tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post8911714043486123020..comments2017-10-07T04:32:28.969-07:00Comments on ELTC at the University of Sheffield: Digital literacies for EAP students: who's responsible? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03737189309420659648noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-21001059539458704012014-04-26T22:38:45.001-07:002014-04-26T22:38:45.001-07:00Thanks Robin for your comment, I've been doing...Thanks Robin for your comment, I've been doing a bit of research as well through questionnaires and it's clear that many of of our former students are struggling with technology and noone in their departments are providing any kind of support. You're right the 'digital native' idea does vastly oversimplify the issue. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03737189309420659648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-57460029612289014702014-04-26T09:50:16.644-07:002014-04-26T09:50:16.644-07:00Great post! the "digital native" idea ov...Great post! the "digital native" idea oversimplifies the issues. Some research we did on students at our own university showed wide variation both between students and between media/skills. Assuming that students are equally comfortable and competent with any "new media" would be like assuming that someone over the age of 50 would be equally at ease with typewriters and microfiche systems because they are both "old media".Robin Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513475916030365615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-22249852223758772482014-04-25T09:39:41.103-07:002014-04-25T09:39:41.103-07:00Great post. I love the idea of having a tech exper...Great post. I love the idea of having a tech expert on hand to give students specific sessions - which teachers can then sit in on and learn too. Our students have a library introduction (by library staff) which includes quite a bit about using academic search tools (including hands-on practice). I found it really useful to sit in on the session (for the first time at least) so that I could then refer to it in class when it cropped up or send them to the relevant info to check details.<br />I liked your GP analogy - I have areas where I feel quite confident, like assessing the reliability of online sources, but others where I know my knowledge is a bit shaky and I'd really like to be able to pass them onto an expert.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-59496688632794637532014-04-25T07:00:03.784-07:002014-04-25T07:00:03.784-07:00I'm with you Tyson. I have found that it's...I'm with you Tyson. I have found that it's not only a responsibility, but a necessity. If I want students to submit "academic" work, then I ALWAYS need to show them how to do that. I really hate the old "Digital Natives" cop-out. My young adult students are super with texting and instagram, but when it comes to plannnng, researching, and writing a research paper, they are lost at sea! I don't like the fact that I, as a language teacher, have to teach basic wordprocessing and Google skills, but if I want students to get through this 'academic prep' program... then that is just part of the 'prep' that falls to me! I just wonder how they got this far without acquiring those skills! Shouldn't they have picked this up in their "digitally native" high-school careers? Your entire last paragraph, Tyson, is exactly my point too!Ronahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13808189021467228914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-22941615356190500972014-04-25T06:55:10.004-07:002014-04-25T06:55:10.004-07:00I agree on some levels Tyson, we can't pretend...I agree on some levels Tyson, we can't pretend these digital skills don't exist and I think teachers should do their best to become familiar with them. At the same time, we have to be realistic and realise that EAP has many teachers of an older generation that still struggle with technology, good teachers who struggle to keep up regardless of the help/training they are given. If some of that burden for instruction could be taken away from them and given to someone who feels confident about technology, I don't see any harm in that. <br /><br />I think I would like to see a bit more specialisation in EAP (and EFL in general to be honest), at times teachers are expected to be experts in all aspects of the learning process, but if teachers could focus on one or two areas they feel most confident/knowledgeable in (speaking, listening, digital skills, presentations etc) and really develop in those areas, it would lead to happier teachers and more informed students!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03737189309420659648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4159885697869719267.post-32988793027425348672014-04-25T06:40:45.345-07:002014-04-25T06:40:45.345-07:00I'd suggest that yes, given we are preparing s...I'd suggest that yes, given we are preparing students for success in the higher education context, it is our responsibility to have a firm working knowledge of these types of skills, not simply language. In fact, my colleagues and I often remark how the ratio of academic skills vs language skills seem to be tipped more towards the former in what we work together with students on. Having said this, we must include that our learners aren't, for the most part, learners of lower level proficiency either. <br /><br />It behooves us to investigate how these skills play out for ourselves first and then share with students ways to discover what works for them. Just as a simple example I've seen rarely mentioned: Microsoft Word functions. Students know how to type, but they don't know so many other basic skills that prove useful (footnote functions, tables, styles, etc). Perhaps some might argue it is not our domain, but I'd argue otherwise. Whether or not we grew up with this technology ourselves, we do need to prepare our students for their futures, not our past.Tyson Seburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04113881763418411873noreply@blogger.com