Technology & English
Language Teaching
Sonja Lind
Ying Ren
Mark Warschauer
Department of Education, UC Irvine
Research project:
- Sponsored as a market study by a large ELT
publishing company
- Length: Spring 2008 – Fall 2009
- Research team: Mark Warschauer, Sonja Lind,
Ying Ren
Three incremental stages:
Online
survey
• 300+ teachers
• 14 countries
Interviews
• 42 teachers
• 8 countries
Case studies
• 8 sites
(4 sites in
southern CA)
Research Questions:
Access: What technology do EL teachers and students
have access to at their institutions, whether in a
classroom or in a lab?
Use: How do EL teachers and students use technology?
Opinions: What are EL teachers' attitudes towards
technology?
Countries
Represented
1) Brazil
2) Colombia
3) Costa Rica
4) Ecuador
5) Guatemala
6) Japan
7) Korea
8) Mexico
9) Nicaragua
10) Panama
11) Peru
12) Taiwan
13) United States
Participant Demographics:
Survey:





332 participants
179 (54%) female and 148
(45%) male
Most participants (32%)
were 40-49 years old
Most participants (31%)
have taught for 21+ years
Most participants (34%)
worked at a 4-5 year
university or college
Interviews:
- 42 participants
- 28 (67%) female and 14 (33%)
male
- Participants divided equally (33%
each) among regions
- Most participants (34%) worked
at a 4-5 year university or
college
Case Studies:
- Eight focal teacher / institution
participants
- Five (63%) male and three (37%)
female focal teachers
- Four (50%) participants in the
“I believe that technology for English language teaching
is extremely important. Since students learn at different
rates of speed, individual technology gives each student the
opportunity to work at his/her own pace in a relaxed setting
without competing with others in the class. It also allows
students to make mistakes and to practice skills in private in
order to avoid the embarrassment that often occurs in the
conventional classroom setting.”
Analysis of Teacher Access and
Use (Interviews)
All regions: same access and use of computer labs
U.S. participants reported: more access and use of
electronic content, language learning CDs and CDROMs, email, websites, word processors, presentation
software and blogs.
28
30
13
15
Technol ogy, Speaki ng and Pronunci ati on
Instant Feedback and Autom ati c Assessm ent
M ul ti m edi a and Gam es
“ The Fourth Screen” (M obi l e Learni ng)
Adm i ni strati ve and Fi nanci al Support
M oti vati on
The H um an El em ent
Technol ogi cal Experti se
Bl ended Learni ng
Authenti c M ateri al s and Learner Autonom y
Teacher Support and Trai ni ng
Frequency of Interviews
8
8
10
7
Themes
Interview Themes
Figure 7: Interview Themes
35
31
25
21
20
20
15
12
6
5
0
Case Studies:
Public high school (classroom)
Two-year community college (classroom)
Adult school (computer lab)
Four-year university (computer lab)
Adult school (classroom):
Adult school (computer lab):
Adult school – Focal Teacher
• Bob is the “technology expert” for his district
• Maintains many technology blogs for teachers
• Sees technology as a tool: “The focus is not
computers. The focus is ESL.”
• Uses: coursebooks, newspapers, class blog
(PageFlakes), email, Microsoft Office, Audacity,
whiteboard, projector, computers, OHP,
headsets, USB thumbdrives
Adult school – Teachers and Technology
• Bob has access to technology; others don't
(have to borrow computers, reserve lab)
• Teachers used traditional technologies:
Whiteboards, CD players
• Other teachers were reticent to use
technology, or had limited use (e.g. Powerpoint)
• Teachers felt technology was useful: “In
general, I think it’s very helpful and it can only
have positive results.”
Adult school – Students and Technology
• 5 Mexican-American students (3 female, 2
male)
At home:
• 4/5 ss had computers with Internet
• All ss have DVD players and TVs
• All ss access social networking sites
• Play video games and watch movies (usually
Spanish)
At school:
• No ss brought computers to school
• All ss bring cell phones
• Use email for class, no social networking sites
• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create
essays, spreadsheets and slideshow presentations
Public high school (classroom):
Public high school:
Public high school – Focal Teacher
• Jennifer is also a “technology expert” for her
district; she helped develop an ELD program
guide for other ELD instructor
• Uses: coursebooks, novels, email, Microsoft
Office, Movie Maker, Rosetta Stone,
whiteboard, projector, laptops, OHP, headsets
High school – Teachers and Technology
• All teachers have access to technology
• Teachers focus on academic writing and
information literacy (how to use info correctly)
• Teachers used email, Microsoft Office, but
were aware of Digital Divide challenges
• Teachers used AERIES, a learning
management system (grades, announcements)
• Teachers used projectors, laptop carts
High school – Students and Technology
• 17 students, mostly Mexican-American
At home:
• All ss own cell phones
• No ss owned laptops, a few had desktop computers
• Some students have MP3 players, smart phones
• Some ss learned English on radio, TV and iPods
At school:
• All ss brought cell phones
• Ss borrowed laptops from laptop cart
• Some ss use iPods to record audio (reading aloud)
• Use Rosetta Stone, CD-ROMs, Internet search
engines (Google), Google Translate
• Use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Movie Maker
to create essays, slideshow presentations and videos
Community college (classroom):
Community college (classroom):
Community college – Focal Teacher
• Karen teaches noncredit VESL and Digital
Storytelling class
• Is a “self-taught” technology user; keeps up to
date by reading TESL newsletters, blogs and
watching educational videos
• Uses: coursebooks, blogs, wikis, email,
clickers, scanners, Microsoft Office, Movie
Maker, whiteboard, projector, laptops, headsets
Community college – Teachers & Technology
• Program coordinator: “We have set ourselves as a
high-tech, high-touch community college. We ...
recognize that it has to have a lot of support and
faculty engagement.”
• Technology support: Program coordinator, focal
teacher, tech-savvy librarian, e-newsletter; six paid
hours of professional development a year
• Active use of technology: PowerPoint, Word,
websites, wikis, blogs, learning management systems
(Moodle, Blackboard, etc.), clickers, document
camera, scanner, audio recording, wireless
keyboards, multiple computer labs
Community college – Students & Technology
• 21 students, most Latin Americans, some East and
Southeast Asians (13 female, 8 male)
At home:
• Most ss had computers; use them to chat, check email,
visit social networking sites, pay bills online, watch TV
• Most ss have DVD players and TVs
• Some ss have iPods, smart phones
At school:
• No ss brought computers to school
• A few ss re-enrolled in this class multiple times, for fun
and English practice
• Access to laptop carts, four computer labs
• Only one student brought an electronic dictionary
• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to create
essays, spreadsheets and slideshow presentations
University (computer lab):
University (classroom):
University – Focal Teacher
• Leah teaches upper-level academic ESL
• Doesn't think she's tech-savvy: “I’m probably
kind of in the middle towards the high end of
using technology just because I’m curious.”
• Uses: coursebooks, blogs, wikis, email,
Microsoft Office, YouTube, podcasts,
NoodleTools (citation management),
whiteboard, projector, headsets
University – Teachers & Technology
• Great sense of comradeship involved; teachers
share enthusiasm for technology, share materials,
prepare tests for each other
• Active use of technology: Microsoft Office,
Gradekeeper, Audacity, Voicethread, audio and video
clips (CNN, etc.), podcasts (NPR, etc.), websites,
wikis, blogs, digital camcorders
University – Students & Technology
• 11 students, most East Asians, two Europeans, one
Middle Eastern (9 female, 2 male)
At home:
• All ss had computers with Internet; use to chat, visit social
networking sites, read news, watch videos, listen to music
• All ss used online dictionaries and thesauruses
• Most ss have MP3 players, practice listening to English
At school:
• No ss brought computers to school
• Access to one computer lab
• Use of email for school, but not for personal use
• Ss had electronic dictionaries, translators, cell phones
• Use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to create essays and
slideshow presentations; record voices on Audacity and
Voicethread
Findings – Digital Divide
Not all students or teachers have Internet or
computer access
– Teachers may not have computers in class
– Students may not have access to
computers outside class
– Students' access to computers may be
limited to computer labs
Findings – Cell phones
• All students had them
• Students have cell phones, but may not have
computers
• Teachers are interested in using mobile
learning, but have not done so yet
• Still an untapped field of teaching and
published teaching materials
Findings – Ease of use
• Demand ≠ use
• Unintuitive technology was mostly unused
(interactive whiteboard)
• Refresher
courses are
needed for more
complicated
technologies
Findings – Ease of use
• CDs, CD-ROMs are frequently used
• DVDs, supplementary publisher websites are
rarely used

Most teachers indicated a moderate to
strong dislike of electronic materials,
particularly supplementary websites
Findings – Multimedia
• Teachers overwhelmingly customized
teaching materials with online materials

Multimedia (esp. video) popular with
teachers and students (YouTube, Hulu,
Voicethread)
Findings – Open-access Materials
Teachers prefer open-source, free and easily-
accessible materials:
– Popular: YouTube, Moodle, etc.
– Unpopular: Blackboard, podcasting, etc.
– Exceptions: Microsoft software, etc.
Findings – Technology Leaders
• One or two teachers or administrators who
advocate for technology
• These were the same leaders who advocated
for new teaching techniques
Findings – Technology Leaders
Any program needs to have pioneers or leaders …
And that is the key. I think people have to think not
only of what technology can provide, but who are
going to be the leaders and mentors that make
change happen?
It doesn’t happen with technology or the support
person, because the support person can keep the
computer going, but the support person can't get the
teachers connected to it the way they need to.
- Program coordinator, community college
Findings – Technology as a tool

“They come to my class and they would say,
'Are you the teacher who teaches computers?'
And I would say, 'Yeah, it's ESL and
Computers.'”

“The focus is not computers. The focus is
ESL.”
Findings – “Why use technology?”

Student motivation

“If students aren't having fun, they won't be
motivated”
Thank you!
slind@uci.edu
http://sonjalind.com