And this is the question I keep asking myself when I learn about a new tech tool or app... Is this app going to improve my students learning? Am I adding tech for tech's sake?
One of the projects I am most proud of is one where I ask students to create a website as their "professional profile" for the job they want. They have to research all of the schooling and training required for their desired job, ask another student for a "reference," and answer interview questions via recorded video. The websites the students created were truly amazing. However, I teach Spanish, not technology, so is having my students create a website with a virtual resumé better than asking them for one on paper? I desperately want to answer YES to this question... but I am not so sure. Are they actually learning more Spanish by completing this activity online as opposed to on paper and in person?
These questions plague me. Is any of the tech I'm asking students to use actually adding value? Or is it doing the same activity plus technology?
Part of me thinks that using technology is a necessity since tech is such an enormously important part of my students' lives and part of my job is to teach them how to succeed in the future. Another part of me thinks, well if the technology isn't immersing my students in Spanish or adding value that cannot be gained any other way, spending time formatting a website instead of speaking Spanish is actually detrimental to my students' learning.
These plaguing questions have led me to think about what I cannot do without the help of technology. The one main area that I keep coming back to is: conversations with native speakers. Foreign language classrooms (located in a country that doesn't speak the target language) provide a relatively inauthentic way of learning language. Unlike when students are immersed, language students are surrounded by other learners. Giving students access to native speakers and authentic conversations is an asset that only technology (or millions of dollars to travel the world) can provide. Technology can also make it easier for students to access native voices in videos and audios. Another key area in which technology beats the traditional classroom is with culture. Teaching students about culture has been made much easier given the technological tools we have at our fingertips. "Walking" tours with Google Street View, 360 videos on Youtube, Google Tour Builder and many more tools give students the ability to explore other countries right from their desks.
Of course technology is an incredible asset to the foreign language classroom, I just think we all should be picky about using technology. We have to ask ourselves, "does this add value?"