By Tiffany, Emily, Zita and Stella Since its introduction into second and foreign language learning, CMC has contributed to learners’ lexical and grammatical output as well as their motivation to communicate in L2 when compared with face-to-face interactions. Blyth (2008) grouped studies of CMC into four categories: technological; psycholinguistic; sociocultural; and ecological Insights from Technological […]
Posted by Corrine, Zoe, Eunice & Cindy The modern century has entered an increasingly networked, electronic, and globalized age. Students are involved in virtual communities, mediated by tools like emails, blogs and online forums, on a more frequent basis. An increasing number of researchers pay attention to the impact of digital literacy practices on L2 […]
Chun’s (1994) study suggests that computer networking can be used to improve the interactive ability of language learners, especially those beginners. The main theme is that “using CACD (Computer-assisted Class Discussion) would provide students with the opportunity to generate and initiate different kinds of discourse structures or speech acts” (p.20). Chun investigates her students who […]
Blogs can provide teachers and learners with a tool that is very easy to set up and that provides a space where they can interact and practise language use. Considering blogs in education generally, Will Richardson points out that blogging means linking to content, analyzing and synthesizing that content, and writing for real readers, with […]
For many people, an essential component of learning is ‘community’. That’s certainly the case for John Green, who presented a talk at TEDxIndianapolis entitled ‘The nerd’s guide to learning everything online‘. He describes how YouTube videos have enabled him to engage in a learning community, which has encouraged him ‘to continue to be a learner […]
Authors: Scarlett, Fiona, Thomas The proliferation of mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones in many countries, as well as a growing number of language learning applications that run on such devices, has made mobile learning a more compelling study option for L2 students in recent years. Research into ‘Mobile Assisted Language Learning’ (MALL) […]
Melody & Joy Photo Credit: Franz Walter2013 via Compfight cc Advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)(what is ICTs? Click here) have witnessed the emergence of new literacies in online contexts. The features of the new practices are as follows: Representation, which includes visual and hypertexual modes; Increased interaction and communication. Individuals have opportunities to […]
By Cecile, Nancy and Mia Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc Nowadays, teachers are quite familiar with teaching students to compose alphabetic texts (what is alphabetic? click here) in the digital environments, such as reports, academic essays, research papers, etc. However, they are often reluctant to introduce multiple modes in media into their writing […]
The emergence of digital games has elevated game-based language learning to a new level. Recently the role of digital games in language learning has aroused the attention of both language researchers and game designers who put effort into providing appropriate pedagogical support to maximize learning in gaming environments. A study of the relationship between digital […]
Purushotma’s (2005) paper argues how important the new term “edutainment” is to educators teaching adolescent students. It has been largely explored to achieve educational goals within entertainment content (e.g.: the applications of online games, music videos, typing tutors, etc.). The author provides a case from her own experience of language learning. With the memorization of […]