Digitally Mediated Language Learning

"Technology can become the 'wings' that will allow the educational world to fly farther and faster than ever before—if we will allow it."

– Jenny Arledge

As a “digital native,” (Prensky, 2001), the usage of technology has been integrated into my life and language learning from a young age when I was immersed in watching a variety of cartoons in Arabic and English. My language learning experiences also relied on the incorporation of digitally mediated mediums, where for instance to remain engaged in my Arabic studies as a child I would play CD games on the computer that incorporated listening, grammar, and spelling exercises. The evolution of the World Wide Web has allowed multitudes of data to become highly accessible through the Internet where digital media became interconnected through hypertexts, and various network platforms emerged allowing people to interact with each other regardless of their geographical distance (Van Dijck, 2013). This very same technology allowed me to self-study Japanese during my primary and secondary education, where I would endlessly browse websites and videos to access authentic materials and engage with other speakers and learners of the language online. As technology continues to rapidly advance and change, it can be widely implemented into language learning to aid students’ motivation and engagement with the target language (Golonka et al., 2014). Yet, as a teacher, I always had a lingering concern about how I would convince potential stakeholders that the intersections between language learning, digital technology, and play can effectively be utilized to construct a highly motivational learning environment for students.

The digitally-mediated language learning (DMLL) modules that I completed throughout my course of study in the LTS program provided me with a strong theoretical background regarding the multitude of affordances that technology has, and how its implementation can be adapted and mitigated by a teacher to facilitate language acquisition in an engaging manner. The DMLL modules also allowed me to experience first-hand the variety of techniques implemented in the asynchronous lessons, from puzzles to comprehension quizzes which provided immediate feedback. The 20 online DMLL modules that I participated in introduced me to a variety of methods and activities that advocate for a playful environment in language learning and teaching. For instance, “Module 5: Place-based learning,” covered the usage of mobile technologies and the incorporation of Augmented Reality (AR) games, where learners are able to engage in a contextualized and interactive manner with a target language community regardless of their physical location (Sykes, 2022). The integration of this technology allows further enhancement of context authenticity (Maley & Tomlinson, 2017), where learners are able to make concrete connections with the language forms embedded in the relevant situations (Brown & Lee, 2015). This module allowed me to reflect on the moments of taking my students on nature walks, where we would engage in various conversations about the different animals and plants in sight, thus allowing a sense of curiosity to be fostered through hands-on learning. In the future, I would love to implement aspects of digital place-based learning where students for instance can refer to a mobile map to further reflect on their surroundings.

The DMLL modules of “game-based learning” (Module 24) and “game-enhanced learning” (Module 23) allowed me to venture more into understanding the role of play in language acquisition and learning. Through these two modules, I learned that language learning through digital games can be differentiated into two mediums: game-based learning and game-enhanced learning. Game-based language learning revolves around the utilization of a game made specifically for educational purposes. On the other hand, game-enhanced learning involves the application and adaptation of a vernacular widely accessible game (Reinhardt & Thorne, 2020). Games are considered sociocultural artifacts in which learners are able to interact with the in-game discourses and play with language by exploring, examining, and extending their knowledge (Reinhardt & Sykes, 2011). Language development, like play, contains elements of dynamism and unpredictability (Larsen-Freeman, 1997), yet well-constructed activities such as word games, puzzles, and role play can place emphasis on playing with language forms and subsequently facilitating students’ motivation and attitude towards learning (Reinhardt, 2018). The module “Designing your own Mixed Reality Game,” allowed me to gain a better understanding of how games and puzzles pertaining to language learning are designed. Through this module, I learned that creating a mixed reality game is similar to designing a lesson plan, where it is necessary to outline clear learning objectives, and also construct an environment that is exciting and relevant to the learners.

Certificates of Completion for the 20 DMLL Modules

The LTS program has provided me with a variety of opportunities to highlight the application of DMLL. In LT 407, colleague Benjamin Loy and I constructed a lesson plan surrounding the pragmatics of three religious-based expressions in Arabic: alhamdulillah "الحمدلله", insha’Allah“إن شاء الله", and masha'Allah"ماشاء الله". Students were presented with dialogue videos that utilized these three expressions and were asked to complete questions on their worksheets that facilitated their pragmatic knowledge and awareness of these phrases (Sykes et al., 2020). The components of this activity connect with the content covered in DMLL Module 8 “Interactive Listening,” where effective strategies and digital tools were used to facilitate listening and comprehension skills. An adaptation I would make to this activity, however, would be utilizing predicting, maintenance, and reflection strategies (Cohen, 2014; Tomlinson, 2010). By asking learners to anticipate what they will be listening to, language output is elicited, and their pragmatic awareness would be further enhanced. Nevertheless, by directing learners’ attention to the dialogue and asking them to highlight the religious-based phrases, it urges them to analyze the input they have received. This lesson allows learners to extend their knowledge of these three phrases through a role-play activity, where the teacher is able to assess subjectivity and analysis (Sykes et al., 2020).

LT 407 Activity Creation Arabic Lesson.pdf

LT 407: Arabic Pragmatics Lesson Plan

References

Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching principles (pp. 42-50). P. Ed Australia.

Cohen, A. D. (2014). Strategies in learning and using a second language. Routledge.

Golonka, E. M., Bowles, A. R., Frank, V. M., Richardson, D. L., & Freynik, S. (2014). Technologies for foreign language learning: A review of technology types and their effectiveness. Computer assisted language learning, 27(1), 70-105.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied linguistics, 18(2), 141-165.

Maley, A., & Tomlinson, B. (Eds.). (2017). Authenticity in materials development for language learning. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9, 1–6

Reinhardt, J. (2018). Gameful second and foreign language teaching and learning: Theory, research, and practice. Springer.

Reinhardt, J., & Thorne, S. L. (2020). Digital Games as Language-Learning Environments. Handbook of game-based learning, 409.

Reinhardt, J., & Sykes, J. (2011). Framework for game-enhanced materials development. Tucson, AZ: Center for Educational Resources in Culture. Language and Literacy.

Sykes, J. M. (2022). Digital Place-based Learning. In The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Technology (pp. 297-310). Routledge.

Sykes, J., Malone, M., Forrest, L., Sağdıç, A., & Kang, O. (2020). Affordances of digital simulations to measure communicative success. Transdisciplinary innovations for communicative success. In M. Peters M., & R. Heraud (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Educational Innovation. Springer. doi, 10, 978-981.

Tomlinson, B. (2010). Principles of effective materials development. English language teaching materials: Theory and practice, 81-108.

Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.

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