developing digital skills for language ... - cambridge english

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

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?


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?


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?


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

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?




• Review digital tools critically• Ensure you can feel confident about using online

tools


• Evaluate where you are in your digital professional development

• Use a digital teaching framework to identify next steps


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

developing digital skills for language ... - cambridge english

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