Language Learning in the 21st Century
Summary of Session
Summary of Session
The world is in the midst of a mobile, digital revolution. Everything from our banking to our schedules, to traveling from one destination to another, all, increasingly occur online, and start in the palms of our very own hands.
The world is in the midst of a mobile, digital revolution. Everything from our banking to our schedules, to traveling from one destination to another, all, increasingly occur online, and start in the palms of our very own hands.
This digital-mobile life also extends to our world of work and academia. Whether in the office or in the classroom, people are increasingly expected to have a certain level of digital literacy in order to effectively communicate online, prepare digital documents and find online resources (to name only a few).
This digital-mobile life also extends to our world of work and academia. Whether in the office or in the classroom, people are increasingly expected to have a certain level of digital literacy in order to effectively communicate online, prepare digital documents and find online resources (to name only a few).
For our students in the EFL classroom, this suggests a slight shift in our practices as language educators. While our goal has always been to enable our students to be competent communicators, it is not only their face-to-face communication that is prized in the world today. As illustrated above, students also need to develop their digital literacy within their second or foreign language in order for them to competently work and study in our modern, digital, mobile world.
For our students in the EFL classroom, this suggests a slight shift in our practices as language educators. While our goal has always been to enable our students to be competent communicators, it is not only their face-to-face communication that is prized in the world today. As illustrated above, students also need to develop their digital literacy within their second or foreign language in order for them to competently work and study in our modern, digital, mobile world.
While this recognition may be new to us, it is not new to our students. We have all noted the pervasive presence of devices entering our classrooms where students use technology in order to help them navigate their language learning. At the same time, we have also noted that students' reliance on these devices can be inappropriate, such as in the instances of constant language translation or students finding incorrect language examples/ explanations online (as well as many more).
While this recognition may be new to us, it is not new to our students. We have all noted the pervasive presence of devices entering our classrooms where students use technology in order to help them navigate their language learning. At the same time, we have also noted that students' reliance on these devices can be inappropriate, such as in the instances of constant language translation or students finding incorrect language examples/ explanations online (as well as many more).
With this in mind, this session aimed to demonstrate to TEFL educators how mobile devices can be appropriately harnessed in the beginner (A1) language classroom to help facilitate student language development. It attempted to illustrate that when technology is blended in the face-to-face classroom and acts as an assistive tool for the teacher, a more personalized and engaging space can be created, which provides a balance of both the needed syllabus content as well as information that can help teachers provide more personalized instruction to the class they are teaching.
With this in mind, this session aimed to demonstrate to TEFL educators how mobile devices can be appropriately harnessed in the beginner (A1) language classroom to help facilitate student language development. It attempted to illustrate that when technology is blended in the face-to-face classroom and acts as an assistive tool for the teacher, a more personalized and engaging space can be created, which provides a balance of both the needed syllabus content as well as information that can help teachers provide more personalized instruction to the class they are teaching.
This was an introductory session intended to showcase some of the potentials for technology in our language classrooms!
This was an introductory session intended to showcase some of the potentials for technology in our language classrooms!