Collaborative Composition in a Foreign Language with Handheld Computing and Web Tools

Writing applications are currently designed for desktop personal computers. Mobile devices like PDAs or smart phones are increasingly being used for mobile applications such as access to information sources or local work on the device, but they are seldom used for collaborative tasks. Here we present AULA and AWLA, two applications that put mobile devices and collaborative educational environments together inside and outside the classroom. They are designed under the paradigm of collaborative composition writing in language learning courses, in particular English as a Foreign Language (EFL).