From Teaching to Learning: Tune into Google in the English Classroom

Abstract

According to research, 92% of 2 year-olds have made some kind of digital footprints, 54% of children aged 3‒5 (and this data is true for Europe) use a tablet fairly well, while only 4% can tie their shoes. The coming generation of New Millennials expects to use digital resources at school and to be trained in their use. As technologies grow increasingly sophisticated we have to learn more about how students learn and what pedagogical methods work best. Educators are looking for new ways to integrate virtual worlds into the curriculum, including games, whether they be text or game based. This means that education and educators (especially teacher trainers) are faced with serious changes, a lot more serious than we have ever thought. The task is nothing less than to give adequate answers to the challenges of the digital economy. Practically speaking, the endeavor is integrating virtual worlds into the curricula. Failure to do so may result in irreparable consequences: the educational system designed in the 19th century will not help students thrive in the 21st. The paper ‒ which gives examples of primary resources prepared by trainees for classroom use ‒ also relies on secondary sources such as PISA results and international findings. It attempts to address the challenges educators meet and raises the question of whether “anything digital would work”. Examples of practical use are supported by the latest theories and literature on teaching and learning in the new digital environment.