Eduardo De Jesus Hernandez Herrera

Ed 633 Research and Writing

December 3, 2012,

Introduction

Technology helps students acquire knowledge and fluency in a foreign language when

web 2.0 tools are used in a collaborative learning environment, promoting learning autonomy and

socialization through blogs, wikis and online discussions. (Pellet, 2012) Students may rely on

technology in order to review phonetics that are unique to a foreign language. One of the main

advantages of using videos, audio, multimedia and mobile based technology when learning a

foreign language is having the opportunity to play and repeat phonetics as many times as needed

in order to master pronunciation and listening comprehension. Furthermore, when provided

appropriate software, students have the opportunity to record their own voice and compare their

pronunciation and fluency with that provided by language teachers.

Even though technology helps with ear training and fluency in a foreign language, social

interaction is also necessary in order to provide opportunities to practice verbal communication.

Therefore, integrating technology in a foreign language curriculum, along with social interactions

that occur in existing face-to-face foreign language classrooms, may be one of the best resources

for foreign language students and teachers.

The US Department of Education in the Learning: Engage and Empower (2011)

acknowledges that technology plays a huge role in the life of the population. An average 18 year

old spends an average of 7.3 hours a day using technology. Therefore, the US Department of

Education recommends the education system be adjusted to leverage technology to create

meaningful learning environments that mirror people’s daily lives in the digital age. (Learning:

Engage and Empower, 2011) This literature review provides summaries of findings in which

foreign language specialists advise to incorporate technology because it helps foreign language

learners acquire fluency and improve not only their pronunciation but their listening

comprehension as well. The focus of this literature review is to: 1) identify possible effects of

technology, both negative and positive of technology when learning a foreign language learning

2) review teaching strategies that should be incorporated when technology is used in foreign

language learning and 3) discuss the benefits and challenges of using technology in education.

Review of the Research

In the past ten years enrollment in online classes has increased dramatically due to

advancements in technology, as well as financial restrictions of working adults returning to

college and spatial reasons in college campuses (Kellogg, S., Oliver, K., & Patel, R. 2012) and

(Karabulut, A., LeVelle, K., Li, J., & Suvorov, R. 2012). Identifying the positive outcomes and

findings of different online learning studies across the world in order create awareness of which

teaching strategies need to be implemented and reinforced can help online teaching be more

efficient in helping students succeed. On the other hand, identifying negative aspects can also be

an opportunity for teachers and students in order to help them achieve academic success. The

literature reviews included in this study bring up four different topics that need to be taken into

account when taking and teaching an online class: a) Socialization through Technology in

Foreign Language Learning, b) Ear Training, Comprehension and Pronunciation With

Technology, c) Knowledge of Technology when Learning a Foreign Language and d)

Integrating Emerging Technologies in the Classroom.

Socialization through Technology in Foreign Language Learning

DeHaan, J., Johnson, N. H., Kondo, T., & Yoshimura, N. (2012) in Wiki And Digital Video Use

In Strategic Interaction-Based Experiential EFL Learning study the incorporation of technology

in foreign language learning through Strategic Interaction (hereafter, SI). SI is an approach of

foreign language instruction that organizes scenarios based on real life events based on

experiential learning theory and sociocultural theories of development. SI was incorporated

through technology in a foreign language class to thirteen undergraduate students from a public

urban Japanese university. According to the findings, English communication skills improved

because of workshops that promoted social interaction through technology. Students said that that

they preferred language learning through technology over their regular university English classes.

In the findings of the study it was discovered that students developed confidence, creativity and

critical thinking in each one the SI technology based stages. The conclusions suggest that

classrooms lacking cameras, computers and online technologies could still be a stage for

experiential SI-based learning if teachers and students are willing to use mobile technologies,

such as iPads, smart phones and so on. Video-recording cell phones have full capacity to record

interactions, and therefore students can transcribe the verbal interactions on paper. SI tasks

increases students' practice of real life communication, increases motivation, and provides

opportunities for peer interaction as well as teacher feedback and support. Certainly,

emphasizing students’ participation increases opportunities and even enhances creativity. On the

other hand, not including social interaction in foreign language classes can be negative because it

may cause students feel isolated and have negative perceptions of online learning. For example,

Kellogg, S., Oliver, K., & Patel, R. (2012) in An Investigation Into Reported Differences Between

Online Foreign Language Instruction And Other Subject Areas In A Virtual School found

negative perceptions from both students and teachers regarding foreign language online education

at North Carolina Virtual Public School mainly because of lack of social interaction. Surveys for

559 students and 32 teachers were administered in order to obtain the desired data. NCVPS offers

online courses to students enrolled in public schools, Department of Defense Schools, and Bureau

of Indian Affairs' Schools. The courses are intended to serve students who are unable to enroll in

a traditional classroom at their regular school either because it is either not offered or because of

scheduling problems. A survey was administered in order to identify the reasons why students

and teachers ended up with such a low perception of foreign language courses taught online.

Interestingly, participants in online foreign language courses expressed lower perceptions than

students in other subject areas, such as math and science. Findings of the study describe

challenges inherent in teaching foreign language classes online as well as recommendations from

both teachers and students about how those challenges can be overcome. Only 18.9% of foreign

language students reported they were learning more or much more online than in face-to-face

classes. Foreign language was the lowest of six subject areas queried including mathematics,

science and others. However, findings of the study not only reveal that 92.3% of students agreed

or strongly agreed that a lack of support was an issue, but also that they needed more interaction

in their online foreign language courses. Students recommended teachers to hold more group

discussions. Two teachers also recommended further group discussions. Students expressed they

needed asynchronous and synchronous discussion tools including chat, instant messaging, and

Wimba Pronto in order to facilitate interaction. Conclusion of the study include that a high degree

of student-teacher interaction is a necessity in virtual high school classrooms, otherwise students

may feel ignored, lonely, and without guidance. Lack of prompt feedback and immediate

assistance were also found by to be a major source of frustration among students. On the other

hand, teacher support and interaction showed to counter these feeling of isolation and lack of

support. While Kellogg, S., Oliver, K., & Patel, R. (2012) found that lack of social interaction can

be negative, Blattner, G., & Fiori, M. (2011) focused implementing one of the biggest Web 2.0

tools in a higher education environment, Facebook and identified positive outcomes. Blattner, G.,

& Fiori, M. (2011) in Virtual Social Network Communities: An Investigation Of Language

Learners' Development Of Sociopragmatic Awareness And Multiliteracy Skills studied the

efficiency of Social Networking Communities (SNC) as a source of learning for an intermediate

foreign language class in order to promote competent and literate foreign language learners. The

study mentions that since our daily communication incorporates technology, learning a foreign

language through technology should also be a priority. In the study intermediate learners searched

for groups in Facebook that were linked to class units in order to learn greetings, different ways

of interacting and vocabulary selection used by native speakers. The main goal of the study was

to determine if Facebook group applications facilitated multiliteracy and sociopragmatic

awareness in foreign language learning. In the study, 13 undergraduate students enrolled in an

intermediate-level Spanish culture at a private college. Findings showed that students were able

to experience different intercultural experiences, gained cultural knowledge, and learned to

interact through slang and idiomatic expressions. For instance, students learned that people in

Latin American countries greet saying “kisses and hugs”. Since both teachers and students were

able to have successful learning experiences through Facebook, it is recommended to do further

research to find out the exact learning outcomes of Social Networking Communities.

Ear Training, Comprehension And Pronunciation With Technology

According to the findings of East, M., & King, C. (2012) in L2 Learners' Engagement

With High Stakes Listening Tests: Does Technology Have A Beneficial Role To Play? big

modifications need to occur in foreign language teaching, including not only changes in

pedagogical practice, but also to incorporate technology in the curriculum in order to help

learners master listening comprehension and pronunciation as well. The study explains that

listening proficiency of foreign languages for Second language students is a basic expected task

when assessing communication skills. The main purpose of the research was to help students be

more successful at the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) since taking the

test is difficult when a foreign language sound is presented only one time at a normal speed. The

study investigated the impact of using computer software in language learning with ear training

and comprehension. Computer software is used to slow down the tempo of listening input

without reducing its pitch in order to facilitate comprehension. Students were given the

opportunity to listen certain foreign language sounds in their tests with a slower tempo, and as a

result they demonstrated higher levels of performance than those students that did not have the

opportunity to listen to the test at a slower tempo. The study points out that slowing down the

delivery makes the input easier to assimilate and comprehend. Furthermore, findings assure that

slowing down the audio not only helps with test delivery, but also helps the outcome of formative

assessments. Findings recommend using free software such as Audacity ™ audio editor because

enables one to download audio files in several formats including mp3, wav and others. Findings

point out that many user friendly portable media devices and computer-based media players such

as Windows Media Player and Quicktime enables users to slow down the tempo of audio files

without changing the pitch. In conclusion, slowing down the audio helps students both in a

classroom and in self-directed study contexts.

DeHaan, J., Johnson, N. H., Kondo, T., & Yoshimura, N. (2012) in Wiki And Digital Video Use

In Strategic Interaction-Based Experiential EFL Learning found through the study of 13

voluntary participants from a public Japanese University that their listening comprehension skills

improved because of workshop activities delivered through technology, including wikis, videos

and so on. Findings also revealed the preference to use technology based social environments

over traditional classes because listening comprehension was easier through technology. Since

the findings also revealed that students developed confidence, creativity and critical thinking

when learning a foreign language through technology based on SI, teachers need to consider

implementing mobile technology when technology is not available in a classroom, because

modern mobile technology has video-recording and audio recording capacity in addition to

incorporate mobile application for foreign language learning.

Knowledge of Technology when Learning a Foreign Language

Karabulut, A., LeVelle, K., Li, J., & Suvorov, R. (2012) in Technology For French Learning: A

Mismatch Between Expectations And Reality point the negative impact of technology on student

learning in online classes due to high levels of anxiety at the beginning of a course. However,

these anxiety levels tend to drop later during the course of the class. Therefore, lack of knowledge

of the use of technology when learning can produce anxiety, and impact student learning

negatively. Findings of the study show that students need to have similar knowledge in the use of

technology when learning a foreign language. For instance, while some students said that

technology helped them learn French, others assured that they lacked the time of using

technology. It is important to mention that students acknowledged that technology did not help

their learning because they did not have to use it. Therefore, the problem is not the use of

technology, but the lack of time to explore the benefits of using it and how to use it. Certainly, it

is a clear contradiction that some students said that using technology helped them in being more

efficient; other students said that they did not have time to explore the benefits that can be

obtained from the use of technology. For instance, Thomas, Alex, and Jane, students that

participated in Technology For French Learning: A Mismatch Between Expectations And Reality

pointed out that that they did not have time to explore opportunities offered by technology when

learning a foreign language. Thomas, Alex, and Jane expressed that they needed more time to

explore technology before they could decide how to use it. Thomas expressed his concerns saying

that if he had more free time, he would spend it learning French online. One of the major finding

was the mismatch between students' and instructor's rationale for using technology. Findings

revealed that teachers need to be aware about what types of technology students use voluntarily

outside of the class, as well as technical problems that students may run into when they use

technological tools. Undoubtedly, training needs to be provided before an online class starts in

order to assure that all students have similar knowledge of technology. Kellogg, S., Oliver, K., &

Patel, R. (2012) in An Investigation Into Reported Differences Between Online Foreign Language

Instruction And Other Subject Areas In A Virtual School investigated the reasons why students

and teachers reported low satisfaction and low learning gains from online learning in the foreign

language field. One of the areas that limited students from taking full advantage from on-line

learning was the lack of computers and lack of Internet access. Students reported that lack of

support at the school level was a strong issue that prevented them from succeeding, and only 18.9

% of foreign language students said that they were learning more or much more online than in

face-to-face classes. Teachers also acknowledged that online learning requires more modeling

and clear explanations from the teachers. 28.3% of students stated that their teachers were not

appropriately prepared to teach an online class. In addition, 36.3% of students did not agree that

their teacher did a good job teaching in an online environment. A student stated that teachers

were not able to respond timely through the Blackboard messaging system, since teachers took

hours or even days to clarify students’ questions.

Integrating Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

Grgurovic, M. (2011) in Blended Learning In An ESL Class: A Case Study points out

how blended learning, is one of the most recent advances in educational technology. The study

points out that previous research does not deeply describe the positive outcomes and challenges

that occur when a blended class is being taught. Findings of the study have the capacity to inform

and modify existing teaching models of blended learning, as well as compare the model used with

other instructional methods of blended learning. The study investigates a blended model in a

listening and speaking English class that used the CALL model as well as the Learning

Management System for the first time. Nineteen students from a Intensive English program

participated, two from China and two from Korea. A survey was administered in order to assess

technology knowledge before the class was delivered. 74% of students assured that they had

previously used computers for English study. Furthermore, the first two lab meetings were used

to train students about how to use online materials. One of the strengths was the knowledge of the

instructor, since he had been teaching English for 20 years and he described himself as a daily

computer user. The instructor used MyNorthStarLab, using materials that were already created,

so he did not have to create teaching materials from scratch. MyNorthStarLab provides teachers

the ability to respond orally when providing student feedback using Wimba recorder, a plug-in

feature included. When students were in the computer lab, students worked on individual tasks,

and the teacher was able to help students not only answering language questions but also

technical issues. The teacher was able to focus on students individually, more so that in the

traditional classroom. The study found that technology enhanced learning in the foreign language

class. The use of MyNorthStarLab helped students practice their foreign language knowledge in

both online and face-to-face classes. Harrison, R., Kitamura, S., Nakahara, J., Shigeta, K.,

Shimada, N., Utashiro, T.,Yamauchi, Y. (2011) in Development And Evaluation Of English

Listening Study Materials For Business People Who Use Mobile Devices: A Case Study studied

the effectiveness of the integration of Mobile Technology for teaching a foreign language.

Different groups of business people, including employees from the sales department incorporated

mobile technology in their learning. The results showed that the use of mobile technology helped

increasing the motivation of the learners. Employees acknowledged that materials delivered

through mobile technology were effective because they were applicable to their daily work.

Smart phone software was used in order to help improve language fluency of language

learners. The methodology used in the study included user interface of learning environments

with video players, question parts, feedback, editing, and learning history data. 47 employees

participated in the project but only 30 were included in the data analysis due to some

employees being unable to complete the study. As far as results, both sales and no sales

personal scored higher in the post-test than in the pre-test. Additionally, the findings reveal

that employees were successful at acquiring knowledge through the materials delivered

through mobile technology, partly because they were highly motivated since the materials

were useful because of the direct impact in their work environment. Peterson, M. (2011) in

Towards A Research Agenda For The Use Of Three-Dimensional Virtual Worlds In Language

Learning points out that many users of CALL have been interested in using software that helps

them participate in virtual worlds and simulations. Active Life, Virtual Worlds and Second life

provide multimedia communication features such as audio and virtual 3D realities. The study

explains how virtual worlds help second language acquisition. The major findings of the study

revealed that Second Language and Active Worlds promoted interaction, motivation and

participation. Second Life provided users the opportunity to create a character, which is called

Avatar. According to the study, Avatars helped students be more engaged and motivated. The use

of Avatars also increased the sense of presence of students in the school environment. Second life

offers the option of using real time audio. Furthermore, Second Life also offers multiple

communication channels that allow users interact with each other simultaneously, which helped

students not only to participate but also to actively interact with other students. Findings also

bring up the need for learner and educator training when implementing new technologies in

education. Bollen, M., Gaff, J., Jr., & Goertler, S. (2012) in Students' Readiness For And

Attitudes Toward Hybrid FL Instruction assess the institutional preparedness for implementing

hybrid language classes, focusing on students’ computer literacy and access. The study analyzes

how students selected hybrid courses not because they were technologically inclined but because

of financial and spatial reasons. The findings reveal that the students that did not enroll in hybrid

classes showed higher levels of computer literacy and access in comparison with the population

that enrolled in hybrid language classes. A survey was given to students who were enrolled in

the online of hybrid option and it was found that some students that preferred the hybrid or

online option already owned more computer equipment including software, microphones and

cameras, but most students lacked enough knowledge to use them. Unfortunately, older

students quit participating when they encounter technological problems. As a conclusion,

most students did have basic computer skills but lacked knowledge of specialized software. Even

hybrid students lacked skills to take full advantage of the blended classes. The study recommends

building hybrid courses that are engaging, interactive. In addition, hybrid classes need to give

special priority to individual feedback and several community building components, such as

blogs, wikis, speaking activities, podcasts, and speech recognition software among others. The

main suggestions for future teacher is to include a training component as part of the hybrid class

in order to take full advantage of the instruction.

Conclusion

One of the main focus of this literature review was to find strengths and weaknesses in

current teaching strategies in online learning. By identifying strengths and weaknesses this

literature review hopes to create awareness of opportunities and threats that may affect not only

students but online instructors as well in foreign language learning. Four areas were selected:

a) Socialization through Technology in Foreign Language Learning, b) Ear Training,

Comprehension and Pronunciation With Technology, c) Knowledge of Technology when

Learning a Foreign Language and d) Integrating Emerging Technologies in the Classroom.

Several findings that produce implication in teaching, online teaching and hybrid/blended

teaching were identified. DeHaan, J., Johnson, N. H., Kondo, T., & Yoshimura, N. (2012) found

that one of the main elements that helps students be motivated and promotes students’

participation is social interaction. Because SI is based on social interaction, students had the

opportunity to socialize with other students, and because of that social interaction they preferred

to have online foreign language classes over their traditional university classes. Kellogg, S.,

Oliver, K., & Patel, R. (2012) found that one of the main reasons why students were disappointed

about online learning was because of the lack of social interaction not only with students but also

with the instructor. Blattner, G., & Fiori, M. (2011) found that implementing one of the biggest

social networks, Facebook in an education setting created outstanding results. Students were not

only able to experience intercultural communication but they also learned slang and idiomatic

expressions. According to the findings of East, M., & King, C. (2012) found that technology is

useful not only to promote interpersonal dialogue and interaction, but also to help students

acquire ear training and improve their pronunciation through the use of free user friendly

software. The findings of East, M., & King, C. (2012) suggest a revolution in education since the

improvements were outstanding for both teachers and students. Karabulut, A., LeVelle, K., Li, J.,

& Suvorov, R. (2012) found that Wikis are a powerful tool because they promote students’

participation through interaction and allow students have access to audio of foreign language

learning. Wikis are one of the most important tools in collaborative education. Certainly, the

more interaction tools are included in an online language class, the more successful students and

teachers can be. On the other hand, Grgurovic, M. (2011) in Blended Learning In An ESL Class:

A Case Study found that a combination of online learning with face to face instruction can be one

of the most advanced methods of instruction. However, both teachers and students need to have

enough knowledge and direction in order to have a successful experience. Harrison, R., Kitamura,

S., Nakahara, J., Shigeta, K., Shimada, N., Utashiro, T.,Yamauchi, Y. (2011) found that one of

the most important elements that help learners being success when learning a foreign language

was that the materials that were taught were useful in their daily lives. Therefore, the more

meaningful and applicable is the knowledge that is taught in a class, the more chances that

students will be motivated to use it. One of the most important findings is that instructors need to

adapt their instruction to daily needs of society. Since technology changes have been incorporated

in the last ten years, teachers need to quickly adapt and be successful in using technology in order

to be role models in the digital age.

Bibliography

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