Greg Kessler

Does teachers' confidence with CALL equal innovative and integrated use?

This paper examines the relationship between confidence and CALL – specifically the use of audio and video technology among language teachers. Through logged usage of CALL, the authors tracked seven teachers at two large universities in the United States over a term. These teachers were also interviewed periodically in order to gain insight into their confidence with and use of CALL.  Upon data analysis, the authors identified the teachers as less confident, contextually confident and highly confident. Highly confident teachers used technology less often with less integration than the contextually confident teachers. Less confident teachers integrated CALL only in prescribed ways. The authors conclude that CALL teacher preparation may benefit from a focus on developing contextualized confidence within certain teaching domains or types of technology rather than expecting teachers to develop a high level of confidence with technology across domains.

Telecollaboration in the secondary language classroom: case study of adolescent interaction and pedagogical integration

This study builds on research examining the in-school technology practices of adolescent language learners by exploring the patterns of classroom literacy practices that emerge when a telecollaborative project is introduced into a conventional secondary language classroom. We draw on the conceptual frameworks and discourse analytical tools developed by researchers of online communication practices at the post-secondary level and turn this lens to examine how an international online exchange project might contribute to the creation of an in-school learning environment in which adolescents use technology to interact with distally located peers through telecollaboration. The particular contribution of this study is twofold: to offer insight into patterns that characterize the literacy practices that emerge through the introduction of telecollaboration into the learning environment and to document the types of pedagogical decision-making that such projects introduce into the secondary context. Using a case-study design, we explored two central areas: (1) What patterns of interaction emerge in the literacy practices of adolescent students as they build relationships with their intercultural partners? (2) How do teachers address the pedagogical issues that are foregrounded when introducing innovative literacy practices such as telecollaboration into the secondary learning environment? Our premise is that online exchanges might offer a different kind of learning experience that provides opportunities for adolescents to engage with language in ways that do not typically get enacted in conventional language classrooms. Our interest therefore is grounded both in providing a rich, descriptive inventory of how adolescents engage with telecollaboration in the classroom context, as well as in documenting the types of pedagogical issues that are introduced. We offer a linguistically grounded portrait of what constitutes the interactional patterns and pedagogical issues in a classroom learning environment shaped by the introduction of an online intercultural project. Using a case-study approach, therefore, we provide close documentation and analyses of a 15-week, classroom-based telecollaboration project through student transcripts and focal teacher interviews. We conclude with a discussion of the empirical and pedagogical implications associated with integrating telecollaboration into secondary language classroom contexts.

Addressing the Language Classroom Competencies of the European Higher Education Area Through the Use of Technology

This chapter focuses upon the use of technology to address the language classroom competencies of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Through an exploration of previous research into the intersection of technology and language learning, the authors identify a variety of ways that these core competencies can be addressed. The authors contextualize these suggestions within pedagogical practice that is focused upon project-based learning with attention paid to tasks in an array of contexts. The practices are presented within frameworks for both telecollaboration and local collaboration. The authors focus upon addressing both the general and discipline-specific competency frameworks within the EHEA.