International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

Since 2009, more than 40 million iPhone and iPad users have downloaded more than 1 billion apps through the App store. The drastic increase in the use of mobile applications has formed new ways of English Language Arts education. In recent years, the representation of William Shakespeare, the English poet and playwright legacies such as books, poems, plays and birthplace has also been extended to mobile applications. Learning Shakespeare’s works through mobile devices will move learning out of the classroom and into the learner’s real and virtual environments which has raised the interest among language educators. This paper describes a project which examines the current developments in mobile learning applications of English literature with a focus on Shakespeare-related apps. Apps related to Shakespeare listed in iTunes were explored. We discuss the different types of apps that are applicable to language art learning. Based on Naismith, et al.’s mobile learning research, the learning theories that are related to this new medium are identified and discussed.