Connected Learners

What is it about?

Technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) is moving ahead from the use of technology in language labs to the possibilities offered by technology in setting up new ways of communication and interactivity. The effectiveness of teaching seems to depend more on teachers' ability to motivate students by connecting to their interests and catering for different intelligences. Teachers' creativity and empathy with them will constitute essential skills for the design of tasks and projects that connect with digital native students' interests. Consideration of cultural aspects will be of essential importance in our globalized world, as learning a language must always take into account cultural variables. The objective of this chapter is to review the challenges that technology and interculturality pose to foreign language teachers and note some of the possible solutions that may facilitate efficient teaching. Politeness theory will be discussed as a theoretical framework providing resources for building social identity and doing relational work with different cultures.

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