Description

The Covid-19 pandemic has directly impacted the way teachers and learners worldwide teach and learn languages, forcing numerous educational activities in technologically-deprived contexts to stop altogether and those in technologically-rich environments to go online on an emergency basis. This volume provides a collection of theoretical and practical insights into the challenges and affordances faced globally during the pandemic and lessons learnt about the application of digital technologies for language teaching and learning. The chapters explore the vital role of technology in its various forms, including the internet, social media, CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning), MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning), TALL (Technology Assisted Language Learning) and TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning). Topics explored include the new avenues digital technology has opened up for language teachers and learners, options and challenges in applying technology in various contexts, and how the second language education industry could have been adversely impacted at the time of the pandemic without technological affordances. The contributions showcase studies from various geographical contexts, revealing how the global crisis was received and tackled differently in Australia, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the UAE, the UK and the USA.