Introduction to the use of e-resources in the English classrooms
Updated: Apr 21, 2021
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Introduction to the use of e-resources in the English classrooms -- principles, concepts and pedagogical practices
Resources for learning
Big data
Cloud-based
Hugh and growing number of tools and apps
Constant change
Short life span
WEB 2.0 IN EDUCATION
●Web 2.0 empowers students as contributors to give a voice to share and connect with people locally as well as globally (Langer de Ramirez, 2010) .
●Web 2.0 as tools also help to scaffold students’ learning:
○Reinforces and expands knowledge learning
○Motivates students to learn
○Active building of knowledge instead of receiving knowledge passively
Students of the 21st Century
“Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” (Prensky, 2001)
Key Concept 1: ‘Digital natives’
●Students of the 21st century are ‘digital natives’, growing up with technologies.
●Technology is integral to their daily lives.
How have e-resources been adopted in English Language Education?
●E-resources as alternatives to traditional approaches (“substitutes”) but teachers teach in pretty much the same way.
E.g.
‘Powerpoint’ as the new blackboard
E-books as the new readers
Online tests to replace traditional paper-based assessment
●E-resources as a set of tools for language learning (“e-resources”)
E.g.
Hardware (e.g. mp3 player)
Websites (e.g. online dictionary, BBC Learning English)
Software (e.g. iTunes)
●E-resources as platforms for language learning and learning is no longer bound by classroom walls
E.g.
blogs (e.g. bloggers)
Websites (e.g. Youtube)
Learning Management System (e.g. Moodle, schoology, etc.)
●E-resources as driving force for reform of English language curriculum and pedagogy
Aligning what happens inside and outside classroom
Increasing choices and opportunities for individual learners
Increasing interaction and collaboration of learners
Removing barriers between subjects, media, people and places
Literacy →multiliteracies
“... on one hand, the broad move from the new centuries- long dominance of writing to the new dominance of the image and, on the other hand, the move from the dominance of the medium of the book to the dominance of the medium of the screen. These two together are producing a revolution in uses and effects of literacy and of associated means for representing and communicating at every level and in every domain”. (Kress, 2003, p.1)
The competency of using text, audio, picture and video together for meaning representation and communication is demanded by digital society, shifting from ‘literacy’ to ‘multiliteracies’.
Blended learning
Blended language learning refers to “a language course which combines a face-to-face classroom component with an appropriate use of technology” (Sharma & Barrett, 2007, p. 7).
The term technology covers a wide range of technologies. It includes the use of computers as a means of communication, such as chat and email, virtual learning environments (VLEs), websites, blogs and wikis.
What does blended learning entail?
Thorne (2003, p. 16) suggests that blended learning is a mix of:
Multimedia technology
Video streaming
Virtual classroom
Voicemail, email and conference calls
Online text animation
Components of blended learning
●Face-to-face interaction
●Course website
●Online quiz/assessment
●Email/ Social site
●PowerPoint slides
●Conferencing
●Digital audio and videos
●Print materials
●Digital lecture delivery
●Video conferencing, both synchronous & asynchronous
●Digital whiteboard
●Use of portable hardware (e.g. smartphones & tablets)
Key principles for adopting a blended-learning approach
●Separate the role of the teacher and the role of technology
●Teach in a principled way: teaching is driven by the pedagogy and content objectives, supported by the technology
●Technology is a complement and enhances face-to-face learning.
Why is blended learning important?
●Blended learning represents a real opportunity to create learning experiences that can provide the right learning at the right time and in the right place for each and every individual.
●Blended learning extends the walls of the school to the world - and brings the world within the walls of the school.
It can be truly universal, crossing global boundaries and bringing groups of learners together through different cultures and time zone.
The e-learning Classroom
Recommended Reading
1. A book chapter about empowering English language learners with Web 2.o tools:
Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Why Use Web 2.0 Tools with ELLs? In Empower English Language Learners with Tools From the Web, pp.1-12. California: Corwin.
2. A good read about ‘new literacies’:
Henry, L. A. (2006). SEARCHing for an answer: The critical role of new literacies while reading on the Internet. Reading Teacher, 59(7), 614-627.
3. A website about media and digital literacy: http://mediasmarts.ca/
References
Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Empower English Language Learners with Tools From the Web. California: Corwin.
Kress, G. (2003). Literacy in the New Media Age. London: Routledge.
Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2007). Sampling "the new" in new literacies. In M. Knobel & C. Lankshear (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 1-24). New York: Peter Lang.
Prensky , M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved from http://www.albertomattiacci.it/docs/did/Digital_Natives_Digital_Immigrants.pdf
Sharma, P. & Barret, B. (2007) Blended Learning: Using Technology in and Beyond the Language Classroom. Oxford: Macmillan Education.
Thorne, K. (2003). Blended learning: how to integrate online and traditional learning. New Jersey: Kogan Page
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