The application of mobile technologies to learning has the potential to facilitate the active participation of learners in the creation and delivery of content. Mobile technologies can also provide a powerful connection between a variety of formal and informal learning contexts and can help to build a community of learners. However these versatile tools present challenges to educators and learners alike. The paper discusses the pedagogical challenges that result from the introduction of mobile technologies in language learning in the context of an intensive week of study abroad. We describe and evaluate a pilot project that uses mobile blogging to promote a constructivist, situated and informal learning experience of the foreign language and culture based on theories of active learning. We aim to encourage interaction and a sense of community among learners outside formal educational environments and in different locations as we ask them to engage with the foreign culture by capturing, sharing and reflecting on their experiences for their peers.

The main outcome of the WebCEF project (2006-2009) is an online collaboration tool for self-, peer-, and expert assessment of oral proficiency in the foreign language using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). One distinctive feature of WebCEF is that it brings together learners and assessors in virtual communities of practice, locally and internationally. Thanks to the use of low-threshold technology, this tool – available freely online – has been used successfully in formal, non-formal, and informal learning. Attesting to its continued relevance, WebCEF was awarded the European Language Label in 2011. In this chapter, the authors discuss an experience involving trainee teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) of the University of Leuven (Belgium), EFL students at the Université de Savoie (France), and language teachers in France. It will be demonstrated how WebCEF can be a powerful platform for professional development through social mediation and a support for learner autonomy through assessment for learning.

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