New Technologies, Multiple Literacies and Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

This article presents and briefly discusses the results from a survey conducted with English teachers of the third cycle and secondary education in Portugal as part of a study on multiple literacies and Web 2.0 in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom (Cardoso). Based on the answers provided, it can be assumed that among this group of teachers, new technologies tend to be part of their professional practice. However, it is unclear if digital tools have been used to actually promote more innovative ways of teaching or just as a different way to approach more traditional methods. Moreover, it seems that suitable guidance, training and further development of appropriate materials are required to facilitate and better integrate new technologies in the EFL classroom.

English goes digital: Framing pre-service teachers’ perceptions of a learning management system in their EFL studies

“…Learning management systems (LMSs) as a digital tool are thought to be an integral part of the recent digital turn in EFL teaching and learning (Kite et al, 2020;Lawrence et al, 2020). In light of the digital turn in EFL (Bensalem, 2019;Cardoso, 2018), LMSs "have become a key component of teaching and learning in higher education" (Kite et al, 2020: 183). The use of LMSs has a profound impact upon current practices of EFL Taking into consideration the current focus on LMSs in EFL research (Siahaan, 2020;Zhonggen et al, 2019), this article presents an empirical investigation that seeks to explore how pre-service EFL teachers (hereinafter "participants") frame their perceptions of LMS Canvas in their EFL studies.…”

Discursive Representations of Digital Artifacts in an EFL Classroom: Analysing Discursive Voices of Pre-Service Teachers of English

“…There is a growing body of recent studies that seek to discover how digital artifacts are used in EFL/ESL instructional contexts (Aloraini, 2018;Cardoso, 2018;García-Pastor, 2020;Irwin, 2019;Kessler, 2013;Kusumaningputri & Widodo, 2018;Kustini et al, 2020;Norton, 2019;Shuang & Zhang, 2020;Thoms et al, 2018). These studies are characterised by several research foci that elucidate the issue of digital artifacts from the vantage points of i) EFL/ESL teachers (Cardoso, 2018;Thoms et al, 2018), ii) EFL/ESL students (Aloraini, 2018;García-Pastor, 2020;Irwin, 2019;Kusumaningputri & Widodo, 2018;Norton, 2019;Shuang & Zhang, 2020), and iii) EFL/ESL researchers (Kessler, 2013;Kustini et al, 2020).…”

“…The research focus on digital artifacts from the vantage point of EFL/ESL teachers is central in the studies conducted by Cardoso (2018), and Thoms et al (2018), who develop this focus in relation to a) the use of digital artifacts as an open-access teaching resource by ESL instructors in the USA (Thoms et al, 2018) and b) the assessment of the role of digital artifacts and digital technology by EFL secondary school teachers in Portugal (Cardoso, 2018). By means of conducting a survey, Thoms et al (2018) have found that the majority of American ESL teachers make use of such digital artifacts as YouTube videos in order to provide culturally appropriate instructional content.…”

“…In the same manner, Cardoso (2018) aims to discover how EFL teachers assess the role of digital artifacts and digital technology in secondary schools in Portugal. The results of the survey indicate that the EFL teachers in the study (Cardoso, 2018, p. 13) appear to use such digital artifacts as digital textbooks and electronic games.…”

“…The results of the survey indicate that the EFL teachers in the study (Cardoso, 2018, p. 13) appear to use such digital artifacts as digital textbooks and electronic games. In addition, Cardoso (2018) has established that whilst digital technology is regarded as an intrinsic part of Portuguese EFL teachers' professional practice, it remains unclear whether digital artifacts are used by the teachers in order to aid innovative teaching or substitute innovation for traditional teaching methods that are interspersed with digital artifacts.…”