EFL Teacher Competencies in the ICT age

Abstract

he present research aims at identifying key factors which may have a significant impact on EFL teachers' skills of ICT in the 21st Century and beyond. Teachers need to understand not only how to use technologies, but also the benefits and costs their adoption and integration into English language arts and literacy teaching. Technology integration in any content area is most effective when the instructor, an expert in his or her discipline, makes important connections between the objectives and pedagogy of his or her content area and the available technology tools. The use of computer technology, with internet can be helpful for learning, improving, practicing and assessing different skills. Technology in the classroom makes learning more fun. Technology prepares students for the future. Technology helps students learn at their own pace. Technology connects with students. Technology helps in making diagnosis and intervention. Technology increases the creativity. But there are some other challenges to technology. Technology can be a distraction. Possible disconnect of social interaction. Technology can foster more cheating in class and on assignments. Students do not have equal access to technological resources. To make technology more accessible to ELL students, there are some practical ways for the teacher to get started in the classroom: build vocabulary, use handouts, create simple assignments for beginners, extended practice time, use pair and group work, teach students to consider the source. Results of the research shows that EFL teachers should master the following competencies that ensure positive learning outcomes: Successfully aligning technologies with content and pedagogy and developing the ability to creatively use technologies to meet specific learning needs, aligning instruction with standards, particularly those standards that embody 21st century knowledge and skills, balancing direct instruction strategically with project-oriented teaching methods, using a range of assessment strategies to evaluate student performance and differentiate instruction (including but not limited to formative, portfolio-based, curriculum-embedded and summative), acting as mentors and peer coaches with fellow teachers, designing developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology

Utilizing an ICT Linguistic Life Skills Based ‎Program to Improve Secondary Stage Students' ‎EFL Phonological Awareness and Self-‎confidence

“…ICT links teaching and learning processes with change and improvement in educational quality, these qualities can be found in enhancing thinking and inter thinking, finding, processing, conveying and sharing information (Aldama & Pozo, 2016). In the same perspective, Quora (2017) states that students prefer technology because they believe that it makes learning more interesting and fun.…”

Unravelling EFL teachers' mastery of TPACK: Technological pedagogical and content knowledge in writing classes

“…With this concern in mind, infusing technology into classroom instruction has become urgently enforced by mounting evidence from the extant literature that proves its positive influence on the quality and quantity of students' writing [ [17] , [18] , [19] ]. Qoura [ 20 ] argued for the use of multimodal literacies and technology to make writing more complex, appealing, creative and collaborative. According to Boudjadar [ 21 ] and Qoura [ 20 ], technology motivates learners to communicate their thoughts and share their ideas with a wider audience through [ 20 , 21 ] blogs, social networks, forums and emails.…”

“…Qoura [ 20 ] argued for the use of multimodal literacies and technology to make writing more complex, appealing, creative and collaborative. According to Boudjadar [ 21 ] and Qoura [ 20 ], technology motivates learners to communicate their thoughts and share their ideas with a wider audience through [ 20 , 21 ] blogs, social networks, forums and emails. Unsurprisingly, Wang [ 22 ] reported that around 70% of the learners believe technology has spurred their motivation to write in English.…”