A Systematic Review of Technology Reviews in Language Teaching and Learning Journals

Technology reviews are a specific article genre published in several language teaching and learning journals. Their emergence is likely due to the proliferation of technology that facilitates and supports language acquisition. These reviews aim to increase teachers' and learners' awareness of the forms of technology available and succinctly describe their benefits and limitations for language teaching and learning. As education enters a new digital age, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to determine which forms of technology support teachers' professional learning and how they can be utilized. This article presents a systematic review of technology reviews published between 2017 and 2022 in five Q1 SCOPUS-indexed language teaching and learning journals: RELC Journal, TESOL Journal, CALICO Journal, Language Learning and Technology and Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ). These five journals were the only Q1 language teaching and learning journals we identified that publish technology reviews. All 73 technology reviews published in the 5-year period in the 5 journals were reviewed. Using professional digital competence as a framework, we explore what the articles reveal about how technology is used, as well as the knowledge gaps that remain. We examine the types and features of the technology described in the reviews, the language skills and educational levels of the learners, and the pedagogical implications of technology use. We found that the technology reviews mainly introduced the technological features and functions of the reviewed technologies with less emphasis placed on their pedagogical utilities and social aspects of their use for language teaching. The article concludes with recommendations for authors and journal editors regarding the content that should be included in a technology review to ensure that it is helpful to the profession. We also offer advice to practitioners on how to benefit from technology reviews. © The Author(s) 2023.

Reconceptualising Teacher Education Courses for Online Teaching: The Experiences of Two Teacher Educators

Universities around the world have suspended in-person teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic with lecturers required to teach their courses exclusively online. Although this situation is potentially challenging for lecturers of any discipline, for teacher educators, there is the added demand of needing to prepare students with the skills to teach in-person through on-line only modes. The chapter presents the experiences of two teacher educators, one in Hong Kong, engaged in English language teacher education, and one in the New York, engaged in general teacher education, as they adapted their courses to the new mode. It explores the challenges they faced as they themselves reconceptualised their practices for online modes of teaching, while presenting pedagogical solutions to the identified challenges. It ends with lessons learned and considerations for teacher education beyond the pandemic. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Teachers' digital technology use after a period of online teaching

This article reports on a study that investigated primary-school English-language teachers' use of digital technologies in their in-person classrooms after a period of online teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explored the perceived effects the period of online teaching had on the teachers' practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with sixteen experienced Hong Kong primary-school English-language teachers approximately one year after they returned to in-person teaching. The findings suggest that the period of online teaching has led to a greater utilization of technology for teaching. In addition, they suggest digital technologies are now embedded in teachers' regular teaching practices, with the digital technologies adopted primarily those that enhance existing practices. Common digital technologies include: (1) learning management systems;(2) digital noticeboards;(3) interactive digital worksheets and quizzes;and (4) interactive presentation software. Examples of how teachers use digital technologies, and considerations for their use, are provided.

Attempting to Implement A Pedagogy of Care during the Disruptions to Teacher Education Caused by COVID-19: A Collaborative Self-chicly

This article reports on a collaborative self-study conducted by the authors (two teacher educators) as we attempted to implement a pedagogy of care during the disruptions to teacher education caused by COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, we were required to conduct our teacher education courses synchronously online through video-conferencing software. Although this mode of instruction allowed us to continue teaching despite the restrictions necessitated by COVID-19, the relational aspect of teaching and the role of care seemed to be limited and became an important concern for us. Through self-study, we aimed to improve our online teaching practices by enacting a pedagogy of care during one full semester. We detail our attempts to conceptualise a pedagogy of care for the online classroom, begin our courses from a position of care and prioritize and maintain care throughout the semester. We also present the ongoing challenges we experienced in implementing a pedagogy of care online. While recognising that everyone has been affected by COVID-19 in different ways, we hope through sharing our experiences, others can learn from them and conceptualise and implement a pedagogy of care in their contexts.