Digitalise this!

     It does not come as a surprise that with computers being so widespread at homes as well as at schools teachers, and especially language teachers, must consider the implications of these devices for learning and teaching. I still remember the time when I started looking for a job as an English teacher, and many universities in Poland were looking for teachers with experience in CALL. Of course, at that time I was not even familiar with the acronym, neither knew anything about Computer Assisted Language Learning. In 1990s, computers were still somewhat of a novelty in Polish schools. Our students were still at awe about the first chatrooms. I still remember my first chatroom experience and how weird it was imagining I am talking to someone from Barbados or India. I remember the first question asked of me: a/s/l (age/sex/location). I could not grasp the idea of chatting in real time to someone who was thousands of miles away! I still remember printing out those chats! Before I knew i

Have you ever tried peeling a pineapple? Yes, you can buy it pre-cut into slices in nice plastic boxes. But have you actually tried peeling one yourself? And if yes, how did you go about it? I remember the first time I bought a pineapple. I brought it home and for a while was staring at it, not really knowing how to go about it. I know the easiest way to do it was to just take a knife and start cutting the rough skin. But I wanted to do it "the right way". So, I went on Youtube, typed "peeling a pineapple" and followed the instructions given by a somewhat experienced pineapple slicing guy. As simple as that. It might sound trivially, but to me it was something. A 70-year-old woman (my mother) was getting ready to come and visit me in Oman. We set the day, and I bought her the ticket. She was to fly through Amsterdam. Sounds easy, right? Well, not for someone who does not speak a word of English. She did not know anyone in the small town where she lives who had b

It is interesting to see how Prensky (2011) reflects on his earlier writing from 2001. He addresses critics of his earlier concepts and develops a new idea of Digital Wisdom ("Digital Wisdom and Homo Sapiens Digital", 2011) . He made a distinction between Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives, describing the former as those who "adapt to their environment, but always retain, to some degree, their "accent", that is their foot in the past." (Prensky, 2001). For the metaphors "natives", "immigrant" and "accent" he was praised by some and criticised by others.  Prensky (2011) agrees that being a Digital Native is not so much about capabilities or knowledge of digital stuff. Whether you were born in 1984 or in 2004, these things need to be learnt in one way or another. The distinction, he claims further, is more about culture. It is about younger generation being comfortable with using digital technology. It is about the fact th

According to Blake (2008), "there are four misconceptions when the word technology  is mentioned in circles." The first one that he mentions is that technology is viewed as a monolithic concept, i.e. is either all good or all bad. As language teachers, we are mostly end users of the tools offered (unless of course somebody is a web designer or a programming whiz), and personally I do not see these tools as inherently good or bad. What decides about their usefulness (or otherwise) is the purpose for which they are used and the way we use them. If we do it for the "wow" effect, then there is a danger of a failed learning outcome. So it is up to us educators to choose a tool which is the most suitable for our students to facilitate their learning. We should decide what to use it for and in what capacity. We must not overlook the role that our students play in this equation. They need to be presented with the possibilities of what is "out there" and given cho

I cannot honestly say that there is only one driver for technology enhanced learning or that it is always the same driver. It is more of a flexible notion that keeps changing from semester to semester, if not from class to class. It definitely started as curiosity, and I must say I am still fascinated by new discoveries I make almost daily through web surfing. Does it always work? Of course not. I get frustrated when students cannot accomplish a task because the internet suddenly went down. But as teachers, we are/should be always equipped with plan B. So, curiosity was the first step. It soon turned into necessity . My students need a lot of feedback on their writing which I cannot always do in class or even during my office hours due to the lack of time and busy schedule. I decided to try Google Docs and multiple add-ons. From that I moved to Google Forms as the way of testing their reading skills and revising vocabulary. Here the driver was sustainability . Instead of using large a

Why did I decide to choose the MA in Digital Technologies in Language Teaching? Well, I teach English and I am fascinated by how technology can augment the learning process. I am a digital immigrant, and I do remember times without computers and mobile phones. Yes, we survived. Yes, we managed to master a foreign language using the old "drill and kill" method using these:  But our students, who are digital natives - or in case of my students mobile natives - perceive the world differently. To get through to them we need to alter our ways of teaching. I am lucky enough to teach the subject called Educational Technology using IT, and I teach it as part of the ELT programme in the college where I work. Before I got into it, I was exploring bits and pieces that I found on the internet through random search. I started with good old Google Drive and its apps. It seemed amazing how powerful cloud storage/sharing/online collaboration can be! It opened so many new possibilities to