While pondering the analogy of technology as a foreign language, the idea of educational technology as a foreign language evolved in my mind. I have developed it into an article, which I have just submitted for publication. Unfortunately this limits my distribution rights of the full article for the moment, but the abstract is included here. (Watch this space for info on the publication itself).
My favourite quote from the article is:
"...teachers have long advocated learner autonomy, learning-centredness and ownership. Yet when learners step up as captains of their fate and masters of their souls, we fear mutiny"(p. 10). What qualifies a teacher to navigate ahead in these uncharted waters, is having mastered the process oneself.
Abstract
This article explores a disturbing irony of contemporary education: students are often more equipped than their teachers for the technological demands of life and the classroom. The need for effective in-service teacher training in educational technologies is both urgent and problematic, since educators are often not equipped to grasp the full significance of these tools. Guided by the analogy of educational technology as a foreign language, it is suggested that TESOL educators apply certain principles of learning and Second Language Acquisition theory to developing their skills in using educational technologies. By reflective, experiential learning of – and through – technology, teachers stand to develop not only professionally, but also personally.
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