The aim of this study is to examine how collaborative skills can be
developed among secondary school pupils using digital tools (Word online,
Adobe Spark Video) in the language classroom. Several types of data were
collected: semi-structured interviews with teachers and learners, and
observation of collaborative activities in the language classroom (video
recordings, research log, observation notes, etc.). The case studies show
different collaborative activities, which fall into three categories:
coordination, articulation, and production. The analysis suggests that many
factors can have an impact on collaboration between students, and this paper
focuses on one in particular: digital tools. The findings revealed that
digital tools can support collaboration if they meet the specific needs of
the task (synchronous collaboration, asynchronous collaboration, or no
collaboration) and its accessibility for the pupils (one tool for the group,
one tool per student). Moreover, the analysis highlights the need to provide
techno-pedagogical training (Stockwell & Hubbard, 2013) to the pupils so
that they are able to use the tool efficiently in collaborative
activities.