Applying information and communication technologies to language teaching and research: an overview

Abstract

C urrently, there is an international change in education that includes the development of new learning programmes and policies, such as (a) bilingual education programmes, (b) the Bologna process, with an emphasis on a more autonomous way of learning, or (c) the systematic evaluation and assessment of students and educational results. These changes in the educational situation require changing the way we learn, think and behave. Thus have emerged several new scenarios and environments for teaching and learning, such as blended learning, e-learning, ubiquitous learning or incidental learning. All these new approaches put the focus on learners and are intended to adapt to their needs and limitations. It seems that the easiest way to implement these new approaches is to apply Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to teaching and/or learning. This is the main assumption underlying the research in important language teaching and learning areas, such as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). This chapter (as well as this whole volume) tries to show how this goal is currently being achieved.

The enhancement of a foreign language competence: free online resources, mobile apps, and other opportunities

“…These and other issues are being discussed by the scientific and educational community [4; 5; 8]. On the one hand, some scholars investigate eLearning Qualitäts-Evaluationstool [2], success factors for eLearning [6], categories of mediapedagogics [7], applying information and communication technologies to language teaching and research [9], usage of eLearning tools in self-education [11], Internet-Technology Instruments for Global Education [10], practical use of commonly used YouTube video materials in the process of teaching German as the first or second foreign language in higher education [3], other scholars substantiate classification of online resources in the field of language teaching [4; 5; 8]. On the other hand, the interest in the topic is dictated by the current socio-economic context.…”

A pre-mobility eTandem project for incoming international students at the University of Padua

“…Numerous educators and researchers have noted that the use of information and communication technologies in L2 teaching/acquisition seems to be the best way to cope with the challenge of internationally changing educational scenarios force upon us (e.g. Pareja-Lora, Rodríguez-Arancón, & Calle-Martínez, 2016).…”