Technology & English Language Teaching

Sonja LindYing Ren

Mark WarschauerDepartment of Education, UC Irvine

Research project:- Sponsored as a market study by a large ELT publishing company- Length: Spring 2008 – Fall 2009- Research team: Mark Warschauer, Sonja Lind, Ying Ren

Three incremental stages:

Online survey• 300+ teachers• 14 countries

Interviews• 42 teachers• 8 countries

Case studies• 8 sites(4 sites insouthern CA)

Research Questions:

Access: What technology do EL teachers and students have access to at their institutions, whether in a classroom or in a lab?

Use: How do EL teachers and students use technology?

Opinions: What are EL teachers' attitudes towards technology?

1) Brazil2) Colombia3) Costa Rica4) Ecuador5) Guatemala6) Japan7) Korea8) Mexico9) Nicaragua10) Panama11) Peru12) Taiwan13) United States

CountriesCountries Represented

Participant Demographics:

Survey: 332 participants 179 (54%) female and 148

(45%) male Most participants (32%)

were 40-49 years old Most participants (31%)

have taught for 21+ years Most participants (34%)

worked at a 4-5 year university or college

Interviews: - 42 participants- 28 (67%) female and 14 (33%) male - Participants divided equally (33%

each) among regions- Most participants (34%) worked at a

4-5 year university or college

Case Studies: - Eight focal teacher / institution

participants- Five (63%) male and three (37%)

female focal teachers - Four (50%) participants in the U.S.,

two (25%) in Japan, one (13%) each in Brazil and Mexico

- Most participants (five, or 63%) worked at a 4-5 year university or college

“I believe that technology for English language teaching is extremely important. Since students learn at different rates of speed, individual technology gives each student the opportunity to work at his/her own pace in a relaxed setting without competing with others in the class. It also allows students to make mistakes and to practice skills in private in order to avoid the embarrassment that often occurs in the conventional classroom setting.”

Analysis of Teacher Access

and Use (Interviews)

All regions: same access and use of computer labs

U.S. participants reported: more access and use of electronic content, language learning CDs and CD-ROMs, email, websites, word processors, presentation software and blogs.

Teacher S

upport and Training

Authentic M

aterials and Learner Autonom

y

Blended Learning

Technological E

xpertise

The H

uman E

lement

Motivation

Adm

inistrative and Financial S

upport

“The F

ourth Screen” (M

obile Learning)

Multim

edia and Gam

es

Instant Feedback and A

utomatic A

ssessment

Technology, S

peaking and Pronunciation

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

31

28

2120

1513

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8 87

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Figure 7: Interview Themes

Frequency of Interviews

Th

em

es

Interview Themes

Case Studies:

Adult school (computer lab) Four-year university (computer lab)

Public high school (classroom) Two-year community college (classroom)

Adult school (classroom):

Adult school (computer lab):

Adult school – Focal Teacher

• Bob is the “technology expert” for his district

• Maintains many technology blogs for teachers

• Sees technology as a tool: “The focus is not

computers. The focus is ESL.”

• Uses: coursebooks, newspapers, class blog

(PageFlakes), email, Microsoft Office, Audacity,

whiteboard, projector, computers, OHP,

headsets, USB thumbdrives

Adult school – Teachers and Technology• Bob has access to technology; others don't

(have to borrow computers, reserve lab)

• Teachers used traditional technologies: Whiteboards, CD players

• Other teachers were reticent to use technology, or had limited use (e.g. Powerpoint)

• Teachers felt technology was useful: “In general, I think it’s very helpful and it can only have positive results.”

Adult school – Students and Technology• 5 Mexican-American students (3 female, 2

male)At home: • 4/5 ss had computers with Internet• All ss have DVD players and TVs• All ss access social networking sites• Play video games and watch movies (usually Spanish)At school:• No ss brought computers to school• All ss bring cell phones• Use email for class, no social networking sites• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create essays, spreadsheets and slideshow presentations

Public high school (classroom):

Public high school:

Public high school – Focal Teacher

• Jennifer is also a “technology expert” for her

district; she helped develop an ELD program

guide for other ELD instructor

• Uses: coursebooks, novels, email, Microsoft

Office, Movie Maker, Rosetta Stone,

whiteboard, projector, laptops, OHP, headsets

High school – Teachers and Technology• All teachers have access to technology

• Teachers focus on academic writing and information literacy (how to use info correctly)

• Teachers used email, Microsoft Office, but were aware of Digital Divide challenges

• Teachers used AERIES, a learning management system (grades, announcements)

• Teachers used projectors, laptop carts

High school – Students and Technology• 17 students, mostly Mexican-American

At home: • All ss own cell phones• No ss owned laptops, a few had desktop computers• Some students have MP3 players, smart phones• Some ss learned English on radio, TV and iPodsAt school:• All ss brought cell phones• Ss borrowed laptops from laptop cart• Some ss use iPods to record audio (reading aloud)• Use Rosetta Stone, CD-ROMs, Internet search engines (Google), Google Translate• Use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Movie Maker to create essays, slideshow presentations and videos

Community college (classroom):

Community college (classroom):

Community college – Focal Teacher

• Karen teaches noncredit VESL and Digital

Storytelling class

• Is a “self-taught” technology user; keeps up to

date by reading TESL newsletters, blogs and

watching educational videos

• Uses: coursebooks, blogs, wikis, email,

clickers, scanners, Microsoft Office, Movie

Maker, whiteboard, projector, laptops, headsets

Community college – Teachers & Technology

• Program coordinator: “We have set ourselves as a high-tech, high-touch community college. We ... recognize that it has to have a lot of support and faculty engagement.” • Technology support: Program coordinator, focal teacher, tech-savvy librarian, e-newsletter; six paid hours of professional development a year

• Active use of technology: PowerPoint, Word, websites, wikis, blogs, learning management systems (Moodle, Blackboard, etc.), clickers, document camera, scanner, audio recording, wireless keyboards, multiple computer labs

Community college – Students & Technology

• 21 students, most Latin Americans, some East and Southeast Asians (13 female, 8 male)At home: • Most ss had computers; use them to chat, check email, visit social networking sites, pay bills online, watch TV• Most ss have DVD players and TVs• Some ss have iPods, smart phonesAt school:• No ss brought computers to school• A few ss re-enrolled in this class multiple times, for fun and English practice• Access to laptop carts, four computer labs• Only one student brought an electronic dictionary• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create essays, spreadsheets and slideshow presentations

University (computer lab):

University (classroom):

University – Focal Teacher

• Leah teaches upper-level academic ESL

• Doesn't think she's tech-savvy: “I’m probably

kind of in the middle towards the high end of

using technology just because I’m curious.”

• Uses: coursebooks, blogs, wikis, email,

Microsoft Office, YouTube, podcasts,

NoodleTools (citation management),

whiteboard, projector, headsets

University – Teachers & Technology

• Great sense of comradeship involved; teachers

share enthusiasm for technology, share materials,

prepare tests for each other

• Active use of technology: Microsoft Office,

Gradekeeper, Audacity, Voicethread, audio and video

clips (CNN, etc.), podcasts (NPR, etc.), websites,

wikis, blogs, digital camcorders

University – Students & Technology

• 11 students, most East Asians, two Europeans, one Middle Eastern (9 female, 2 male)At home: • All ss had computers with Internet; use to chat, visit social networking sites, read news, watch videos, listen to music• All ss used online dictionaries and thesauruses • Most ss have MP3 players, practice listening to EnglishAt school:• No ss brought computers to school• Access to one computer lab• Use of email for school, but not for personal use• Ss had electronic dictionaries, translators, cell phones• Use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to create essays and slideshow presentations; record voices on Audacity and Voicethread

Findings – Digital Divide

Not all students or teachers have Internet or

computer access

– Teachers may not have computers in class

– Students may not have access to

computers outside class

– Students' access to computers may be

limited to computer labs

Findings – Cell phones

• All students had them

• Students have cell phones, but may not have

computers

• Teachers are interested in using mobile

learning, but have not done so yet

• Still an untapped field of teaching and

published teaching materials

Findings – Ease of use

• Demand ≠ use

• Unintuitive technology was mostly unused

(interactive whiteboard) • Refresher

courses are

needed for more

complicated

technologies

Findings – Ease of use

• CDs, CD-ROMs are frequently used

• DVDs, supplementary publisher websites are

rarely used

Most teachers indicated a moderate to

strong dislike of electronic materials,

particularly supplementary websites

Findings – Multimedia

• Teachers overwhelmingly customized

teaching materials with online materials

Multimedia (esp. video) popular with

teachers and students (YouTube, Hulu,

Voicethread)

Findings – Open-access Materials Teachers prefer open-source, free and easily-

accessible materials:

–Popular: YouTube, Moodle, etc.

–Unpopular: Blackboard, podcasting, etc.

–Exceptions: Microsoft software, etc.

Findings – Technology Leaders

• One or two teachers or administrators who

advocate for technology

• These were the same leaders who advocated

for new teaching techniques

Findings – Technology Leaders

Any program needs to have pioneers or leaders … And that is the key. I think people have to think not only of what technology can provide, but who are going to be the leaders and mentors that make change happen?

It doesn’t happen with technology or the support person, because the support person can keep the computer going, but the support person can't get the teachers connected to it the way they need to.

- Program coordinator, community college

Findings – Technology as a tool “They come to my class and they would say,

'Are you the teacher who teaches computers?'

And I would say, 'Yeah, it's ESL and

Computers.'”

“The focus is not computers. The focus is

ESL.”

Findings – “Why use technology?” Student motivation

“If students aren't having fun, they won't be

motivated”

Thank you!slind@uci.edu

http://sonjalind.com