Digital Literacy and Motivation

The contribution of this chapter to the knowledge of motivation in relation to the learning of a foreign language lies in the extensive examination of student attitudes to a detailed field of involved factors. This chapter gives an account of affective factors in the digital classroom on the basis of the level of the digital literacy of the participating students. The digital learning of an L2 is correlated to the level of language learning anxiety, willingness to communicate in the L2, attitude to feedback, and preference for teaching methods. The results show that the level of digital literacy is so high that it should not in itself negatively impact attitude to other factors. The central finding of the investigation is that intrinsic motivation is the strongest motivational drive when compared to other motivational factors.

There Is Nothing to See. Or Is There?

Augmented Reality has the potential of transforming teaching. By applying this technology themselves, students progress from consumers of technology to producers of their own digital content, and they can make it available to a large audience and create an immersive learning experience. After a language trip to Scotland, teachers and two classes of 17-year-old students from a school in Salzburg, Austria, decided to present the outcome of their project work from their stay abroad in a more interactive and innovative way. Instead of inviting parents and friends to an evening of PowerPoint, the students designed AR posters and visitors were invited to an interactive gallery walk during which they had the chance to explore thematic posters related to Scotland. While at first glance the posters seem rather bland, digital content, which the students produced, opens up by scanning the pictures on the poster with a special AR app. This project successfully combines language and digital skills and has shown to motivate students to engage even deeper with their topic.

The Potential of Text-to-Speech Synthesis in Computer-Assisted Language Learning

This chapter describes the potential of text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) as a tool that can transform CALL platforms. Illustrating this point, a specific platform, An Scéalaí, is presented. By incorporating TTS, this platform facilitates the training of literacy skills, writing, and reading, with an emphasis at all times on the spoken language. The platform is described, as is the way in which it functions as a personalised tutor, prompting the learner towards self-correction. The prompts are delivered in both spoken/auditory form (using TTS voices) and in written form. The auditory feedback enables prooflistening, as well as spoken instructions pertaining to specific errors not picked up in the prooflistening process. The learner's progress is monitored throughout and records of the process are harvested for future research. The language in focus is Irish, and the linguistic complexities being targeted in the present implementation are explained, along with the relevant sociolinguistic context.

Desirability of Multimedia Hyperlinks in Fiction to Foster Pupil Reading Motivation and Immersion

Reading from digital screens has become increasingly common practice in educational and recreational reading. The response to this digital shift has been twofold. Some suspect it will harm children's ability to perform deep reading; others highlight its potential to support reading among different groups. Digital reading tools, such as fiction with multimedia hyperlinks, could engage particularly reluctant readers or children from low-literate families. This chapter presents the results of an experimental, mixed-method study that identifies hyperlink type and frequency desirability in literary texts. A comparative analysis of respondent perspectives revealed that teachers mark on average more explanatory and enriching hyperlinks than pupils. Pupil and teacher hyperlink type desirability are significantly influenced by respectively literary genre and reading motivation, and importance of pupil reading motivation and media use. Pupil and teacher explanatory hyperlink frequency are significantly influenced by respectively literary genre, and importance of pupil reading motivation.

Understanding Learner and Instructor Attitudes Toward and Use of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning

This chapter offers insights into the benefits and drawbacks of adopting mobile learning in language education, both from a theoretical as well as a practical point of view. A survey was designed to explore pedagogically sound practices and provide a better understanding of the current and future role of MALL on language learning, specifically in higher education (HE). Comparison between the two target groups (learners and teachers) produced results to aid in aligning and narrowing distances between the learners' independent usage of MALL in informal learning and the instructors' perception of how mobile apps can or should be integrated into the language curriculum. The chapter proposes a number of research areas that require further exploration in MALL and with a set of recommendations in terms of embracing MALL practices in language learning and teaching.

Gamification as a Teaching Resource for English-Medium Instruction and Multilingual Education at University

Gamification has emerged in recent years as a resource that incorporates game-related elements and mechanics into the classroom to foster students' motivation, engagement, and further competences. With the proliferation of English-medium instruction (EMI) and multilingual degree programs at university nowadays, new and innovative teaching tools are desirable to help students cope with the double-challenging task of acquiring new and complex disciplinary content through a foreign language. This chapter provides an overview of some recent computer-based gamification tools that may be applied in EMI and multilingual university settings. More specifically, the main features and advantages of these tools for these specific educational contexts are explored. This chapter may be useful for researchers and practitioners in the field of EMI and multilingual teaching in higher education.

The Role of Technology in Audio Text Comprehension for English as a Second Language

This chapter proposes to establish a starting point in the design of technology specialized in the development of listening comprehension skills from a theoretical perspective, when learning English as a second language. Therefore, an exploration about how technologies have evolved in the practice of learning English as a second language was required. Likewise, authors look at fundamental aspects of technology literacy and how this is rooted in users' contexts. From this, they conceptualize the symbolic competence through the ecological theory in order to design a computer-assisted language learning practice. Findings led to the conclusion that a guide on how to build specialized technology in English learning as a second language does not exist. What indeed exists is the application of recycled technology created for other purposes but used for English learning. Authors propose a practice where the meaning is explored through the understanding of what happens in the context by using 3D holograms as an optical illusion.

MOOCs in the Language Classroom

In this chapter, the author discusses the role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the field of foreign language education. It examines the relationship between MOOCs and self-regulated learning, and goes on to explore the repurposing of content-based MOOCs as complementary materials to foster students' self-regulated behaviour and practice of the target language inside and out the language classroom. A research project that has explored self-regulated language learning in a blended context with content-based MOOCs is also discussed here, with particular reference to the self-regulatory strategies employed by a group of language students at University level. A series of recommendations that supports the use of content-based MOOCs as part of face-to-face language courses are provided at the end of this chapter.

Social Networking and Language Learning

This chapter gives a brief overview on the use of social network sites (SNSs) for language learning and presents an empirical study of the use of Instagram (IG), one of the most popular SNSs, to assess learners' oral communication skills in the foreign language classroom. Several studies have mainly revealed the perceptions and preferences of learners in regards to using SNSs for learning grammar, vocabulary, L2 writing, reading, and speaking. In the current study, the performance scores of participants on an oral communication speaking task delivered both on IG and in class, as well as their scores on the Big Five personality traits as measured by the Quick Big Five Personality Test (QBFPT), were examined statistically. The results demonstrate IG facilitated students' performance in oral communication skill significantly and that personality traits do not predict the performance on IG, but the extroverted and conscientious are highly likely to achieve high scores in classroom.

WhatsApp and Jitsi to Foster Student Engagement in an American-Spanish Telecollaboration Exchange

This chapter explores students' engagement in a telecollaboration project between a Spanish and an American university. Students' cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement were evaluated throughout the project. A total of 53 students participated in an online exchange during one and a half months through two different applications, WhatsApp representing the text-based environment and Jitsi representing the synchronous videoconferencing platform. The engagement construct was explored using pre and post measures as well as tracking students' conversation in the platforms. Results yielded high levels of cognitive engagement as a result of the interaction. Values for emotional engagement were found to be higher in the instant messaging platform and behavioral engagement did not present significant values. Implications and recommendations for future research were drawn.