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Abstract
This article explores the role that Web 2.0 technologies can play in enhancing language learning development in a blended world. It will argue that technologies are not enough on their own to make a difference, but that teachers bring a particular understanding of language and the needs of their learners to the creation of suitable activities. It will show that the use of technologies is also changing our understanding of the profession of language education and that sociocultural theory can help us understand why this is occurring. Blended learning as a type of classroom activity will be explored showing how different definitions may be interpreted in the classroom context. The types of blended activities that can be used are illustrated through three vignettes.
Keywords: Blended learning - Web 2.0 - sociocultural theory - teacher decision-making
Introduction
This paper will explore what language educators need to know in order to make effective use of learning technologies, specifically Web 2.0 technologies. It will suggest that in the current stage of educational technology development that blended learning is the most appropriate solution for many teachers working in traditional classrooms who want to make use of digital technologies as an aspect of their practice. It will argue, as do Bayne and Ross (2007), against the claim that teachers are unable to effectively 'engage' their learners because they are "digital immigrants" and therefore incapable of using new technologies in their classrooms because even if they try to use technologies teachers are hampered by their non-digital cultural heritage (Prensky 2001). It will further argue that while technological artefacts can make a difference, there are other important mediating artefacts that need to be taken into account: an understanding of general learning theory and of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) make teachers ideally placed to blend practices, processes and technologies in the crafting of effective lessons for the learners in their charge. Our understanding of SLA has developed considerably in the last four decades and there is now a clear set of well-defined and stable perspectives that teachers can refer to. General learning theory also has a lot to offer as will be seen later. Three vignettes of classroom practice are offered at the end of this article to show how...