MALL: Future directions for BYOD applications

As has happened with PCs, the reduction of operating systems to two primary competitors, iOS and Android, coupled with a large and ever growing user base, has made it worthwhile for programmers to design mobile applications for both platforms. The end result for MALL is that it is now becoming possible to adapt its exploitation to what is known as a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment. Within the classroom this is beginning to happen with the appearance of BYOD systems designed to control audio-video resources, interactive whiteboards, lab computers and in-class media broadcasting. BYOD systems have great potential application to learner-centered, task-based, collaborative instruction, in and out of the classroom. In planning updates and replacements for existing computer facilities, those responsible need to be considering available BYOD resources. To the extent that BYOD systems are integrated into the language curriculum (or indeed any discipline), considerable savings can b...