Incorporating iPad Technology: Creating More Effective Language Classrooms

Abstract

Technology today plays a significant role in the lives of many students who are part of a technology-driven culture that they have grown up with. It would seem unimaginable for young adults today to communicate or exchange ideas without using technology. The plethora of devices competing with the computer, from smartphones to tablets, just to name a few, have provided students with the ability to communicate and get information with unprecedented accessibility and speed. Because visual culture, youth culture, and digital media go hand in hand today, it is only logical that classrooms move beyond the traditional methods of teaching, which no longer seem compatible with student expectations or the needs of today's workforce, and utilize this passion for technology. Fully incorporating technology in the classroom is inevitable, and utilizing students' passion for technology can act as a catalyst for motivating them to work. This article presents the benefits of utilizing the iPad in the ESL classroom, showing how lessons can become more effective, paving the way for more motivating and engaging English language learning. It also provides information which guides ESL teachers in choosing appropriate apps for transformative lessons and information on apps that have been used in ESL classrooms.

Teachers’ Ict Literacy and Ict Integration in Elt in the Indonesian Higher Education Setting

“…Previous studies suggest that teachers should perceive the benefits of technology, update the technology issues, equip themselves with the ability of teaching savvy-students, and more importantly make use of the technology by applying it in teaching to increase students' achievements and make them ready in facing the multimedia technological expansion and digital literacy era. (Ahmed & Nasser, 2015;Prinsloo & Sasman, 2015). ICT in many forms has demonstrated to give many advantages in English language teaching.…”

Fostering creativity and language skills of foreign language learners through SMART learning environments: Evidence from fifth‐grade Korean EFL learners

“…Likewise, providing level‐ and aptitude‐appropriate learning reflects individual students’ needs and interests while, in turn, promoting self‐directed learning. Finally, technology‐embedded is related to the first component, motivated, because “fully incorporating technology in the classroom is inevitable, and utilizing students’ passion for technology can act as a catalyst for motivating them to work” (Ahmed & Nasser, , p. 751).…”

“…Besides the benefits to students’ creativity and language abilities, the teacher’s role as a facilitator, supporter, or “co‐inquirer in an intellectual enterprise” (Zamel, , p. 710) is a crucial element in nurturing language learners’ creativity in technology‐integrated classrooms. It is possible that through effective use of technology teachers can support language learners’ creativity by adopting a creativity‐enhanced teaching approach (Ahmed & Nasser, ). Namely, teachers need to transform their language classes in innovative and flexible ways by making the effort to be creative teachers.…”

Improving the ESL Graduate Writing Classroom Using Socrative: (Re)Considering Exit Tickets

“…In fact, even though numerous researchers have provided wide overviews of a large number of apps and software, little research provides the smaller, more specific details of using such technology that could be beneficial to students and instructors. For example, in a recently published article in TESOL Journal , Ahmed and Nasser () state many benefits to using iPads in the classroom and mentioned apps that could be used for polling but do not discuss the specific details of the software related to creating or using exit tickets. Ahmed and Nasser's () mention of polling is not surprising given the fact that an important practice of ESL instructors is regularly checking and assessing student comprehension (Casanave, ; Krashen, ).…”

“…For example, in a recently published article in TESOL Journal , Ahmed and Nasser () state many benefits to using iPads in the classroom and mentioned apps that could be used for polling but do not discuss the specific details of the software related to creating or using exit tickets. Ahmed and Nasser's () mention of polling is not surprising given the fact that an important practice of ESL instructors is regularly checking and assessing student comprehension (Casanave, ; Krashen, ). SRS may provide ESL instructors with an easy way to do so.…”