Invited presentation on Teaching English with technology (2017) for the Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies-Ohio University Joint Certificate program launch in Seoul, South Korea.

Harnessing Technology for Learning

Collaborating and Learning through Technology

Anyone can use technology, but can we teach with it effectively? I set out to answer this question in my keynote at the Teacher Education Conference (TEC 14) in Hyderabad, India (2014). Teaching and learning lie at the heart of this presentation, The pedagogy of collaboration: Teaching effectively with evolving technologies (published proceedings here). In my interview with the British Council, BBC Teaching English blog, I focus on New technologies & teaching: Focusing on pedagogy.

Dawn Bikowski in interview with British Council

Interview with the British Council on New Technologies & Teaching

Professional Development & Teacher Training

Much of my work lies at the juncture of technology and learning. In Monterey, California, at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, I was impressed with the attention to detail and dedication to student centered learning that I saw when I co-delivered the plenary Real Language Learning in the Virtual Classroom (2019). This group of language educators shared with me their strategies to engage their students; important work, since as members of the military, these students will be deployed worldwide and desperately need these languages.

Co-developing and teaching in TESOL International's Online Certificate program in Developing an Online Teaching Program has allowed me to interact with teachers and teacher trainers around the world, sharing strategies on using technology for language development. My favorite part of the online certificate courses? Helping instructors plan comprehensive courses that meet students' needs and provide authentic experiences.

Publications

Expectations of what technology can accomplish are growing, as institutions seek higher profits and larger class enrollments for online courses. My research on strategies faculty utilize to teach languages in courses with enrollments of over 100 students can be found in this article focusing on faculty perspectives and an emerging curricular model, "Teaching large-enrollment online language courses: Faculty perspectives and an emerging curricular model" in System (Bikowski et al., 2022).

With my publications on technology and learning, I like to focus on students' experiences, highlighting the need for materials and activities that are engaging, authentic, and goal-focused. My work on setting students up for success in their writing can be found in this book chapter "Showing, telling, and sharing: Supporting students via technology in their use of source texts" (Bikowski et al., 2024). Collaborative writing with technology appeals to me—students want to work with others in a way that is convenient, streamlined, and meets their own writing goals (see Bikowski, 2018; Bikowski & Vithanage, 2016; Kessler, Bikowski, & Boggs, 2012; Bikowski & Kessler, 2002). Materials design is changing, utilizing technology's affordances to increase engagement through embedded videos, built-in tasks and assessments, and the potential for student-generated content (see Bikowski & Casal, 2018; Casal & Bikowski, 2019); my work with the U.S. State Department on a teacher's manual for using video games for learning (see Bikowski, 2012) showcases the importance of bringing the online and offline experiences of students together into the classroom. Students want the opportunity to connect with each other and the world as they learn, highlighting the importance of relationships in education (see Bikowski, 2007), the importance of autonomy in their learning and technology choices (see Bikowski, 2012; Kessler & Bikowski, 2010), and the crucial role of theory-based training in teacher education (see Kessler & Bikowski, 2011).

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