Developing digital literacies for second/foreign language teachers

这场全球流行病为数不多的积极成果之一是，有机会重新思考如何利用数字技术来支持学校的教学。同样，在英国脱欧后，英国需要关注的一个方面是第二语言/外语教育，因为全球参与的需求很大，而额外的语言和不同文化的知识将使人们能够实现这一目标。在这种背景下，研究如何在S/外语教育中发展数字素养是很重要的。数字文学可以理解为与数字媒体沟通、联系、思考和‘存在’的实践。这些技能包括评估材料、使用数字工具进行协作以及通过不同媒体进行有效和批判性的沟通。教师在培养学生的这些技能方面发挥着重要作用，但他们并不具备这些技能。此外，教师在语言教育中使用技术的准备要么忽视了数字素养，要么专注于学习现有的技术，而不是使用可以改变教与学的创造性和尖端技术。因此，面对丰富的资源(如网站和应用程序)，教师往往很难选择合适的工具/材料。到目前为止，第二语言教育中的数字文学研究主要集中在技术在语言学习中的应用背后的理论，特定技术(如社交网络)对语言领域和技能(如写作)的影响，以及教师和学生的意见。此外，大部分工作都是与高等教育的学生一起进行的，现有关于准备和开发精通技术的第二语言教师的研究仍然集中在信息技术问题上。这项计划旨在将有兴趣促进中学第二语言教师的数字素养的研究人员和研究用户聚集在一起，探索和提出研究思路或前进方向。我们还将扩大现有的工作，收集第二语言/外语教师教育中数字素养的证据，并制定和巩固广泛干预和评估项目的计划。该项目还将允许研究人员分享最佳实践，加强跨文化知识交流，并提高语言教师在发展这两种数字扫盲方面的意识。还将探讨与数字扫盲有关的更广泛的问题，如平等机会、伦理和福祉。我们相信扫盲是一种社会实践，因此这次网络机会将探讨如何在不同的社会文化背景下实现数字扫盲，以及可以确定哪些共同问题使语言教师能够发展这种扫盲并将技术适当地融入他们的课堂。我们将通过建立一支在第二语言教师教育、技术增强的语言学习和有效教学方面拥有专业知识的研究团队来解决这些问题。我们将制定四个相互关联的工作领域来解决这些问题，即一个初步概况项目，其中包括文献审查和与利益攸关方的调查，一个由四个国际研讨会、两个研究访问和两个为期3天的重点讲习班组成的系列研讨会。用户将充分参与联网项目。这一联网项目的一个重要特点是从项目一开始就让教师和政策制定者参与进来，使他们能够为制定研究战略和研究本身作出贡献。他们还将参加研究研讨会和讲习班。还将为他们设计一个后续的实践讲习班。

One of the few positive outcomes from this global pandemic is an opportunity to rethink how digital technologies can be used to support teaching and learning in schools. Equally, after Brexit, one aspect that the UK needs to focus on is second/foreign language education as there is a strong need for global engagement and an additional language and knowledge about different cultures will enable people to achieve that. Against this background, it is important to examine how digital literacies can be developed in S/FL education. Digital literacies can be understood as the practices of communicating, relating, thinking and 'being' associated with digital media. They involve skills such as evaluating materials, collaborating using digital tools and communicating effectively and critically through different media. Teachers play an important role in developing these skills for students but they are not equipped with these skills. Besides, teacher preparation for technology use in language education either has neglected digital literacies or focused on learning the existing technologies rather than using creative and cutting-edge technologies which can change teaching and learning. As a result, facing abundant resources (e.g. websites and apps), teachers often find it hard to choose the appropriate tools/materials. To date, research in digital literacies in second language education mainly focuses on theories behind technology use in language learning, the impact of particular technologies (e.g., social networking) on language areas and skills (e.g., writing) and teachers' and students' opinions. Besides, the majority of work has been carried out with students in higher education and existing research in preparing and developing technology-proficient second language teachers still focuses on IT issues.This project aims to bring together researchers and research users who are interested in promoting digital literacies of second language teachers in secondary schools to explore and propose research ideas or ways forward. We will also expand the existing work, gather evidence of digital literacies in second/foreign language teacher education and develop and consolidate plans for extensive intervention and evaluation projects. The project will also allow researchers to share the best practice and enhance knowledge exchange across cultures, and raise awareness of language teachers in developing both digital literacies. Wider issues such as equal access, ethics and wellbeing around digital literacies will be explored too. We believe literacy as a social practice, so this networking opportunity will explore how digital literacies can be contextualized and practised in different social-cultural contexts, and what common issues can be identified to enable language teachers to develop such literacies and integrate technology appropriately in their classrooms. We will address these issues by building a research team with expertise in second language teacher education, technology-enhanced language learning and effective pedagogies. We will develop four inter-related areas of work to address those issues, namely, a preliminary profiling project with a literature review and a survey with stakeholders, a seminar series consisting of four international seminars, two research visits and two focused 3-day workshops. Users will be fully involved in the networking project. An important feature of this networking project is to involve teachers and policy-makers from the very start of the project so that they will contribute to both the formulation of the research strategy and the research itself. They will also be involved in research seminars and workshops. A follow-up practical workshop will also be designed for them.