Using a Complex Technology in a Language Course

In this chapter, how the complex technology of Second Life affects participation in an English course is investigated. With the aim of exploring gender issues, the special affordance of Second Life, i.e. voice-morphing together with sound-isolated parcels, was used. The data set consists of about 33 hours of audio recordings and chat logs of 8,315 words. The results show that in audio10.8% of the course time deals with technological challenges, while in chat 69.2% of the words contribute to technology. Three challenges interfering with participation were identified: software complexity, unreliable functionality of Second Life, and hardware and connectivity issues. To deal with these problems, pedagogical facilitators, technological facilitators, and Second Life -experienced peers made a significant contribution. Based on the results, this chapter analyzes whether Second Life can be widely used in language education, how affordances of it can be learned and taught, and scenarios where Second Life can and cannot be used.

Using Blogs to Motivate English as a Foreign Language Writers

Not many studies have been present on the effects of blogging, particularly with respect to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing motivation. Those studies did not focus on the effect of the use of blogs on Turkish EFL learners' writing motivation. Thus, this chapter examines how the use of blogs affects EFL writing motivation among EFL learners in a Turkish EFL learning context. A questionnaire interrogating demographic information, a pre-test and a post-test measuring writing achievement were administered to a group of participants including 48 language learners. According to results, blogging on its own does not increase motivation; however, the process-based writing instruction mainly has positive influences on EFL learners' motivation in both traditional pen-paper and blog environments. Thus, EFL teachers need to know that the use of blogs does not increase motivation among Turkish EFL learners. To increase their motivation level, it is also recommended that teachers should use a writing environment where their students are encouraged to write in the target language.

What Constitutes an Effective Instructional Video?

Online English courses have been developing rapidly in the past few years. As instructional videos play a central role in such courses, what constitutes an effective instruction video becomes a critical question for online English course developers. This chapter offers perspectives of EFL learners on this issue via content analysis of their feedback on existing instructional videos used in online English courses. The data consisted of 51 learners' comments on three micro-courses and 3,510 learner reviews on 41 English MOOCs. Analysis of the data revealed the most favorable features of an instructional video, the means to actualize these features, and learners' perceptions of different aspects of the physical design of an instructional video. The findings provided video producers with suggestions on the design and production of instructional videos used in online English courses.

An Investigation of Social Networking Sites for Language Learning and the User Experience

This chapter investigates the user experience of the language learning platform Busuu as a tool for learning Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL). Social constructionism has been highlighted by previous research as the theory on which Busuu is based, however, Álvarez concluded that Busuu constitutes an ecological system of nested semiotic spaces where pedagogical elements and principles from different theories of language learning interweave in complementary ways. Following a review of existing research, the chapter analyses data arising from a study involving a mixed group of university students who used the premium version of Busuu for four weeks. Data were collected via pre- and post-tests, a user experience questionnaire, and individual interviews, and were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings suggest that Busuu did not fully satisfy the requirements of a social network in terms of ease of participation, communication, and collaboration. Further research is required to explore the implications of usability testing for the design of effective SNSLL.

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Developmental Trajectories of Digital Literacies

Digital literacies are gaining popularity in teacher education over the past decade, but little research has been conducted on the developmental trajectories of pre-service teachers' digital literacies. Adopting a case study, four L2 Chinese pre-service teachers were examined during the spring semester of 2016 when they assisted teaching in a wiki writing classroom. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and observation diaries. Drawing upon the framework of digital literacies, this chapter identifies the core components of digital literacies in a wiki-based collaborative writing context: attitudes towards technology and application (Thinking), task organization and feedback provision (Doing), modes and genres (Meaning), teacher-student relations (Relating), and roles and responsibilities (Being), and further explores pre-service teachers' developmental trajectories of digital literacies before concluding with a discussion of implications for instruction and teacher education.

Toward the Future of Computer-Assisted Language Testing

Semi-direct speaking tests have become an increasingly favored method of assessing spoken performance in recent years. Underpinning evidence for their continued development and use has been largely contingent on language testing and assessment researchers' claim of their interchangeability with more traditional, direct face-to-face oral proficiency interviews through theoretical and empirical investigations from multiple perspectives. This chapter initially provides background and research synopses of four significant test facets that have formed the bases for semi-direct and direct speaking test comparison studies. These are followed by the inclusion of a recent case study comparing test taker output from a computer-based Aptis speaking test and a purposively developed identical face-to-face oral proficiency interview that found a slight register shift which may be viewed as advantageous for semi-direct speaking tests. Finally, future research directions are proposed in light of the recent developments in the semi-direct speaking testing research presented throughout this chapter.

An Exploratory Study of Using Personal Blogs for L2 Writing in Fully Online Language Courses

The chapter reports the results of an exploratory study examining the use of personal blogs for the development of L2 writing skills in fully online language courses. The chapter outlines the methodology of the blog project including pedagogical objectives, task design, selection of digital tools, and implementation. The study involved 48 beginning students who used blogs for their writing assignments over the course of two consecutive summers. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected from post surveys, blog entries, and comments, and final interviews were analyzed. The results indicated that students perceived blogging as an effective tool for building their writing skills. Moreover, the chapter revealed that feedback scaffolding affected students' efforts to make improvement on both content and form. The study concludes that while writing performance can be assessed by the implementation of a well-designed blog project, sufficient time for feedback interaction and strategies for effective use of feedback are vital to foster reflective thinking and collaborative learning.

Mobilisation and Enactment of Malaysian ESL Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

This chapter is a review of a three-year journey into exploring the development, mobilisation, and enactment of Malaysian ESL teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge through a professional learning community known as ‘Going Digital'. The first part of the chapter summarises the investigation on the effectiveness of the TPACK-IDDIRR + PLC as a transformative model of professional development to engender technology integration practices in the classroom. The findings reveal that the model is effective in enhancing technology integration practices of ESL teachers. In the second part, individual experiences of four members of the ‘Going Digital' are narratively explored to understand the mobilisation and enactment of TPACK from professional development to practice in the classroom. The affordances and constraints of technology integration is explored in the third part. The chapter concludes with discussions on the interconnectedness of knowledge, context, and identity; and how it has led to the proposition of the model for TPACK mobilisation, appropriation, and enactment.

Supporting Self-Directed Vocabulary Study: Towards Effective Design of OERs for Mobile Learning Environments

Although open educational resources (OERs) can help bridge high-school – university vocabulary gaps, optimal utilization of OERs requires effective self-directed learning. This bi-national two-year study adopted a design-based research paradigm to collect Chinese university students' (n = 358) perceptions regarding design factors that support self-directed vocabulary learning in mobile learning environments (MLEs). Results showed that additional scaffolding after Year One in the form of L1 translations of high-frequency academic words significantly correlated with improved performance on basic level vocabulary exercises and pop quizzes. However, results suggest that moving mobile learning into the mainstream will require (1) design features that provide additional scaffolding for more complex vocabulary learning, (2) clearer guidelines for students on integrating desktop and mobile devices and (3) ongoing guidance from teachers to develop students' capacity for self-directed learning to ensure optimal benefit from independent study of vocabulary OERs.

English Language Learner Motivation in the Digital Technology Classroom

This chapter investigates learner motivation in an English as a foreign language writing classroom in an Indonesian university. Its originality arises from the fact that no substantive studies have explored learner motivation in the digital classroom in Indonesian higher education. A mixed methods data collection process was conducted involving 144 students from three-year groups who responded to an online questionnaire. Two classes from Year 1 (47 students) were taken as a sample to observe the learning process between an existing group that was introduced to the learning of English writing through Edmodo. The other group used traditional materials for their writing tasks. The findings are significant in that the high levels of motivation reported by the students were not reflected in the way they completed their writing tasks as the use of technology affected their motivation in complex ways. In conclusion, the study encourages future research in Indonesia that measures English students' motivation and technology-mediated writing task performance through longitudinal studies.