Appendices 19

Appendix 1 Questionnaire 19

Appendix 2 Part questions and answers in group interview 22

1。 Introduction

1。1 Background of U-learning

In “Big Data” era, computing technology and mobile communication technology have become mature and ubiquitous, which made important influences to the education。 Resource sharing has become one of the characteristics in the internet era。 Resource sharing has changed the method of learning。 Learners could take knowledge that they need quickly， which makes one plus one more than two。 With the explosive growth of big data, there are a mount of approaches to acquire knowledge concerning English。 A new learning way anytime and anyplace taking the advantage of smartphones, rises in response to the proper time and conditions。 It is a specific form of virtual learning community, many specialists and bookmen called this learning method ubiquitous learning (hereafter referred to as U-learning)。 U-learning becomes one of the effective ways to acquire and search for knowledge, especially for English learning。 

U-learning of English learners should be further studied。 The number of English learners in college is almost the biggest, including English majors and non-majors。 Besides, the way of learning English is quite from that of other subjects, namely, English learning needs digital devices like smartphones and computers to practice listening and speaking。 Smartphones fill the need of convenience of learning English anytime and anywhere。 Such U-learning has become popular among college students, however, its condition such as, learning contents, learning effect, and sources need studying further。

1。2 Significance of this study

Education in general is at a difficult crossroads in many countries。 Traditionally, English learning comes from teachers。 The barriers in the traditional English education are followed, firstly, the short of resources required of meaningful development and sustenance of technology-based learning。 Secondly, insufficient in infrastructures which includes information and communication hardware systems to support modern technologies in least developed countries。 As a result, traditional English learning style is too simple and is not beneficial to develop students’ language proficiency。 

On this occasion, traditional English learning benefits from big data, and U-learning becomes a necessary learning way。 U-learning becomes main stream among university students。 U-learning implies that learning culture has been changed a lot。 In the circumstance of ubiquitous compute, learners acquire acknowledge by smartphones, anytime, anywhere。 In this case, we are surrounded by U-learning, and we are attracted by the process of U-learning。 The appearing of U-learning made the greatest force of progress in English learning method。 Learning environment is no longer confined to classroom, and students can study at any places they want to。 Smartphones will not be prohibited in the process of learning, and even more, our English learners can learn taking the advantage of smartphones。 Smartphone can customize the intelligent learning management system, which is interactional, free, and sustainable, and the learning environments of self-learning can be set up to the learners。 Smartphone can provide English students corresponding learning support services by analyzing the students’ learning needs。 

Furthermore, accesses to knowledge are not only limited to books or teachers’ instructions。 In the U-learning, English learners can download learning materials by smartphones at any moment。 In this way, students can learn by perceptive technology so that the degree of freedom can be increased greatly。 The processes of learning are designed according to different English learners, so are the contents of learning。 Moreover, the meaning of English learning has changed with the change of learning resource under the environment of ubiquitous leaning。 High-technology’s infusing itself into traditional learning styles in colleges and universities。 The traditional modes of education which are always confined to “schools” and “walls” cannot acclimate themself to meet the mental and physical needs of society。 Whereas, the learning style of U-learning gives more persities。 Formulations of teaching objectives meet the needs of different learners in accordance with characters of scholars。