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Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future. Prof Steve Higgins, School of Education, Durham University, [email protected] @stig_01 Learning and Teaching English in the Digital Age: Policy and Practice in Europe 4 th December, 2013 Barcelona

Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

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This presentation takes both a retrospective and a prospective look at the use of technology for learning through the last century and into the remaining decades of the 21st Century. I believe that we can learn from the lessons of the past, both from what has and perhaps more importantly what hasn’t worked. The evidence clearly shows that it is the pedagogy of use and the skills of the teacher in supporting and enabling learners through technology and through learning design which makes the difference. I argue that this can help us to integrate new technologies as they emerge to create new approaches for teaching and learning, but that the fundamentals of teaching and learning don't change.

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Page 1: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Technology trends for language teaching: looking

back and to the future.

Prof Steve Higgins, School of Education, Durham University,

[email protected]

@stig_01 Learning and Teaching English

in the Digital Age: Policy and Practice in Europe4th December, 2013

Barcelona

Page 2: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Overview

Technology and learning in the last century

What hasn’t worked The importance of

pedagogy A look towards the

future

In 1935, at New York University, Professor C. C. Clark conducted a class remotely

using shortwave radio.Short Wave Craft April 1935

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2012/05/predictions-for-educational-tv-in-the-1930s/

Page 3: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

A short history of educational technology: nihil sub sole novum?

Film Radio Television Tape recorders and language labs Podcasts and blogs Tablets and iPads LMS, VLEs, MOOCs, mobile devices Augmented Reality, Voice recognition, Cloud

Page 4: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1913: Film

(Thomas Edison, reported in

The New York Dramatic Mirror in July 1913)

“Books,” declared the inventor with decision, “will soon be obsolete in the public schools. Scholars will be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. Our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years.”

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/02/15/books-obsolete/ Picture source: Google Images

Page 6: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1930sprediction for educational TV

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2012/05/predictions-for-educational-tv-in-the-1930s/

Page 7: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1968Proto-Skype‘Picturephone’…

http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/

Page 8: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1960s language lab

Source: Google Images

Page 9: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1900s prediction of schools in 2000

http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/

Page 10: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1958 vision of future education

http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/

Page 11: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

1950s Programmed Instruction

Source: Google Images

Page 12: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Technology and formal learning

Education is: Universal AND Problematic

Belief it can be improved Technology provides promise

Page 13: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

The UK context

Huge investments in ICT in schools from 1980s

World leader on IWB uptake Learning platforms/ VLEs common in schools Gaming approaches promoted with (past)

government support New computing curriculum Tablet mania

Page 14: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Research evidence

What’s ‘worked’ in the past

What hasn’t worked The importance of

pedagogy A look towards the

future

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/

Page 15: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Evidence from correlational studies

“Studies linking provision and use of technology in schools ...find small positive associations with educational outcomes but it is not clear that this is always a causal link” (e.g.

Harrison et al. 2004)

Good schools may invest more in technology (Moseley et

al. 1999)

When socio-economic factors are controlled for - no effect (Fuchs and Woessmann 2004)

The link is not a simple linear one – optimal use may be a better concept (e.g. OECD 2006)

Page 16: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Experimental studies

“Evidence from experimental and quasi- experimental designs indicates consistent moderate benefit” (e.g. Sipe and Curlette 1997; Pearson, 2005)

Comparison with other researched interventions suggests technology-based interventions tend to produce average gains (e.g. Hattie, 2009; Higgins et al. 2012)

Page 17: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Digital technologies in the Sutton Trust/EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/

Page 18: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Key question

Are you convinced, as a result of new technologies, learners are now learning English Faster? More easily? More fluently? Better?

Page 19: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Six myths about digital technology

1. The ‘Future Facing’ Fallacy“New technologies are being developed all the time, the past history of the impact of technology is irrelevant to what we have now or will be available tomorrow.”

2. The ‘Different Learners’ Myth“Today’s children are digital natives and the ‘net generation – they learn differently from older people”.

3. A Confusion of ‘Information’ and ‘Knowledge’“Learning has changed now we have access to knowledge through the internet, today’s children don’t need to know stuff, they just need to know where to find it.”

Page 20: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Six myths about digital technology

4. The ‘Motivation Mistake’ “Students are motivated by technology so they must learn better when they use it.”

5. The ‘Mount Everest’ Fallacy“We must use technology because it is there!”

6. The ‘More is Better’ Mythology“If some technology is a good thing, then more must be better.”

Page 21: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Evidence from digital technology meta-analyses Collaborative use (pairs/ small groups)

more effective than individual use Effective as short but focussed

interventions Remedial / tutorial use can be particularly

effective as catch-up Greater gains when it supplements rather

than replaces normal teaching. Training and professional development

are essential

http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/digital-technology-round/impact-of-digital-technology-on-learning-report

Page 22: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

What hasn’t ‘worked’…

LOGO Integrated learning systems One-to-one laptops Talking books Interactive whiteboards

No ‘magic bullets’Source: Google Images

Page 23: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Getting the most from technology Innovators & early adopters

choose digital technology to do something differently – as a solution to a problem

When adopted by the majority, focus is on the technology, but not as a solution

The laggards use the technology to replicate what they were already doing without ICT

Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. Simon and Schuster.

Page 24: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Issues

How well you use it is more important than whether you use it or not

Pedagogy trumps technology Consider cost effectiveness?

So…should we beware of geeks bearing gifts?

Source: Google Images

Page 25: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Quality matters…

Good teaching and learning activities At the right level of challenge With opportunities for feedback Provide opportunities for self-regulation Help learners to plan, monitor and evaluate their

own learning (meta-cognition) Move the learner on

From the task (skills, knowledge, understanding)

In their learning (attitudes, dispositions, meta-cognition)

Page 26: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

kinect

e-learning

Why will these be any different?

Wii

iPads / tablets

Raspberry Pi

Source: Google Images

Page 27: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Tomorrow’s promise?

Augmented reality Aural or text Contextual Mainly input Mobile

Voice recognition Encourages production Technical accuracy

Source: Google Images

Page 28: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

A multi-touch classroom in 2012

Page 29: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

SynergyNet Network Flick!

Page 30: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

NumberNet

Page 31: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Developing adaptive expertise?NumberNet

‘Make up some questions’ task

Add to each of the other groups attempts (3x)

Organise the correct expressions

Page 32: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

NumberNet

Page 33: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

NumberNet

Page 34: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Teacher control From iPad Timing/rotate tables Freeze the action Disable keys ‘on the fly’ Feedback on correct and incorrect expressions

(by group, by individual, by target number) Show/hide correct/incorrect expressions Show/hide totals (competitive)

Page 35: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Live feedback to the teacher

Page 36: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Jack: Who done... Who's green? Jiminy… That's quite smart! [the calculations have a colour border indicating the table where they were created, so Jack is asking which is the green table, and so who was responsible for the calculation]

Adam: Oh look at that! 10 times 10 that equals 100, add 50! Now that's clever, whoever did that! I'm doing that…

Page 37: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Once the teacher turns on the number pads, Jack goes on to adapt the calculations he has seen, creating the calculations 10*10+51-1, and drawing Adam’s attention to it:

Jack: Haha! Adam, look at the size of that!

Adam: Oh yes, did it... 1... 5...

Jack: ‘Cause 10 times 10 is 100, add 51 is 151 and take away 1 is 150... bingo!

Adam: Bingo!

Page 38: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

What was effective?

High level of (accepted) challenge Feedback from table, from peers, from

teacher (and to teacher via iPad) Supported group regulation

Intra-group collaboration Inter-group competition Learning across groups

Indirectly (from ‘inherited’ calculations)

Directly (through whole class demonstration and discussion

Page 39: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

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Page 40: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Toolkit

Toolkit best ‘buys’...

New entry

Page 41: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Digital technology and learning

Adopt technology as a solution to a teaching and learning challenge or problem

Check that technical or basic skills issues won’t get in the way of the learning

Should help learners accept challenge Look for evidence of improvement Evaluate the impact Goldilocks’ Principle – have to get it ‘just right’

Page 42: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

What solutions can digital technology offer?

Page 43: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Key questionsWhat are the teaching and learning challenges digital technologies can help you solve?

What will the technology replace?What will you stop doing?

How will you know it is better?Will the teacher be more effective/efficient?

Will the pupils learn quicker, for longer, more deeply, think harder?

Will you see more feedback, more self-regualtion, more meta-cognition?

Page 44: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

Local ecology

Start from where you are Needs infrastructure

Technical support Wifi access

Needs support Skills training AND CDP for pedagogy

Page 45: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, neat…and WRONG!

H.L. Mencken 1880-1956

Page 46: Technology trends for language teaching: looking back and to the future

References and linksEEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit: http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/

SynergyNet videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLD9v6UP5vU

Digital technologies report: http://bit.ly/1hxVEKP

Pictures from Google Images and Pinterest (thanks to Juan Antonio Ortiz)http://www.pinterest.com/caturani/paleofuture-education-technology/