From Mobile Assisted in Language Learning: From Learner Autonomy to Collaboration: A Case Study of Vietnamese Language Classes at the Australian National University

Personal Digital Assistants, including smartphones have now become "inseparable and trendy pets" of many young people. Even more, they are likely to replace computers by performing many functions that computers have performed over the last decades. In the academic world in general and in language teaching in particular, employing mobile technologies for learning has been a subject of investigation, and at the same time, become a way of enhancing the efficiency of language acquisition. From a pedagogical point of view, such handheld devices are regarded as helpful tools to maintain relationships and simultaneously engender both collaboration and learner autonomy. In this vein, the paper offers an overview of recent findings and achievements of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) - learning mediated via handheld devices, from lesson designing issues to students' interaction and communication; and from these to highlight essential concepts in the content design that supports informal learning activities with mobile devices. The paper also reports the results of the Vietnamese as a second language (VSL) learning programs offered at The Australian National University.