Call to Arms: Generations Clash Over Digital Technology in the Foreign Language Classroom

Abstract

Is a smart phone a toy or a tool? Students can’t get enough of it – after all, social media notifications and viral videos do take time to reflect on - while teachers, quite understandably, are dismayed to see an excellent educational tool used purely for entertainment. This paper posits that these two concepts and attitudes are not mutually exclusive. It proposes a possible common ground, ‘edutainment,’ the integration of interactive mobile technology and the language classroom for new opportunities to effectively achieve learning objectives in a light-hearted spirit. The research study described below examines the attitudes and intentions of 100 Thai EFL university students towards learning with a playful, competitive smart phone application, hoping to find out if there is any resistance to adoption, and if so, how to overcome these obstacles. Results indicate general acceptance, widespread use, and an altogether positive attitude to the software. The paper concludes by highlighting student impressions of its relevance to their studies and offering recommendations for further integration of digital teach-nology into foreign language classrooms.



Author Information
Sandor Danka, Assumption University, Thailand

Paper Information
Conference: ECTC2016
Stream: Mobile learning

This paper is part of the ECTC2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon