Mentoring Teacher Assistants to Use Online Tools

This chapter indicates how a group of Teaching Assistants (TAs) was trained in the use of technology to help students enrolled in large first year Spanish classes excel in learning of Spanish as a foreign language. Framed by the Communities of Practice theory proposed by Wenger (1998), this study supports the theory that by examining their practices, trainees may become more effective in what they learn. Six TAs participated in the study and their reflection-on-action logs were examined and compared to the trainer's personal observations. Interpretation of the results was then carried out by comparing parallel and dissimilar ideas which were then used as focus for discussion. Outcomes support the theory that communities of practice and reflective inquiry are valuable teacher training tools.

A TL-TPACK Model on CSL Pre-Service Teachers' Competencies of Online Instruction

This chapter aims to introduce the integration of TPACK into a Chinese pre-service teacher training program and discuss its outcomes and challenges. First, the concept of TPACK was introduced and relevant TPACK research and its constraints in the previous studies were discussed. Through the partnership between a Chinese pre-service teacher training program in Taiwan and a Chinese learning program in the States, the author developed a Teaching and Learning Model, entitled TL-TPACK model, integrating practicum, course design, advisors, peer cooperation, and reflections—five training strategies to ensure the training and learning outcome. At the end of the chapter, an empirical Chinese pre-service teacher training study applying the TL-TPACK model was conducted to investigate pre- service teachers' seven TPACK competences and Chinese learners' learning performance. Finally, research implications and suggestions for future studies were discussed.

Learning to Teach for Next-Generation Education

This chapter examines how pre-service teachers specializing in English Language Teaching (ELT) in secondary schools can learn to teach for Next-Generation Education by developing professional skills that are in line with today and tomorrow's technology-mediated environments. To face this challenge, some specific CALL-based ELT training combining action and reflection has recently been introduced in the Education Department at Paris-Sorbonne University. In order to examine the specific CALL-based ELT training offered in light of the set objective, its theoretical underpinnings will first be considered. The design and content of a CALL-based ELT course and of an online tutoring module will then be studied. The pre-service teachers' perception of this CALL-based ELT training will then be explored through the results of online surveys. Conclusions will be drawn from these results and future directions will be outlined.

Social Media and Foreign Language Teacher Education

This chapter will focus on examining how instructors who are preparing foreign language teachers, both pre-service and in-service, integrate social media in their teaching practices to gain more insights on what beliefs these instructors hold and what differences and similarities between their beliefs and actual teaching practices about social media integration in foreign language teacher education. The chapter will first provide a literature review about the general beliefs that instructors held on the integration of social media and foreign language teacher education. Next, promising examples of the integration of social media in foreign language teacher education will be provided. Last but not least, affordances and challenges of the integration of social media and foreign language teacher education will be discussed, followed by implications and future directions.

Divergent Teacher Viewpoints of Technology Integration in the Language Classroom

This chapter presents a qualitative analysis of the beliefs and practices of three language teachers in Thailand vis-à-vis their integration of technology in the classroom as well as their views regarding social networking site participation as a facilitative tool for instruction. The study brings together research on the identity development work of teachers and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Through the analysis of extensive teacher interview data and classroom observations, the study demonstrates how these teachers self-identify as users of technology, and how this sense of self interacts with and shapes various aspects of their teaching practice. The three teachers in this study represent a range of divergent viewpoints related to technology use and integration in the classroom, and the analysis of these viewpoints helps to illustrate the specific factors underlying how and why they choose to make pedagogic use of technology.

Teaching Foreign Languages in the Twenty-First Century

This chapter explores the case of a hybrid Spanish program where technology, standards, and teacher expertise in foreign language education are merged to bolster students' learning. The chapter identifies the instructional elements relevant to 21st century foreign language education, and depicts the transactional relationship between technology, standards and teacher experience in a Spanish hybrid teaching environment. Finally, we provide a set of recommendations for current and future Spanish educators, as well as foreign language educators in general based on the experiences shared by students, educators, and administrator in the program.

Language Teachers' Perceptions of External and Internal Factors in Their Instructional (Non-) Use of Technology

Prior studies (e.g., Li & Walsh, 2011) found that language teachers did not use technology fully despite its possible facilitating function in language teaching. Through a survey and group discussions, this study explores pre-service Chinese-language teachers' perceptions of the internal and external barriers to their instructional technology use. The respondents (N=47) expressed five main types of external barriers: a) lack of technology, b) difficulty in accessing the available technology, c) lack of technical support, d) lack of proper assessment, and e) negative parental attitude. The two main internal barriers identified in this research were a) negative attitude originating from teachers' pedagogical beliefs, and b) lack of technology-related knowledge. The findings of this study should be of practical use in the future design and implementation of professional development aiming at improving language teachers' use of technology in teaching.

Technology Standards for Chinese Language Teacher Education

Guided by the TPACK theory (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), this chapter reviews and compares the technology standards related to and designed for teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) from the entry level to the accomplished level in the United States and China. It has found that the technology standards are often included in the comprehensive standards for teachers and parallel the standards about other aspects of teaching. The technology standards related to CFL in the two countries share some similarities but also differ in important ways. Several important and critical understandings are identified, including the needs for CFL technology standards, the theoretical foundations for CFL technology standards, and a more solid and comprehensive infrastructure for CFL education. Recommendations are made to address the needs, and research is called for to study the development and implementation of CFL technology standards.

Technology Instruction in Language Teacher Education Programs

It is important to examine how prospective teachers were prepared with integrating technology in their teaching. This study explored the integration of technology instruction among ten top world language teacher preparation programs in the United States. Data collection included document analysis of syllabi and interviews with program directors and instructors. The findings revealed that technology instruction were provided to language pre-service teachers through general technology courses, methods courses, and a series of technology-related courses infused throughout the entire program. In addition, technology courses organized a variety of approaches to enrich students' experiences with technology. We also generated four main themes to reflect some key elements in current technology instruction for pre-service teachers. The study enriches our knowledge of the current situation for how different world language teacher education programs prepare their pre-service teachers.

The Technology Segment of a Methods Course

This chapter reports a case study with survey data collected from one residency Spanish language teacher completing the final phase of a modern languages education program as well as two current in-service Spanish language teachers who completed the same program the year previously. Specifically, the study examined 1) what the three teachers recall of an overarching framework for embracing technology they were introduced to in their methods course, 2) what technologies they currently employ for language instruction and why, and 3) what characteristics they imagine the model modern language educator of the future will require. Findings revealed that these teachers did not recall in detail the overarching system for embracing technology introduced to them, they utilized a very broad range of technologies for teaching which would prove difficult to train them all in effectively during a methods course, and they saw flexible, engaging, patient, and content-prepared professionals as the future of the profession.