Digitally Mediated Language Learning

I will be the first to admit that going into the LTS program, knowledge and application of digital tools in teaching was by far my biggest weakness as an educator, despite my time spent in virtual classes, either as a tutor or a student. I have, and at times still continue to be, something of a Luddite. I absolutely acknowledged and agreed with the necessity of digital tools in the modern language learning context, but I was most certainly intimidated by them. In this way, the area of competency in Digitally Mediated Language Learning (DMLL) represents my most proud achievement, because it is the area where I have undergone the most growth as a teacher. 

The first artifact here is the certificate of completion of 20 modules surrounding various elements of DMLL administered through EdApp. I did my best to divide my focus evenly between developing a deeper understanding of concepts that I had already seen myself using in my language teaching contexts, and new concepts that I was still unfamiliar with, but wanted to learn more about. Some modules from the former category included Pronunciation, Course Management Systems, Needs Analysis and DMLL, and Interactive Reading, which I held familiarity with due to my time instructing and assisting in courses, one of which was a pronunciation course specifically. Needs analysis had been covered as a concept in the  LT 548 Curriculum Design course, but as needs analysis in particular was one of the concepts of design and teaching I found most important, I wanted to make sure I understood it to its fullest depth. I used this module as a time to review and reflect on Kaewpet’s (2009) literature review of the five approaches to Needs Analysis (sociolinguistic, systemic, learning-centered, learner-centered, and task based). 

Of the modules that I focused on due to my lack of familiarity with the concepts, Place Based Language Learning, Digital Games and Language Learning, and Designing Your Own Mixed Reality Game all stood out. Place Based Language Learning in particular, and Sykes’ (2022) article on the benefits of place-based learning and its’ effects in the areas of interactivity, context, engagement, learning features, and technological affordances influenced the creation of a place-based pragmatics lesson plan that can be seen in page 58 of the curriculum portfolio included in the Design section of this portfolio. This is the first of hopefully many place-based designs that I have created, as I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to bring language learning outside of the classroom and into students’ communities. 

The second artifact that I have included here is an assessment task that was developed for LT 549 course, Assessing Language Ability. It was designed as a summative final project where students were tasked with exploring a podcast that discussed lesser known phenomena and historical events. Students were then required to choose a single episode of this podcast that they found particularly interesting and enjoyable, and create a presentation on this podcast episode and the topic that it covered. They would then give this oral presentation in front of the class, complete with an accompanying visual aid that they created. This lesson design demonstrates elements of DMLL in several ways. Firstly, this tasked students with the exploration of an online authentic material, and opened the door for their further exploration into podcasts as supplementary materials in their language practice outside of the classroom. This assessment was developed with Brown and Abeywickrama’s (2019) principles of validity, practicality, and reliability, as can be seen in more detail in the Assessment module of this portfolio and was designed with specific consideration of Buckingham & Goodall’s (2019) critiques of common issues with feedback, and guidance for providing feedback on student-collected evidence. Largely, in the focus on providing feedback on the process of selecting and presenting said materials, rather than giving feedback on the specific materials themselves.

I consider my journey of growth when it comes to DMLL far from over, and I am still actively pursuing ways to develop and strengthen my knowledge of digital learning tools, as well as practicing applying them. At present, I have hopes to work in the future on the development of game-based language learning as it pertains to tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). While these games may not always make use of digital tools, the development of TTRPGs for use in language learning and practice would certainly fall under the umbrella of game-based learning. I hope to develop TTRPG modules that are curated specifically in game and story tasks to encourage the practice of select conversational and pragmatic skills, as well as the practice of specific grammatical structures. If created, this game would give students a low-stakes environment to practice language in creative and improvised ways.

References

Brown, H. D. & Abeywickrama, P. (2019). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.

Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2019). Why feedback rarely does what it’s meant to. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-feedback-fallacy 

Kaewpet. (2009). A Framework for Investigating Learner Needs: Needs Analysis Extended to Curriculum Development. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6(2), 209–.

Sykes, J. (2022). Digital Place-based Learning. In N. Ziegler (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Technology. essay, Routledge.