Technology and L2 Writing: New Perspectives on Identity and Process
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Format: Plenary
Time: 20 minutes
Title: “Technology and Second Language Writing: New Perspectives on Identity and Process”
Target Students: Beginner to advanced, any age group
With the advent of new technology and online resources for second language writers, educators not only must grapple with their own adaptation to the new digital landscape, but also with how best to encourage learners to use it to the fullest potential.
The current popular trend towards a combination of the guiding concepts of process and genre in the L2 writing classroom has revolutionized writing instruction in recent years. The next step may be to formally integrate the use of technology in writing instruction as a step in the writing process.
This can be in the form of requiring students to submit assignments electronically, thereby allowing the teacher to type longer and more detailed comments and return them instantly by email.
Teachers can also help students in the most effective use of the Internet as a source of information for writing assignments, allowing for classroom time in which students explore and evaluate different kinds of online sources from news feeders to Wikipedia.
But assignment requirements can also encourage students to utilize software that provides assistance in such areas as word collocation, grammar and lexical density. Indeed, technology may completely alter the way in which teachers give students feedback on their writing assignments.
This plenary presentation will explore new opportunities for technology-assisted L2 writing development and how teachers can themselves become effective purveyors of technology in the writing classroom.
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