Dr. Deborah Healey

University of Oregon & TESOL International Association, USA

KEYNOTE

Reading & Writing in the Digital Age

Technology is often alternately accused of destroying literacy and saving it. Learners need to be familiar with Twitter and chat and also blogs or fan sites. As language teachers, we are concerned with literacy. In this digital age, literacy starts with text-based reading and writing and continues into digital literacies: the ability to understand, critically analyze, and create and share information appropriately across a range of digital media formats. Even though our learners may seem very technologically literate, they are often just very good at reading quickly - not thoughtfully - and responding in the same way. We need to think about teaching our learners how to find accurate information, how to judge what they find critically, and how to save and share it in appropriate ways.

This session will discuss digital literacy and demonstrate some approaches to finding, judging, saving, and sharing digital information. Topics will include using open access journals, digital curation, collaborative writing, authentic audience, and other aids for writing and reading in a digital world.

WORKSHOP

Gamification: What, Why and How

Language teachers have long used games, but gamification - the deliberate use of game elements in non-game settings - is a more recent concept. Teachers can benefit from learning about game theory and the elements of games that may be effective in engaging today's learners. Very importantly, teachers can develop a way of thinking about teaching and learning that takes a gaming approach and changes potentially passive "students" into active "players" in the classroom environment. This session will give a brief introduction to gamification, how teachers are using gamification now, and how teachers might use game elements effectively in their teaching. I will include my own experience with gamifying online and face-to-face classes. Participants will work together to identify game elements they use now and additional game elements they might add to their own classes in a systematic way. Suggestions for technology supports will also be provided. A website will provide links to additional resources and specific examples that teachers can use in their own classrooms.