How to Determine the Added Value of New Technologies for Language Learning and Teaching at University Level
Plenary Speaker: Em Prof Dr Jozef Colpaert
Organiser: English Language Centre (PolyU)
In this presentation, Jozef Colpaert will present a new way of looking at the added value of new technologies from a scholarly point of view. First, we will discuss different reasons language teachers may have for using or not using certain technologies in their learning environment. In fact, we can distinguish ten reasons, which are divided into four main categories: the technology itself, the applied pedagogy, psychological-motivational reasons and design. None of these reasons is inferior, but they all have their own specific advantages, challenges and pitfalls. Emerging technologies such as virtual learning environments, augmented reality, artificial intelligence (ChatGPT), linked open data, context-aware apps and Internet of Things are forcing teachers to rethink their current practices: to what extent do new affordances match the needs they really have? Pedagogical theories and frameworks can be deceptively helpful in this regard. In this presentation, we explain why a motivational design approach is the best possible solution for language teachers who want to be respected by students, who want to be able to justify their choices, and who want to turn their daily job into research.
Biography: Jozef Colpaert has been teaching Instructional Design, Educational Technology and Computer Assisted Language Learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp. He is editor-in-chief, will be honorary editor-in-chief starting January 1st, of Computer Assisted Language Learning (Taylor and Francis, 2022 IF 7.0), and organizer of the International CALL Research Conferences. His ongoing research lines focus on transdisciplinarity, multimodal learning environments, natural language decoding, and motivational task design. He is currently working on the empirical and theoretical validation of Educational Engineering, a novel instructional design and research method.
Date: 8 January 2024, Monday
Time: 16:00-17:00 (Hong Kong time)
Venue: AG311 or Zoom
Affiliation: Department of Training and Education Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
