ABSTRACTS DAY 1

DAY 1

PLENARYS

TPACK Generalities and main characteristics of TPACK model

What is the “right measure” of technology knowledge that a teacher considers necessary for their teaching practice? Is there a way to determine such measure? The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Koehler and Mishra, 2009) suggests that teachers should develop a unique type of knowledge for effective teaching with/through technology. A combined knowledge of – the use of – technology, pedagogy and content – subject matter – is to be developed so that teachers are ready to embrace and respond to the needs of a very specific audience in rather multifaceted times. In trying to determine if a teacher holds such knowledge, one must recognise that every teacher owns a repertoire of beliefs that differ a lot from one individual to another. The TPACK framework may well serve as a starting assessment point from where to advance so that a teacher’s beliefs – and practice – about the use of technology for teaching lead to a much better understanding and improved performance.

Speaker: Stalyn Alejandro Ávila 

Universidad Indoamérica

TECHNOLOGY: Learn new strategies and skills in the classroom apply MEC

Microsoft is the technology leader worldwide since its inception, has always sought to change the world through education, developing applications and providing teachers with digital spaces that allow them to improve their skills in digital skills. Microsoft Educator Community has been designed to help educators from around the world grow as teaching professionals. It makes available to all users a set of tools with which teachers can be aware of the latest innovations for the classroom, the most modern methods of learning and collaboration as well as workshops and courses that we can attend virtually. Precisely, one of the most important characteristics of this new educational community of Microsoft is to share experiences among the rest of the users: we can connect with other educators and experts specialized in multiple subjects, and distributed all over the world, in order to expand the knowledge with their own lessons and materials. A key point for this is Mystery Skype, the platform for instant messaging, voice calls and video conferencing from Microsoft that will help us not only to have a conversation with other users of the platform, but also to be able to have a virtual trip to any corner of the planet or the possibility of being able to create a debate with a class on the other side of the world.

Speaker: Diego Larenas 

BUSINESS IT

PEDAGOGY: Communicative Approach

References 

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2003). Approaches and Methods in Language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

    UNESCO (2011), ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/in/documentViewer.xhtml?id=p::usmarcdef_0000213475&file=/in/rest/annotationSVC/DownloadWatermarkedAttachment/attach_import_7a1f662e-df47-4abe-829d-b3eab095a43a%3F_%3D213475eng.pdf&locale=es&multi=true&ark=/ark:/48223/pf0000213475/PDF/213475eng.pdf#page=8&zoom=auto

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Speaker: Mariela Vásquez

UCSG

KNOWLEDGE

Principles of Language Assessment

Abstract: Good language assessment need to reflect our teaching approach and must be built on solid theoretical foundations. This talk will explore the concepts of validity, reliability, practicality and impact in relation to language assessment, and look at the features of communicative language teaching and how they should be reflected in assessment tools.

Speaker:  Pablo Toledo 

Cambridge Assessmen

TECHNOLOGY: Practical tools for teaching through technology

Currently the use of technology in the teaching-learning process has evolved significantly, where the knowledge sharing gap among several actors worldwide has been reduced and there are no limitations for those who wish to apply ICT within higher education , one of the strategies that has taken force in a new model of learning has been the massive, open and online courses known as MOOC, for its acronym in English: Massive Open Online Courses, in Ecuadorian Education, focused on nano-learning, It also aims to strengthen in a stratified way the teaching-learning process that has generated great interest in recent years, which constitute a flexible distance education modality, but with an important impact and deployment, especially in the educational field. Its principles are based on Connectivism, which allows free and open access to educational content, promoting the universalization of education and continuous training. Its dissemination is based on micro-courses hosted on online learning platforms and to a large extent with a contribution of knowledge with access from any technological devices and Internet connection.

Speaker: Alex Guevara 

Universidad Técnica del Norte

Making Sense of Recent Advances in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Framework

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Framework describes the kinds of knowledge needed by teachers in order to use technology in order to support student learning. In this presentation, I emphasize new horizons related to the TPACK framework and how TPACK has been adapted by researchers and teacher educators around the world for different content areas, contexts, and purposes. I emphasize how Teachers of English as a Foreign Language can consider TPACK when they plan and enact lessons in order to expand opportunities for all students to learn with technology. This presentation will be of interest to teachers, teacher educators, and researchers interested in recent advances related to TPACK.

Joshua Rosenberg 

University of Tennessee

ICT and Education in the XXI Century

The support of Technology in Education and the involvement of teachers in the change is very important since people now enter the university knowing more than a teacher and it is of the utmost importance that the facilitator adopts the new technologies much faster, to be able to include in the teaching-learning process the knowledge and experience that they have over time. It should be noted that Universidad Técnica del Norte has been a pioneer in the field, as it is the first University in Latin America to include corporate social networks in the teaching process of its students through the communication, collaboration and productivity platform as it's Microsoft Office 365. We urge that other institutions join in the process, since it is essential to have world class tools, under accessible conditions. They are tools that are being used in countries like Singapore, USA, Colombia, Peru. Many have even gone further, including international certifications for their students of any career and giving them the opportunity to improve the employability index even outside the country as they are recognized worldwide through the Microsoft Academy. The support of the heads that manage the Universities is crucial to improve the knowledge of the students and make them more competitive in the ever changing work world, where each time a person leaves.

Carlos Aguirre 

BUSINESS IT

New digital resources for teachers

Wondering what online resources are out there, but not sure where to start? Do you feel that your ESL classes could use a little help in keeping up with the continuous change in technology? This table discussion will provide you with the ins and outs of the latest interactive technology and how it can be customized and branded to your class and

Patrick Maestas 

Auburn Global

Understanding and Applying TPACK in ESL: Contexts and Possibilities

During the last three decades we have seen rapid changes in our society that affect our daily patterns of life (e.g., communications, medical advances). These changes are accompanied by transformations in language and how meaning is conveyed. As a result, we are challenged to keep current our own education and knowledge base generating the need for new sets of skills and dispositions. This presentation aims to promote dialogue to advance our current understanding of the types of knowledge ESL and world languages teachers (WLTs) need to attain in order to integrate technology into the curriculum in thoughtful and pedagogically sound ways. Shulman’s (1987) concepts of Content Knowledge (CK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Mishra & Koehler’s (2006) concept of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), van Olphen’s (2008) application of TPACK to WLTs education, and Harris, Hofer, Blanchard, Young, Grandgenett, & van Olphen (2010) LATs are used as springboards to frame this discussion as well as to propel it. The TPACK framework is a complex form of knowledge that is situated and results from the intersections and dynamic relationships that exist among PCK, Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). On the other hand, the LATs taxonomies provide a practical and systematic model to design lesson plans that integrate technology considering instructional planning and pedagogy as central pieces. Teachers who are committed to meaningful integration of technology can rely on the LATs approach as a strategy to apply and develop their TPACK. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that integrating technology in meaningful and principled ways is a balancing act. Within this balancing act, thorough instructional planning and careful consideration of the specific contexts in which teachers carry their duties are critical to the success of students’ learning.

Speaker: Marcela Van Olphen 

Saint Leo University

Communicative Approach

During the last three decades we have seen rapid changes in our society that affect our daily patterns of life (e.g., communications, medical advances). These changes are accompanied by transformations in language and how meaning is conveyed. As a result, we are challenged to keep current our own education and knowledge base generating the need for new sets of skills and dispositions. This presentation aims to promote dialogue to advance our current understanding of the types of knowledge ESL and world languages teachers (WLTs) need to attain in order to integrate technology into the curriculum in thoughtful and pedagogically sound ways. Shulman’s (1987) concepts of Content Knowledge (CK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Mishra & Koehler’s (2006) concept of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), van Olphen’s (2008) application of TPACK to WLTs education, and Harris, Hofer, Blanchard, Young, Grandgenett, & van Olphen (2010) LATs are used as springboards to frame this discussion as well as to propel it. The TPACK framework is a complex form of knowledge that is situated and results from the intersections and dynamic relationships that exist among PCK, Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). On the other hand, the LATs taxonomies provide a practical and systematic model to design lesson plans that integrate technology considering instructional planning and pedagogy as central pieces. Teachers who are committed to meaningful integration of technology can rely on the LATs approach as a strategy to apply and develop their TPACK. Finally, it is important to acknowledge that integrating technology in meaningful and principled ways is a balancing act. Within this balancing act, thorough instructional planning and careful consideration of the specific contexts in which teachers carry their duties are critical to the success of students’ learning. One of the most important roles that the teacher must play throughout his professional management is to be an agent of constant educational innovation. Teachers have the necessary preparation in terms of content to carry out their work responsibly. The concern is that theirs is the decision to implement changes that will eventually be necessary for the academic advancement of their students. As times change and human activities change, teachers will have to adapt temporarily and spatially in the current scenario where technology advances happen rapidly and sets the pace towards the evolution of processes. Communicative Approach, raised in opposition to the grammar-translation method, which was so common until early 70s, this is not extraordinary news. Neither is that its main goal was to give the learner communicative competence in several real life situations, “interpret message and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within a specific context… to know when, where and to whom to use appropriate language in a communicative event” (Richards, 2003). In the midst of this digital generation, the words of Richards take enhanced importance, since the key words he uses are: interpret, message, negotiate, interpersonal and context. All of which tell us that there is a need to talk or interact with somebody else in the target language, and this pervasive use of communication is facilitated more than ever with technological devices. Societies are immersed in a continuous communication and in the need of reading and writing faster than ever. This is done through the use of technology. One emerging approach to language teaching is the use of technology in the EFL classrooms. Precisely, with the Information Communication Tools (ICT), this premise suggests that the frequent use of "apps" for gaming (mobile applications) is something very close to the experiences of the students. The teachers, learners, networks, connections, media and digital applications create a unique ambience that has the potential to meet learners’ individual needs. Technology is brought into the classroom through hardware and software. The use of ICT tools for education is an issue in our country, since the traditional format of teaching is a survivor of the past century. Regarding the importance of ICT for education, UNESCO (2011), working with its partners, CISCO, Intel, ISTE and Microsoft, conducted a research to identify the competencies that teachers should develop to use technology effectively in the classroom. Such competencies to teaching must be overcome through time by teachers and authorities as well. These, are: “Technology Literacy”, “Knowledge Deepening”, and “Knowledge Creation”. There are two questions for researchers, first, “how much competence in techonology is being developed by teachers? And second, “what are authorities implementing to achieve this goal set by UNESCO in 2011?

References 

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2003). Approaches and Methods in Language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. UNESCO (2011), ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, retrieved from 

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/in/documentViewer.xhtml?id=p::usmarcdef_0000213475&file=/in/rest/annotationSVC/DownloadWatermarkedAttachment/

attach_import_7a1f662e-df47-4abe-829d-b3eab095a43a%3F_%3D213475eng.pdf&locale=es&multi=true&ark=/ark:/48223/pf0000213475/P

DF/213475eng.pdf#page=8&zoom=auto

Speaker: Mariela Vásquez 

UCSG

An instructional Design Model for application in a Distance Mode English Language Program

This model aimed at organizing English Language resources with focus on desired end results as goals for six online courses in a distance modality, with the objective to articulate learners’ understanding and skills. On the one hand, the research regarded a primary stage of data collection through a pre-test applied to 313 students through which levels of knowledge were defined in order to distribute content units. Once having identified the immediate needs of learners and program requirements, a backwards design process helped to outline material, activities, evaluation among other characteristics of the proposal. Thus, two versions of courses were taken into consideration, regular ones with extended dosing throughout two terms, and intensive courses with similar criteria but in a shorter period. During the initial phase of the project, Moodle resources empowered the instructional design by means of interactive tools to emphasize synchronous tutoring and teacher-learners interaction. Regulations and standards took a main role for designers as they were key to establish necessary contents that could foster practical relevance in each section of the virtual environment. In the end, the compliance of the different courses provided information that matched post-test results, and together came to be part of detailed analysis in contrast to preliminary averages. In addition, model features were compared with traditional course design and tutoring to value effectiveness and advantages in class preparation and students´ motivation. Data presented improvement on students’ final grades and better performance of teachers due to the quality of assignments which avoided time consuming tasks when grading. These highlights permitted to conclude that a good combination of technology and pedagogy with a specific subject engages and benefits online learners. Key words: backwards design, distance modality, English Language, Moodle resources.

Speaker: Diego López 

Universidad Indoamérica

Educational implications, research and learning environments

So, what does TPACK really mean for us, teachers, in the era of technology as a means of ubiquitous education? Theoretically, the framework at hand allows us to assess a very intrinsic type of knowledge, but there are – or should be – deeper implications to what technology “is used for”. It is in practice where we are to apply a new teaching pedagogy that centres its attention to everybody being a student-teacher. These intricate premises will be discussed and, hopefully, create a debate with plenty of food for thought.

Stalyn Alejandro Ávila Herrera 

Universidad Indoamérica

The future of Assessment in the age of AI and big data

Abstract: Assessment of language competence has been and always will be tied to the way language is taught and used, and as such has evolved since the late 19th century. From grammar translation and its focus on grammar rules and vocabulary, to the communicative approach with its understanding of language as communication through speech acts, we will look at how language assessment has responded to the different principles and practices while it developed as a discipline. The session will put a special focus on how information technology, big data, corpus analysis and artificial intelligence are redefining the possibilities of language assessment. Aspects covered include the role of computers as potential graders of speaking and writing, the role of language data bases, the new kinds of tasks which are enabled through the use of computers, and the potential for new forms of assessment through videogames.

Speaker: Pablo Toledo 

Cambridge