About this Item
190 Seiten ; 21 cm, Tadelloses, neuwertiges Exemplar. - The present work is concerned with Integration of Computer and Internet tech-nologies into tertiary language education, and it puts special focus on one form of such Integration, that is, blended courses, here understood as courses which combine face-to-face (F2F) tuition with online learning. The reason for such focus is twofold. Firstly, more and more tertiary schools and universities are introducing blended courses in their Standard olfering and, consequently, there is a great demand for knowledge on how to design and implement such blended tuition. The present work aspires to add to the existing knowledge on the subject. Secondly, it is also believed that blended courses exactly are that form of technology Integration which can take advantage of the best techniques and approaches available in both: modern face-to-face language classroom and Computer technology. Admittedly, the research discussed in the last chapter of the work was initi-ated in 2006 and continued over the next few years. It might thus be considered "too old" to be relevant to the field. However, from the vantage point of 2017, the subject literature still reports on the need to share knowledge on how to effectively design and implement blended courses (NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Higher Education Edition, NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition). In the field of language education specifically, McCarthy (2016: 248) points to the lack of "canon" or "rulebook" for BL programmes in language education. Hence, I hope this work will contribute to the discussion on the subject among scholars and practitioners. To understand the potential of blended language courses, it is necessary to see them in the bigger context of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as a developing field, with its history and ongoing efforts to wisely use Computer tech-nologies in language learning. Therefore, Chapter 1 is a short account of major developments in CALL from the 1960s tili the initial years of the New Millennium. Chapter 2 is a discussion of theories and assumptions used as bases for research in, and practice of, teaching languages with technologies. In no way exhaustive, it serves to accentuate those theories which have the biggest potential for blended courses. Each of the theories discussed in Chapter 2 has had its moments of strongest, and then weaker, impact on CALL. For example, while behaviourism was considered a valid learning theory (in CALL and in other fields) in the 1960s, it feil out of favour in the 1980s, when cognitivism took lead. These trends are presented in two analyses of paradigm shifts in section 2.6, which will hopefully allow the reader to see the leap that has been made in how technologies once were, and now are, seen in educational contexts. Evident is the move from the focus on the technology only, with a relative disregard of the student s cognitive abilities and needs, or the context in which learning takes place, to the view of technology as only one element in the intricate net of learning experiences, in which not only the technology itself but also the students, teachers, situations, smaller, and bigger contexts all have a considerable impact on learning outcomes. Chapter 3 outlines the more recent context in which CALL has been taking place. Hence, it offers an overview of some issues shaping the landscape of ter-tiary language education today: the changing profile and learning needs of the Student, the impact of Computer use on the notions of literacy, and the growing phenomenon of Open Educational Resources. Chapter 4 is an overview of classic literature on language course design and implementation, and it provides the context for the discussion of how blended courses specifically are written and constructed, which is the subject of Chapter 5. After a revision of available literature on blended course design, Chapter 5 ends with a proposal of a framework for blended course. Seller Inventory # 1147868
Contact seller
Report this item
