Teach with digital:Developing digital skills for
language teaching
Maggie Dunlop and Helen Allen
Who are you?
A. I’m a teacher.
B. I’m a co‐ordinator/director of studies.
C. I’m a learner.
D. I’m a parent.
Maggie Dunlop and Helen Allen
Teach with digital:Developing digital skills for
language teaching
It’s not technology … but pedagogy.
‘Digital learning is learning facilitated by technology that gives students some element of control over time, place, pathway and pace.’
(Digital Now Foundation, 2014)
How can we use technology to enhance learning?
What are my professional development objectives?
1. Where am I?• Evaluate where you are in your professional development.
2. What do I want to do? • Identify an area that you’d like to focus on.
3. How do I get there? • Identify digital tools and resources for your CPD.• Evaluate digital tools and resources so that you can be sure they meet your needs and those of your learners.
Our objectives today
Where am I?
Evaluate where you are in your digital professional development
What do I already know?
What will help me in my career?
What’s out there – current trends and themes?
What do I need to do for my institution?
What do my learners need (and want)?
What are my interests?
What are my weaknesses?What are my strengths?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework © British Council, reproduced under CC‐BY‐NC‐ND 4.0 International licence. Sourced at www.teachingenglish.org.uk
Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) © European Union, 2017. Sourced at https://ec.europa.eu
Have you ever used a teaching framework?
A. Yes, I often refer to a framework to help me develop my teaching.
B. Yes, but not regularly.C. Sometimes, but it can be difficult to find my
way around.D. No, I don’t use a teaching framework.
• Can Do statements• Links to further information• Links to training• A self‐evaluation tool
Useful features of a teaching framework
thedigitalteacher.com
thedigitalteacher.com
thedigitalteacher.com
thedigitalteacher.com
thedigitalteacher.com
Awareness
UnderstandingHabit
Mastery
How effectively can you find and evaluate digital resources?
A. I can identify one or two sources of digital resources (awareness).
B. I can evaluate digital resources for language teaching (understanding).
C. I can evaluate whether digital resources support learning outcomes, and help teachers do this (habit).
D. I can advise other teachers and schools on digital resources for language teaching (mastery).
What skills do you want to develop?
Choosing your digital CPD
objectives using an online framework
How are you going to develop
new skills?
Online tools for developing
teaching skills
A. Speed up essay or report writing by using ‘voice typing’. Learners will need to clean up their writing later, but they’ll get ideas down more quickly.
B. Need to focus on a specific pronunciation area like uncle/ankle, think/sink, fit/feet? Get learners to practisedictating minimal pairs to their smartphones.
C. Look for interactive games where you control characters with only your voice. Search your app store for ‘voice‐controlled game’.
D. Turn pronunciation work into a team game. Teams race to dictate 10 sentences accurately into the document. The fastest team is the winner!
Using automated speech recognition
IATEFL Learning Technologies Special Interest Group
Add images and links
How do you know which tools to use?
Creating product review criteria
How long is this going to take?
Is this from a reputable source? Is training recognised,
accredited?
Is this fact or opinion?
Is this information or practical resources?
Will it take time to understand if this is any
good or not?
Is this relevant to language teaching?
How does this help me?
How does it help me to help my learners?
User Experience• Is the content presented in a clear way?• Is the product aesthetically pleasing?• Does the product offer easy navigation?
Product review criteria
Language Learning• Language practice
o What language skills can learners practise?o How much control do learners have over the pace of learning?
o How helpful is the product for teaching large classes?• Tracking learning
o Can users set their own learning goals?o Are there self‐assessment opportunities?o Can teachers observe learners’ strengths and weaknesses?
Product review criteria
A. What language proficiency levels is the product useful for?
B. Is any of the content potentially unsuitable for some learners (e.g. cultural or political issues)?
C. Does the product provide examples of authentic language?
D. How does the product generate feedback on learning (e.g. tracking data)?
Evaluating news websites
A. What genres of language does the product present?
B. How helpful is the product for teaching large classes?
C. What collaborative opportunities are there?D. What social interaction does the product enable?
Evaluating document‐sharing platforms
Language Learning• Social interaction
o What opportunities are there for communication between learners?
o What collaborative opportunities are there?o What kind of communities can develop?
• Learning through languageo What opportunities are there for developing intercultural
skills?o How can learners use language to build knowledge in
school subjects?o What critical thinking skills can learners develop?
Product review criteria
User Experience
Language Learning
Technical Information• How long will I be able to use this technology for?• How does the product company use your data?• Is this site safe for me and for my learners to use?
Product review criteria
How can you check if an online tool is right?
Applying product review criteria –some examples
1. Brainstorm vocabulary around a theme (whole class).
2. Groups develop vocabulary lists on a sub‐topic.
3. Groups create flashcards – use dictionaries/web searches/textbooks/corpora for example sentences.
4. Language production activity on the theme –presentation, written assignment.
Extending Quizlet – a teaching idea
© 2015 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google Translate™ is a trademark of Google Inc.
Audio button
© 2015 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google Translate™ is a trademark of Google Inc.
How can you feel confident about using an online tool?
Navigating the digital world safely and successfully
Ethics
e‐safety
availability support
data
Ethics and safety in digital resources
Lightbeam for Firefox screenshot reproduced under CC‐BY‐SA 3.0 International licence. Sourced at www.addons.mozilla.org
Help and support community
How can we harness technology to enhance learning?
What are my professional development objectives?
How can we harness technology to enhance learning?
What are my professional development objectives?
• Review digital tools critically• Ensure you can feel confident about using online
tools
What are my professional development objectives?
• Evaluate where you are in your digital professional development
• Use a digital teaching framework to identify next steps
How can we harness technology to enhance learning?
Further information
• Test your digital skills to find your starting point and decide on a direction for your digital CPD
• Free bite‐size training
thedigitalteacher.com
The Digital TeacherTeachers NEW
• Decide which digital products are right for you
• Explore the latest digital ideas and trends
The Digital Teacher Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/TeachDigital/
Teachers NEW
• A community of practice for teachers who want to develop digital skills and follow the latest digital ideas and trends.
Teaching English
Sample papers, handbooks, lesson plans and teacher guides
Free resources for teachers
For new and experienced teachers
Teaching Qualifications
Helps you assess which stage you are at in your professional development and work out where you want to get to next
Teaching Framework
About our exams and teachingWebinars
www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching‐english
Further information
University of CambridgeCambridge English Language Assessment1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU, UKTel: +44 (0)1223 553997Fax: +44 (0)1223 553621Email: [email protected]
Keep up to date with what’s new via the Cambridge English Language Assessment website:www.cambridgeenglish.org
For information on Cambridge English webinars for teachers:www.cambridgeenglish.org/webinars
Using digital tools for developing a Personal Learning Network17 and 19 July