Teaching in in the 21st Century:

new approaches in the digital age

Pete Sharma

alumniSao Paolo

July 2011

1)Do you blog?2)Do you tweet?3)Do you Facebook?4)Do you have a Smartphone?5)Do you have a tablet pc?6)Do you have an anorak?

Aim

• To update on “what’s new” in digital trends in language teaching

• To explore good practice

Overview

(1) Innovations(2) Critical analysis(3) Controversies(4) Practical ideas(5) Focus on the future

(1) New era!

• Chalk – e-pen• Digital immigrants vs digital natives

(Prensky)

• Web 1.0 – Web 2.0 – user content / collaborative

More than a coursebook…….

Publishers no longer ‘sole’ owners

(2) Controversial:Multiple perspectives

Multiple perspectivesTeacher

Student

Trainer

DOS

$$$

School

PublisherAuthor

Designer

Developer

Theory

Corpus linguistics

(3)Technology - changed language teaching forever

Augmented RealityAppTweet-deckTwitterverse“What’s trending now?”iPadBlogWikiTxt spkCU l8terBack channelWeb 2.0

(4) Wider range of course types

Course types

Importance of attitude

www.farmgirlfollies.com

Knowledge – Skills - Attitude

K S

A3 numbers

Innovations

• Is it ‘new for you’?• Five recent developments

–iPad–Mobile dictionaries–Digital learning platform–Software developments–Second Life

English360 [Publisher + authentic + Teacher]

New terms for the digital age

• ‘Learning object’• Re-usable• Tagging• Re-sequencing – ‘playlists’

Part two:Critical analysis of five technologies

1) Podcasts2) Interactive whiteboards3) Wikis4) Virtual Learning Environments5) M-learning

(1)Podcasts

Upside Downside• portability – mp3 player• learner control• authentic materials – ESP• DIY • range

• ‘wrong kind of podcast’• authoring – not for every

teacher

• Power Point • Word • CD-ROM• Internet• “Always-on Internet” • ‘Just-in-time’ teaching Approach one

Four approaches

(2) Interactive whiteboards

Approach two –IWB software

Approach 3 - courseware

Approach four - DIY

Learner response devices

Text to board

Voting

Benefits• memorable presentations• ‘savability’• review• ‘heads-up’• precise answer

Drawbacks• cost issues• need to calibrate• ‘learning curve’• can encourage teacher-centred

classroom

(3) Wikis

Upside Downside• collaborative• process writing• ‘history’ to see changes

• not intuitive• not everyone wishes for

peer correction

(4) Virtual Learning Environments

Upside Downside• information on demand• appropriacy• pre/post course tasks

• time-consuming to learn• ‘blended courses’ pleasing

no-one• cost issues

Features:Assignments / Chatrooms / Questionnaire /Quizzes / Forum / Glossary / Handouts

Focus on appropriacy

Synchronous

Asynchronous

(5) M-learning

“learning that happens when the learner takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_learning

M-learning

Upside Downside

• ubiquitous / helpful

• exciting• 24/7

• Young• Too many

contexts• Too-focussed

on ‘apps’