For all of us
who are actively involved in project implementation assisted by the use of technology,
there is a recurring question:
How many of
these apps promoted as the next absolutely necessary big thing in education and
language learning, actually deliver what they promise?
After a
good number of years of action, isn’t it time to reflect?
Scott
Thornbury addresses this issue and discusses 14 Criteria with reference to
second language acquisition (SLA) for assessing the value and effectiveness of
different technologies. These criteria relate to the preconditions of language learning,
such as comprehensible input, output, practice, interaction, feedback &
correction, guidance and scaffolding, affect and motivation.
Scott touches
a topic that is usually neglected due to the enthusiasm for whatever new and ‘innovative’.
There is an abundance of popular apps that claim that they are effective.
However, if we weigh them against these criteria, it turns out “it is not
plausible that they actually cause language learning”.
Fun is a whole
new chapter when it comes to learner motivation while using technology. More
often than not it provides the reason why we choose and use a web tool. Scott
wonders and, I believe, we all do: Is fun enough??
Research findings
confirm our suspicions. Fun is not necessarily effective and what is effective
is not always fun. Therefore we cannot make choices solely based on this
criterion.
Ultimately one
single technology or tool can never meet all these language learning criteria. One
the contrary, good teachers do every single one and can be assisted by
technology.
Classroom learning
is not compensating for technology but the other way around. And that’s where
blended learning and the flipped classroom have actually a lot to offer..
