Because of being socially interactive, portable and multimodal, the Internet has had an impact on the field of foreign language education (Warschauer, 2001), and Web 2.0 tools have become integral parts of our everyday teaching. Thus, the aims of this study are twofold: On the one hand, it aims to introduce Animoto and Fotobabble as free Web 2.0 tools that can easily be adapted for English language teaching (ELT) purposes. Throughout the paper, the use of Animoto and Fotobabble in ELT is illustrated through sample activities incorporating these tools. On the other hand, the study also has the objective to reveal the attitudes of twelve university level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors towards the use of these tools in ELT. To collect data regarding their attitudes, the participants were distributed via e-mail an informative document including an introduction to these tools, tutorials on how these tools work and sample Animoto and Fotobabble slides. They were then asked to write their reflections on whether these platforms would be good for learning/teaching English and what possibilities or activities English teachers could use them for. The collected qualitative data was analyzed by means of content analysis, and it was revealed that the study participants mostly held positive attitudes towards the use of these platforms in ELT, and could think of teaching activities incorporating these platforms. Also, it was found that although the majority gave positive comments, there were a few instructors sharing their concerns about their application in ELT. It is believed that such studies dealing with the use of new technologies in ELT are likely to lead to a more effective English learning/teaching process.As argued by Shyamlee and Phil (2012), traditional ELT has been drastically altered due to the emergence of technology, which provides innumerable options for teachers to make teaching more interesting and engaging for their students. They claim that this also increases the productivity of teaching English, in essence providing evidence that technology is greatly assisting not only linguistic, but also social change.EFL teachers desperately need to find novel and unique ways to deliver lessons (Morgan, 2008) which may garner a more positive response from students who seem largely distracted from, or bored with the usual language
As technology improves, such trends as technology-assisted language learning (TALL) have dominated the field of foreign language teaching in the new millennium. This chapter aims to review research studies incorporating different aspects of computer and mobile-assisted foreign language learning to enable English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to improve their listening skills. The literature review is based on studies of experimental research design in which the experimental group was exposed to computers or mobile devices to increase EFL learners' listening skills. Additionally, attitudinal studies dealing with EFL learners' perceptions about the integration of technology into EFL listening instruction were reviewed. From the literature review, it was realized that TALL helps EFL learners to improve their listening performance, and students hold favorable attitudes towards its use. At the end of the chapter, two useful mobile applications with the potential to enhance EFL learners' listening skills are introduced, and some recommendations are made.
As there is a need to enable English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers to use technology in their classes, this study aims to propose an online in-service teacher training program aiming to prepare EFL teachers in Turkey to use Google Classroom and Piktochart. The planned training module is provided on a virtual online platform known as Second Life (SL). Included in the technology training, there would be an introductory session in which the instructor could ‘walk' the participants through the particulars of operating their virtual selves, as in their ‘avatars'. The course itself could commence with a short tour of the virtual sim being used for the training sessions. Immediately following the introduction, attending avatars and the instructor would congregate in the theatre area sim of the VSTE Island conference venue in-world at SL. The instructor, addressing the participants from the virtual stage, would present according to the agenda of showcasing the possible uses of the online software packages followed by step-by-step procedural instructions for the attendees to follow.
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