Digitally Mediated Language Learning (DMLL)

Technology plays a role in the advancement of teaching and learning new languages within the classroom. Teachers can access technology to teach efficiently in the classroom or remotely, such as interactive games and websites, and links to promote language learning and engagement. Digitally Mediated Language Learning (DMLL) is the practice where through various techniques, frameworks, and concepts for online teaching, we can access new ways for instructors and language learners to use learning materials online. As technology has advanced, so has language learning and access to tools, and now most learners have at least one device that allows them to access information online that would have been inaccessible 20 years ago. This concept can be beneficial for in-person classrooms where students need to use their devices to take notes, look up information, or present to a class, and for remote learning where applications (apps) such as Zoom are used to hold classes and allow the instructor to present work through screen sharing. I also have personal experience with taking online courses before the pandemic, and hybrid courses while attending the University of Oregon. This adaptability of modeling the course to fit the needs of the students and the teachers I feel works extremely well if a class needs to change its structure to become a hybrid or an online course. 

The certificate we received from completing over 20 modules regarding DMLLs indicates our awareness of utilizing online learning and teaching resources in order to improve the quality of language learning in the classroom. The completion of the 20 modules for the DMLLs was done in tandem with 10 modules with certificates of completion required for courses LT 548 (Curriculum Design) and LT 549 (Assessment) each. The first 10 modules focused on the introduction to DMLLs while at the same time, we were designing and creating our curriculums, which worked in tandem towards the end of the unit. The modules I completed for LT 548 included the organization of an online/hybrid course, which would be beneficial for sharing scenes and clips with the students and assigning breakout rooms for groups to discuss themes and questions about the films. If I were to revise this curriculum, I would conduct a survey during the first week and ask students that are unable to use or afford streaming services, how comfortable they would be with having classes online to watch the required films for the course. Through the LTS program, I have at least one artifact that exhibits a few examples of how DMLL can be integrated into a classroom, and what can be modified to work for teaching or learning a language online. For this reflection on digitally-mediated language learning (DMLL) of the capstone project portfolio, my selected artifact will be from LT 537. This artifact reflects the use of DMLLs by introducing online materials as a learning resource and using gamification for turning any task or ideas into engaging games that any level of English learner can participate in.

LT 537 was Second Language Teaching Practice, where the students of the course engaged in workshops to provide insight into what would be appropriate teaching material for international students at the American English Institute (AEI) at the University of Oregon. The cohorts of this course, including myself, had given an alternative to the course name, “Talking With Ducks” (TWD); the reasoning behind this was that the international students that signed up to take part as an elective would be communicating with the UO students of the LTS program. The artifact from LT 537 (TWD) is titled TWD Week 7 Travel and was done in collaboration with fellow LTS cohort Ramona “Aissa” Canteras, and then undergraduate students Cameron Teubener-Keller, and Savanna Kyser. The leading student instructors had gathered information from the other cohorts regarding examples of activities based on a context and plan for two days worth of activities (i.e., holidays, traveling, sports, etc.). For one of the activities, each student group was assigned a region in Oregon, acting as a travel agency and scanning a QR code, and reviewing the different regions of Oregon. From there, they would have to give an “elevator pitch” and share and explain why people should travel to their region in Oregon for a popular destination, a place to eat, and a leisurely activity to participate in, and then each student will select which region they would like to go to with a partner and why. This artifact introduces the gamification (Brown & Lee, 2015) of creating and sharing a list of what is available to do in one of the Oregon regions. The activity also can be adapted to work with remote learning, especially if the students will be traveling to that region or state for their term and want ideas for where to travel. The subject of travel can also be used for establishing place-based learning (Smith, 2002), by taking the students to areas around Eugene to learn and use English, or taking an excursion to a region of Eugene and learn about the culture and history with their English simultaneously. This approach meant a lot to me when I was studying abroad in Japan; I had the experience of walking around botanical gardens to experience the feeling of “wabi-sabi” (the acceptance of imperfection) and trips to the Tsukiji Fish Market for listening and observing interactions between fisherman and customers. The former concept (online/hybrid courses) I believe works for preparing students to research the regions of their institutional state, and can easily access learning materials, as I have done before coming to Oregon or Japan. The latter (place-based learning, from my experience, really resonated with me and I feel that this module, with creating a travel trip and discovering these new places and learning about them, will provide English learners with the experience to communicate in English and improve their comprehension. 

I chose this as my artifact because some examples of this artifact using DMLLs were utilizing online resources to help promote and support learning strategies and the potential for organizing an online/hybrid course. Referencing the main activity from the artifact, the AEI students have to use online resources, such as Travel Oregon, to explore pages of different attractions and stops in the region. They would select what would be appealing to tourists outside of Oregon and to them in order to utilize online materials as resources. The AEI students had to focus on coming up with materials they found online and compiling them to present to each other. This artifact showcases that it can be restructured and formatted for remote learning or as a hybrid course. I have to digress because I have no experience in taking large online courses, not having been a student between 2020 and mid-2022, so what I know regarding the experiences of attending a class online is minimal. That being said, this activity example indicates the use of having to bring forth learning materials and resources that expand outside of the classroom to the stretches of the internet. It possesses the potential for learners and instructors to modify the activity for preparation for students who have the desire to learn outside of their homes but cannot leave, or to prepare those who will leave with the technology and the learning materials to prepare them for what will come next.