This edition shows educators how to bridge the digital divide that disproportionally affects culturally and linguistically diverse learners with research-informed technology models. Designed to support equitable access to engaging and enriching digital-age education opportunities for English learners, it includes technology integration models and instructional strategies, sample lessons, collaboration tips, educator vignettes with creative solutions, and discussion questions.

Moving beyond the ‘Web 2.0’ and ‘digital native’ rhetoric, this book addresses the complex experiences of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in a world embedded with interactive and participatory technologies. Adopting a sociocultural perspective, it investigates EFL learners’ behaviours concerning digital technology, and guides exploration into their contextually mediated choices and learning practices in the ‘2.0’ era. The argument is developed on the basis of the findings of a mixed sequential study that focused on 1485 Chinese undergraduates’ use and non-use of online tools and applications outside the English classroom. Particular attention is paid to the role of context and agency when understanding their learning choices and behaviours in the context of digital technology. In particular, the book acknowledges the explanatory power of agency in the minority instances of ‘good practices’ among these EFL learners. At the same time it demonstrates that for most learners, use of the current web is limited and mostly non-interactive. The barriers to ‘2.0’ transfer are largely contextual and the so-called ‘communicative opportunities’ and ‘participatory culture’ in particular did not fit into the learners’ sociocultural context of (language) learning. Overall, the compelling argument proposes that the technology-facilitated changes in EFL practices are a ‘bottom up’ process that is taking place in day-to-day situations and constrained by the learning context within which the learner is situated. Based on these arguments, the book provides a framework that challenges the existing beliefs about (language) learning with online technology, and that contributes to our understanding of how context mediates EFL learners’ behaviours surrounding digital technologies. It is a valuable resource for teachers, researchers and policy makers, providing them with insights into using digital technology to stimulate ‘good learning practices’ outside the classroom.

In Language and Learning in the Digital Age, linguist James Paul Gee and educator Elisabeth Hayes deal with the forces unleashed by today’s digital media, forces that are transforming language and learning for good and ill. They argue that the role of oral language is almost always entirely misunderstood in debates about digital media. Like the earlier inventions of writing and print, digital media actually power up or enhance the powers of oral language. Gee and Hayes deal, as well, with current digital transformations of language and literacy in the context of a growing crisis in traditional schooling in developed countries. With the advent of new forms of digital media, children are increasingly drawn towards video games, social media, and alternative ways of learning. Gee and Hayes explore the way in which these alternative methods of learning can be a force for a paradigm change in schooling. This is an engaging, accessible read both for undergraduate and graduate students and for scholars in language, linguistics, education, media and communication studies.

Foreign Language Learning in the Digital Age addresses the growing significance of diversifying media in contemporary society and expands on current discourses that have formulated media and a multitude of literacies as integral objectives in 21st-century education. The book engages with epistemological and critical foundations of multiliteracies and related pedagogies for foreign language-learning contexts. It includes a discussion of how multimodal and digital media impact meaning-making practices in learning, the inherent potentials and challenges that are foregrounded in the use of multimodal and digital media and the contribution that (foreign) language education can provide in developing multiliteracies. The volume additionally addresses foreign language education across the formal educational spectrum: from primary education to adult and teacher education. This multifaceted volume presents the scope of media and literacies for foreign language education in the digital age and examples of best practice for working with media in formal language learning contexts. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of language teaching and learning, digital education, media education, applied linguistics and TESOL.

New communications technology has been a boon to teaching and learning subjects of English, from reading and writing to literature such as Shakespeare. This book explores the ways that information and communications technology, or ICT, can be employed in teaching English and enriching the abilities of students. What are the advantages of ICT, and what are some of the concerns? Contributors from Europe, Australia, and North America address the use of media in teaching, from video, film, and audiotape to computer games and online resources. English in the Digital Age surveys the ways ICT is presently being employed in teaching and learning, and it introduces new methods for education.

Provides a thorough overview of digital learning methods and their practical application in the modern language classroom English Language Learning in the Digital Age is a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical background and real-world application of IDLE (Informal Digital Learning of English). Designed for teachers and future teachers preparing to teach English as a second or other language, this highly practical guide focuses on incorporating digital technology into curricula to draw upon the extracurricular exposures to English that many students experience outside of the classroom. With some creativity and care, teachers can find ways to bring these experiences with English into the classroom, ultimately improving student learning outcomes. Offering a specific focus on examples and case studies drawn from language education in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, this text employs a three-part structure beginning with the theories behind autonomous learning and the importance of informal language learning for young adults. Part two demonstrates various methods for integrating games, social media, e-books, language software, mobile apps, and other digital resources into the classroom. The third section addresses the use of IDLE methods to bridge the gap between informal and formal uses of English, the advantages and disadvantages of IDLE in flipped classrooms and online teaching, and how IDLE strategies can enhance mandated curricula and better prepare students for national exams. The book concludes with a brief discussion of the future of language learning and the need to include digital technologies and learner-driven strategies in education policy. This unique text: Offers practical methods for bringing informal student learning into the classroom Presents a wide range of engaging digital learning activities that can complement traditional language courses and improve language acquisition Reviews mobile apps for the translation and practice of vocabulary, grammar, and other components of language learning Provides real-life examples of how teachers can develop lessons and curricula, such as watching and making vlogs and reading transcripts of podcasts and audiobooks Includes access to a companion website containing video interviews with English learners and teaching plans reflecting TESOL Technology Standards and CEFR Reference Level Descriptors for English English Language Learning in the Digital Age is an ideal textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of language education and language acquisition, as well as teachers and teachers-in-training who are preparing to teach English in countries where English is not the primary language.

In the digital age, technology has become essential for online learning and teaching for learners at all levels of education. YouTube is highly popular amongst young people in Hong Kong and across the globe. In foreign language acquisition, how do learners perceive the use of YouTube for English learning in out-of-class settings? This book reports the findings of a case study of learners at a university in Hong Kong from students’ perspectives. The detailed, qualitative study adopts a narrative inquiry approach in order to examine students’ perceptions, factors shaping them, and the extent to which perceptions affect language learning practices on YouTube. The implications highlighted here include developing five qualities for learners that facilitate autonomous and experiential learning out-of-class, training that supplements in-class learning, and whole-person development. The findings shed light on understanding students’ needs and interests for an improved quality of language teaching that meets the challenges of the twenty-first century.