Can traditional live theatre affect the identity formation of teenagers? Drawing upon a six-year, qualitative study of Canadian, independent school live theatre audiences and a review of identity formation and audience studies, this paper offers three findings of interest to high school English teachers. These speak to the need for English…

Students' excessive reliance on mobile phones during English classes diminishes their learning engagement and understanding, which in turn affects their academic performance. Teachers' prior observations at our selected university indicated that smartphone usage among English learners varied significantly across class groups and among individual…

In an eighth-grade English language arts class, 100 students used virtual reality headsets, augmented reality--capable smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, online scavenger hunts, and print-based texts as an introduction to William Shakespeare's life and works. The authors highlight the need for educators to offer multimodal instruction that…

This study proposed to enhance mobile learning engagement with PACARD (Personalized Adaptive CARD-based interface) that combines several technologies including card-based interface, personalized adaptation, push notifications, and badges. To evaluate our proposal, we distributed a mobile learning application (app) called "English…

After working with a number of scholars for two years, a university designed a mobile learning platform referred to as 'College English IV,' where learners could have easy access to various kinds of learning resources through installing the program in their smart phones. This study aims to identify whether this platform could significantly improve…

Mobile and other internet-connected devices infiltrate society, including K-12 classrooms. A large body of research indicated that these devices might distract students; however, other studies have revealed many benefits when the devices are used for educational purposes. This study aimed to examine the relationships between the use of mobile…

In March of 2020, many schools including the high school where I teach in the southwest United States, shut down and moved all students to online learning due to a coronavirus. At the time, this virus (referred to as COVID-19) was just starting to pose a significant threat to the United States, yet had already claimed lives in other parts of the…

The literacy practices enacted in secondary school English classrooms can be influenced by the pressures acting upon teachers and students. Attention can be diverted away from the process of meaning-making when more emphasis is placed upon performance outcomes than on reading processes. This paper argues that digital forms of Interactive Fiction…

With the advance of mobile technology, mobile devices have become more portable and powerful with numerous useful tools in daily life. Thus, mobile learning has been widely involved in e-learning studies. Many studies point out that it is important to integrate both pedagogical and technical strengths of mobile technology into learning settings.…

This article outlines the a educational design for Digital Ensemble, an innovative approach to English assessment integrating drama pedagogy with mobile computing (e.g. ad). a represents the key themes that framed and informed the research: ensemble, narrative, collaboration and technology. Starting with a as a prototype concept design for the…

How are teachers who identify as "digital literacy trailblazers' exploring and experimenting with digital tools in their English classrooms? Based on a study of English teaching with digital tools, this paper draws on the case of one secondary school teacher and her year 9 class as they read Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank) and engage with…

In recent years, technology integration and innovation have been an intriguing topic that educators discuss frequently when trying to make connections between student engagement and student learning. Many institutions have begun incorporating their own Bring Your Own Device programs, which allow students to utilize their personal mobile technology…

Students feel more comfortable in a new language when they understand its jokes. And when the jokes are puns, they build metalinguistic awareness. This article describes four categories of English puns--soundalike puns, lookalike puns, close-sounding puns, and texting puns--and suggests how they can be incorporated into English language…

A Ubiquitous Learning Log (ULL) is defined as a digital record of what a learner has learned in daily life using ubiquitous computing technologies. In this paper, a project which developed a system called SCROLL (System for Capturing and Reusing Of Learning Log) is presented. The aim of developing SCROLL is to help learners record, organize,…

This article reports on original research into student perceptions of the implementation of an iPad-based English curriculum within a public secondary education setting. Building upon a theoretical foundation grounded in digital literacy and technology self-efficacy, this study captures the perceptions of male and female students who shed…