When the internet is added to the environment of the classroom, instructional changes inevitably take
place. The intensity of these changes depends on how the internet is used, as it can be aligned with either traditional or innovative forms of instruction. With traditional forms of instruction, the benefits are
limited, whereas with innovative forms of instruction, the results can be powerful. This chapter discusses how the internet can open up spaces for social constructivist and transformative pedagogy, even in traditional classroom settings, by using as an example an internet-based sister class project, entitled DiaLogos, designed for the teaching of English as foreign language (EFL) in Greece and Greek as a second language (L2) in Canada. In the Greek context where the teaching of English followed a very traditional textbook-oriented approach, DiaLogos demonstrated how this approach can be expanded to integrate critical thinking, creative writing, and identity exploration with language learning. Illustrative examples of these processes are discussed in relation to a framework for promoting academic language
learning and conceptualizing the relationships between pedagogy and technology. |