There are a lot of different ways to use smartphones in education.. Most of the methods revolve around social media applications and their various features. However, a simple search engine can be used to improve language skills, not only for EAL (English as an Additional Language) students, but for all learners.

Think of the situation, a student is in the classroom and has a simple question about the meaning of a word in a sentence. However, the teacher is busy with another student and everyone else has to be quiet. What can the student do? Every word in a sentence is vital and can be key to the understanding of a text or indeed, depending on how concentrated the narrative is, the entire understanding of a book or story.

Not all schools will have regular dictionaries, they are usually the reserve of language schools or academic departments. But, for a student studying in a regular class struggling with comprehension, there is usually no dictionary available. However, by just using a simple search engine on a smartphone, a student can have access to all the definitions and examples of use they require.

This is not a suggestion to just type words into search engines, that may not work for every word, take for example the word ‘cooker’ when this is typed into a search engine the student will be faced with multiple pages of sponsored content from businesses selling cooking appliances. So, a more nuanced approach is required. To find the meaning of the word a student has to type in ‘meaning’ or ‘definition’ after it. So, ‘cooker meaning’ and ‘cooking definition’ will retrieve the appropriate results. Using this method, the student will have their definition and can carry on with their exercise.

This is also useful for students who may be from another linguistic background. They can type the word in and find a definition. This may help them understand the meaning of the word. Failing that, they may type in a thesaurus search and find similar words which may bring them closer to comprehension. Also, if students don’t have English as their first language, they may also need help with comprehension outside of the classroom. This is especially important for students living in state provided accommodation centers who may have to deal with complex scenarios, such as finding their family’s room in a large building.

As for the academic side, not only can you use search engines, but if a student is looking for more information on a word or its history there are online dictionaries and websites where you can search the Etymology of a word. This is useful when studying older texts such as Shakespeare or even early 20th century books as words change meaning over time.

Of course, it’s not all about the current generations trying to understand earlier phrases. It can also be used by the teacher to find their way around modern slang and internet terms such as ‘rizz’ (meaning romantic appeal or charm).

While there is a lot of focus on smartphone use and social media, it helps to remember that there are other apps on the phone too, which may not be as prominent, but can be just as useful.