Ubiquitous Mobile Computing and EFL:Web 3.0 and language learning

As the Internet progresses from version 1.0 through 2.0 and now onto 3.0, we are seeing ease of access steadily increase. The primary movement in the last year or so has been toward access from any place, at any time; or ubiquitous computing. To accomplish this, technology has become portable. The form factor of such portable technology, whether it be a laptop, a cell phone or something in between, such as the iPad computer from Apple, determines in many ways how it is used. This paper looks at how the form factor of portable technology affects language learning in general and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) specifically

Teacher Training in Myanmar Report #2: It’s the People, Not the Tech

　　This report is an update of Ryan (2017) on the current situation in Myanmar for teacher training, technology and language learning. Our experience with teacher training sessions of the last four years have yielded many new views on Myanmar, language teaching, technology, and training. After a report on the experiences of summer 2017 a set of insights and suggestions follow about languages, teaching and technology as they pertain to this experience and how they relate to each other and to teaching students in technology rich countries

A University-based Extensive Reading Program Online

　Extensive Reading (ER), or reading a large amount of easily understood materials for pleasure, has been used as an effective tool for acquiring all aspects of a second language for at least 20 years. One of the world leaders in applying this tool to university programs is Japan. This study looks at the adaptation of paper-based materials to an online environment, with attendant benefits and drawbacks in a university-based ER program. It intends to extend research on Xreading, an online software program that delivers a library of graded readers to students. Using data from this program, a clear picture of student use of ER is shown. No significant correlations with standard measures of language proficiency (GTEC or TOIEC) were found. Reasons for this lack of significance are discussed

Leapfrogging Technology for Language Learning, Teaching, and Training: A Report from Myanmar

　　Language learning is situational and learning to teach or train teachers in two of the most disparate situations can lead to greater understanding of the basics of language teaching, learning, and training. In this paper we look at a teacher training program in Myanmar by two university professors of English from Japan. Developing language learning using technology may allow a country like Myanmar to be able to skip over the intermediary steps of laying infrastructure like wired internet and phone cables that is no longer necessary, to leapfrog into the 21st century. We outline the issues and caveats to such a proposal and then propose a way to move forward