Pedagogy
According to Koehler & Mishra (2009), good teaching requires an understanding of how technology relates to the pedagogy and content. As noted in subsequent sections, technology in and of itself does not generate positive or productive learning outcomes. For technology's full potential to be realized in the language classroom, selection and integration must follow sound pedagogical design. We should that it is essential that pedagogy must come first, with due consideration given to curricular goals, technological design issues, context, learners attributes, and so on.
Prepackaged digital tools are tempting to use “of the shelf” because they appear fun, engaging and align with the target subject matter to some degree. We caution educators against having technology as the driver of the lesson plan. Without a thorough understanding of appropriate pedagogical practices that facilitate learning and maximize learning opportunities, these digital tools could produce counterproductive results.
For example, virtual worlds and other electronic interactive platforms are popular tools used to promote use of the target language. While this technology-supported activity is associated with positive outcomes, experiential learning is only maximized when teachers can appropriately facilitate reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking (Schwartz).
Even how the teachers chooses to facilitate reflection needs to be given consideration. Researchers suggest that a teacher who takes on an overly prominent role in virtual worlds, providing ongoing feedback during interactions may actually be detrimental to the learning experience. The work of Toyoda and Harrison (2002) and Peterson (2009) indicates that when instructors adopt a less prominent role during interactions, providing less, but more meaningful feedback they achieve better results with their learners (Kozlova & Priven 2015).
Prepackaged digital tools are tempting to use “of the shelf” because they appear fun, engaging and align with the target subject matter to some degree. We caution educators against having technology as the driver of the lesson plan. Without a thorough understanding of appropriate pedagogical practices that facilitate learning and maximize learning opportunities, these digital tools could produce counterproductive results.
For example, virtual worlds and other electronic interactive platforms are popular tools used to promote use of the target language. While this technology-supported activity is associated with positive outcomes, experiential learning is only maximized when teachers can appropriately facilitate reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking (Schwartz).
Even how the teachers chooses to facilitate reflection needs to be given consideration. Researchers suggest that a teacher who takes on an overly prominent role in virtual worlds, providing ongoing feedback during interactions may actually be detrimental to the learning experience. The work of Toyoda and Harrison (2002) and Peterson (2009) indicates that when instructors adopt a less prominent role during interactions, providing less, but more meaningful feedback they achieve better results with their learners (Kozlova & Priven 2015).
ResourcesWhile purposeful design must be come first and be founded on sounds pedagogical practices, it is also important to give equal consideration to technology and content matter. Teachers should become familiar with the digital resources available to them, recognizing how they can be used or re-purposed to align with the lesson plan. As technology advances, the number of available digital tools is growing exponentially. It may be overwhelming for teachers to be in tune with what is available and how it can be used in their classroom.
In response to this challenge , we have generated a padlet which links users to a set digital tools which may be used to foster different types of language skills. This padlet is intended to be a collaborative effort, to create a communal resources repository. We welcome additions to the padlet. Please add your tools and include any comments you feel might be relevant about learning context, pedagogical methods and so on. |
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