc.5.1.3_1
Ram, A. (2015, May 12). Smartphone bring solace and aid to desperate refugees. Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2015/12/smartphone-syrian-refugee-crisis/
Ranieri, M., & Pieri, M. (2014). Mobile learning. Dimensioni teoriche , modelli didattici, scenari applicativi. Milano, IT: Edizioni Unicopli.
Ravicchio, F., Robino, G., Trentin, G., & Bernava, L. (2019). CPIAbot: un chatbot nell’insegnamento dell’Italiano L2 per stranieri. Atti del Convegno Nazionale Didamatica 2019. Reggio Calabria, 16-17 maggio 2019. Retrieved from https://www.aicanet.it/documents/10776/2659822/Informatica_per_la_didattica_2019_pa_2.pdf/4c5e7fb2-db1f-46b1-a19c-8e6ead399fe0
Sayad, A. (2002). Doppia assenza. Dalle illusioni dell’emigrato alle sofferenze dell’immigrato. Milano, IT: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
Zijlstra, J., & van Liempt, I. (2017). Smart(phone) travelling: understanding the use and impact of mobile technology on irregular migration journeys. International Journal Migration and Border Studies, 3(2/3). doi: 10.1504/IJMBS.2017.083245
UNESCO (2013). Policy guidelines for mobile learning. Paris, FR: UNESCO. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000219641
Zoletto, D. (2018). I contesti eterogenei come occasione pedagogica. In S. Polenghi, M. Fiorucci, & L. Agostinetto (Eds.), Diritti, Cittadinanza, Inclusione (pp. 205-216). Lecce, IT: Pensa MultiMedia.