UTILIZING MOBILE PHONES IN LANGUAGE LEARNING SETTINGS: SIN OR SAINT?

Nowadays education is more and more taking advantage of information technology. One of the most attractive technological devices is the mobile phone which represents a revolution in education. This paper attempts to investigate the current use of mobile phones by the students of Azad Islamic University, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Iran. A questionnaire survey has been devised and administered to a sample of 75 students. The analysis of the questionnaire indicates students' attitudes on using mobile phones, the opportunities they have, and the problems they face in an educational setting. Afterward, the paper suggests some innovative practical ideas on using mobile phones in the language learning surroundings. Finally, it analyzes the challenges they have in an instructional setting. It also suggests some solutions removing the obstacles in order to pave the way for language learning. The current study extends the application of mobile phones as a device for communication and entertainment to an educational means. The paper concludes that using mobile phones in educational settings will be "saint" than a "sin".