The present paper examines how the mobile technologies affect the pedagogical environments focusing on dictionaries in a globalized world. The difference s in lookup frequency, reading comprehension, and retention of looked up words among the users of E-dictionary , smartphone apps, and tablet apps were compared.
It is needless to say that dictionaries have played a crucial role for fostering autonomous learners for foreign and second language learning (e.g., Carduner, 2003; Knight, 1994; Tono, 2001, among others). Although the history of dictionaries spans thousands of years, advances in technology enabled us to use a wide variety of dictionaries (Mugglestone, 2011). While CD-ROM and the Web dictionaries have been used all over the world, the number of learners using hand-held electronic dictionaries (E-dictionary) has been rapidly expanding especially among Asian countries in the last two decades. In the meantime, the advent of smartphones changed not only the way humans connect but also language pedagogy. Hashemi (2011) states that mobile devices are appropriate for supporting social contacts and collaborative learning opportunities. Since current EFL learners seem to make efficient use of their smartphones as the most powerful tools to connect with people and obtain relevant information anywhere, anytime, the possibility as a different type of digital dictionaries cannot be ignored. The present paper, therefore, examines how these mobile technologies affect Japanese EFL learners' pedagogical environments in a globalized world. In our presentation, we will introduce some findings on the basis of the results of a series of studies which compared differences in lookup frequency, reading comprehension, and retention of looked up words among the users of E-dictionary, smartphone apps, and tablet apps. Also, we investigated that what kind of devices or apps they used when encountering unknown words in recent years. Pedagogical implications will be made based on the findings.
