Call for Proposals

Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching

Lisbon (PT), September 2018 - The Universidade Aberta’s EL@Nresearch group will be hosting the first conference on innovation and technology in language teaching as applied to eLearning and b-learning environments in Lisbon, Portugal, 07 December 2018. The aim of this initiative is to spark debate on teaching practices and the effect of technology in learning through a sharing of perspectives and approaches to the theme in different educational contexts.

In the 21st century and in an increasingly globalized world, the shift to technology enables closer contact between different linguistic and communicational contexts and provides answers to the growing educational imperative for global citizens to acquire knowledge in foreign languages.

The specificities of distant learning in foreign languages facilitate the acquisition of general skills as defined by the CEFR, such as socio- and intercultural communication by using digital resources, tools, and apps that are designed to encourage interaction and knowledge exchange between native and non-native speakers in the target language.

The present reflection opens the debate on this teaching and learning environment and allows for the sharing of ideas and experiences that will, in turn, enable innovation and the development of pedagogical skills in the context of online learning. We therefore invite researchers from different fields of teaching (online/b-learning/classroom) to submit proposals for fifteen-minute papers on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Technological development as applied to teaching
  • New concepts in language teaching/learning (intercultural skills, critical-language awareness, language learning awareness)
  • Conception and evaluation of digital educational resources
  • Open educational resources and their use in virtual environments
  • Interaction in the virtual classroom
  • Developing speaking skills in foreign language learning
  • Teacher and student roles in virtual environments
  • Blended learning (using digital tools in the conventional classroom)
  • Student motivation/motivating students
  • Time management in the virtual classroom
  • Knowledge building in the virtual classroom
  • Assessing the student in digital contexts
  • Mobile learning in formal learning contexts
  • Articulating teaching foreign languages within institutional contexts

Workshops will have a duration of 45 minutes and can be

  • an open class/module
  • a demonstration of how to use resources and tools
  • a demonstration of how to create activities and other online practices
  • other relevant topics

The organisers welcome proposals for presentations or workshops (300 words max.) in Portuguese, English, French, Spanish or German. They should contain a description of objectives and topics to be dealt with.
Please send your proposals with your name, contact, institution and a brief bionote (100 words max.) by 30 September 2018.