scholarly journals Navigating institutional teaching culture in implementing language ePortfolios

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-136
Author(s):  
Theresa Schenker ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
David Malinowski
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Private University ◽  
Faculty Training ◽  
Technological Support ◽  
Teaching Culture ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
University Level

Our article presents the case of ePortfolio use for university-level language learners in foreign, second, and heritage (L2) language classes. It outlines the multi-year initiative of a language center in a private university in the Northeastern U.S. to introduce and support the use of ePortfolios in language classes across its campus. The article takes the form of a narrative in two parts, and in two voices. First, the authors outline the rationale, stages of planning, faculty training initiatives, and technical considerations from the vantage point of the language center’s ePortfolio initiative. The second narrative portrays how this ePortfolio initiative took shape in one semester of an Advanced German course. There, the instructor experimented with ePortfolios to showcase students’ language skills and intercultural achievements, while cultivating their digital literacy. We argue that the potential for students to take ownership over their ePortfolios as tools for deeper academic and personal development resides significantly with their instructor’s pedagogical assumptions and approaches. Further, we suggest that language learners’ sustained and deeper use of ePortfolios can be best supported not by a single classroom instructor acting alone, but through coordinated pedagogical, administrative, and technological support across the institution.

scholarly journals TEACHING DRAMA: CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Milena M. Kaličanin ◽  
Kristina M. Petrović
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
Renaissance Drama ◽  
The World ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

It has frequently been stated that the dramatic method of teaching is rather efficient in students’ personal development. The basic practical aspect of this teaching method involves the acquisition of various social and language skills which point to its immense interdisciplinary potential. Apart from the benefits, teaching drama represents a highly challenging task for educators since they are supposed to mediate between the world of artists and the recipients of their art. In order to highlight the challenges and benefits of teaching drama, the theoretical framework of the paper relies on the pioneering lecturing work of Heathcote (1976, 1998), as well as the critical insights of Freire (2005) and Nussbaum (1997). Their methodical perspectives on drama as a learning medium have been combined with the results of the internal survey the authors of the paper conducted in the period 2016-2018 by teaching Renaissance drama courses at the university level.

scholarly journals Reaping the benefits of using Twitter in advanced language learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacia Beverley Johnson
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
New Literacies ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Constructivist Theory ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Social Constructivist Theory

The need to use and integrate digital literacy tools is critical in the current landscape of advanced language learning. Microblogging (e.g. Twitter) is one such tool that fosters student interaction and collaboration among language learners. This article will conceptualize the practice of tweeting, in relation to social constructivist theory and to new literacies, in senior high school language classes using CEFR’s B1 and B2 proficiency level tasks. The perceived benefits of using Twitter for language learning will be listed. Guides to getting educators started with Twitter, suggestions for tweet tasks and connections for CEFR C1 and C2 advanced language learners will also be included.

International teleconferences in EGAP courses: preparing students for prospective professional situations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-32
Author(s):  
Anila R. Scott-Monkhouse ◽  
Michal Tal ◽  
Maria Yelenevskaya
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Israel Institute ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Abstract This paper describes a joint programme developed in 2018 by the University of Parma Language Centre (Italy) and the Humanities and Arts Department of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The aim of the project was to involve students of English for General Academic Purposes in delivering presentations to an unfamiliar foreign audience on a topic relevant to their academic interests. The students were required to prepare for the presentation by exploring and personalising the chosen topic so as to be able to explain it to a group which they had had no previous contact with or information about. Through the active involvement of the students in a realistic implementation of their prospective professional use of English, language learning became a holistic experience where a traditional approach to language learning focusing mainly on vocabulary and macro-skills was integrated with a pragmatic approach which addressed the so-called ‘21st-century skills’ (specifically critical thinking, communication, collaboration and digital literacy). The simulation of situations that they are likely to encounter in their professional lives helped students build their confidence, with the whole learning experience carrying both emotional and social implications. This paper offers an insight into the challenges and issues which arose, and ideas for improving the learning experience. We describe the preparation carried out by the teachers at both universities, and the guided and autonomous work carried out by students in the different stages. A post-conference survey triggered the students’ self-reflection in relation to learning and personal development. The survey was also valuable for the teachers regarding reassessment of teaching strategies and preparation for future joint projects.

scholarly journals Tourism and ICT. Bibliometric Study on Digital Literacy in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
David Caldevilla-Domínguez ◽  
Alba-María Martínez-Sala ◽  
Almudena Barrientos-Báez
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Bibliometric Study ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Tourism Studies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Training Institutions ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

The scientific production of digital literacy at the university level published in the Scopus database is analyzed, with a special emphasis on studies on tourism due to the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in said professional sector. For this, a bibliometric study of a pertinent sample is undertaken using a mixed methodology and based on a series of variables related to formal and content aspects. The last variable, reserved for the academic field under study, directly addresses the main objective as regards tourism. The results show a great global and multidisciplinary interest in digital literacy (DL), mainly from students. There is also a parallel between the integration of ICT into society and the growing evolution of case studies, as well as little interest in their development in specific areas such as tourism studies. Despite good results in general terms, the lack of specialization poses challenges that require greater involvement of training institutions in the sense of providing future professionals with the necessary tools to face them successfully, especially in sectors such as tourism where ICTs are a key piece.

An analysis of pragmatic content in EFL textbooks for young learners in Croatia

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882098693
Author(s):  
Eva Jakupčević ◽  
Mihajla Ćavar Portolan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Insight Into

Pragmatic competence is an essential element of communicative competence, which makes it relevant for speakers of all ages, including young language learners (YLLs). Despite the recognized importance of pragmatics, research of textbooks for adult second language (L2) learners to date has found them lacking in their approach to this key aspect of language. However, there is very little research of pragmatics in textbooks for YLLs, which would provide insight into the extent to which these materials can support teachers in including elements of pragmatic competence into their language classes. The present study aims to fill this gap by determining how much pragmatic content is included in 18 textbooks used in Croatian primary schools with learners aged 9–12 years. The textbooks are compared in regard to the percentage of pages with pragmatic content as well as the different speech acts that receive explicit attention in them. The main finding of the study is the great amount of inconsistency when it comes to the scope and treatment of pragmatic content, with some textbooks proving extremely lacking. The results present a concerning picture as all of the students using these diverse textbooks should be following the same curriculum which emphasizes the development of communicative competence.

Digital skills and complex thinking in engineering students of a particular university in Lima in times of pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3C) ◽  
pp. 155-165
Author(s):  
Luis Alex Valenzuela Fernández ◽  
Violeta Cadenillas Albornoz ◽  
Blanca Soledad Zavala Alfaro ◽  
Jean Paul Suazo Zárate ◽  
Cesar Ulloa-Silvestre
Keyword(s):  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Private University ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Management Communication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Complex Thinking ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Medium Level

This article focuses on the relationship of digital skills and complex thinking in engineering students from a private university in Lima, Peru. A non-experimental, descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out. The sample consisted of 175 engineering students who were administered the questionnaires developed in Google Forms for digital skills and the complex XXI scale to measure complex thinking with reliability values of .965 and .941 respectively for the alpha of Cronbach. The descriptive results showed that 48% of the respondents were found at the medium level of digital skills and that in the case of complex thinking there was a significant tie between the medium and high levels (approximately 41%). It was concluded that there was a strong and positive correlation between digital skills and complex thinking (Pearson's correlation = .759). In addition, four dimensions of digital literacy were evaluated (information management, communication management, wearable technology management and organizational aspects) which showed a positive and moderate relationship with complex thinking.

Googleology for second language learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-469
Author(s):  
Patrizia Giampieri
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Advanced Search ◽  
The World ◽  
Google Search

Abstract The World Wide Web has often been considered too vast to be consulted for linguistic purposes or for language learning. This paper will explore whether second language learners can be taught how to navigate the web (i.e., how to perform Google linguistic research, or “Googleology”), in order to improve their language skills. To this aim, a 2 h trial lesson was organized. The trial lesson was delivered to 78 apprentices, divided into groups of 10–15, over a period of six months. During the lesson, the participants were taught how to work with Google Advanced Search syntax. At the end of the lesson, they applied the newly-acquired skills by completing a few tasks concerning term and/or collocational search. The paper findings will highlight that, despite initial hesitation or inaccuracies in completing the exercises, the tasks were performed well. The participants considered the lesson interesting, useful and enjoyable. They felt engaged irrespective of the level of their second language (L2) knowledge, and were more confident in approaching Google Search for linguistic purposes.

scholarly journals The Impact of Oral and Written Feedback on EFL Writers With the Use of Screencasts

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Alvira
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Private University ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Oral Feedback ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Promising Strategy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Results

<p>This article, based on an action research study performed at a Colombian middle-sized private university, proposes specific strategies to provide feedback to English as a foreign language learners and uses a Web 2.0 tool called screencasting. The findings of the study suggest that the use of coded, written, and oral feedback is widely accepted by students and yields positive results in the improvement of their writing skills at the paragraph level, and that the use of screencasting is a promising strategy that is motivational to students and increases the quality of their uptake.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document