Blending Technologies in Second Language Classrooms

Hinkelman’s Blending Technologies in Second Language Classrooms (2nd edition) is primarily aimed at teachers with an increased focus on classroom and mobile learning environments. It provides experienced or new teachers with a framework and principles for selecting technologies, learning strategies, assessments, and tasks in blending technology environments. The first edition of the book, which was published in 2012, emphasises the first word of the title, “blending”. It explores the theory and practice of blending old and new technologies in second-language classrooms. Moreover, it consists of seven chapters that address both theory and practice to enhance learners’ secondlanguage learning. This new edition has some powerful additions based on the evaluation and critical reviews of the first edition. This book provides an increased focus towards the design of technologies in secondlanguage classrooms. The new book includes five new chapters. The first additional material discusses learning metaphors and ecologies (Chapter 3), followed by strategies for blended language learning. The strategies include a task-based language teaching approach, flipped teaching strategies, gamification strategies (Chapter 5), ecology-based research principles in blended environments (Chapter 7), ethnographic research (Chapter 9), and blended technologies in practice (Chapter 10). This book focuses on how technologies are blended and assisted in classrooms and how learning activities change as technology evolves. Blended language learning combines the classroom environment with that of the Internet. The new edition consists of 12 chapters organised into four sections: concepts, approaches, research, and practice. Each section is related to three chapters. Moreover, more than 100 tables and figures are provided to ensure that readers can clearly understand the topics presented. The “concepts” section includes Chapters 1, 2, and 3. This section provides a practical description and analysis of blended learning and technologies in ecology. Chapter 1 introduces the role and overview of blended learning in language education. By tracing the development of blended approaches to language learning, the author proposes four key aspects: purpose, appropriateness, multimodality, and sustainability. According to these four aspects, a principled approach can be formed when designing a blended language learning course. Because of the popularity of modern technology, the challenge that most teachers now face is how to understand and utilise technology in the learning process. Chapter 2 explains what “technology” is and how to blend technologies into a learning environment. The chapter focuses on the concept of “technology”. The framework and application of six dimensions of technology are illustrated in detail. Actions, timings, groupings, space, texts, and tools are six core dimensions described within an ecological network metaphor. Moreover, the author samples a critical reading lesson to demonstrate that the understanding of the dimensions of technology can be improved to integrate what, when, where, and how educators can stimulate learning. According to the aforementioned framework, Chapter 3 examines second-language learning theories or “metaphors” for blended teaching environments. This chapter reviews the theoretical concepts and metaphors of second-language learning, whose relationship with blended language learning is mentioned. After introducing the evolution of second-language pedagogy, the author describes and illustrates three learning metaphors: instruction, acquisition, and socialisation. These metaphors are examined to ensure their connection with blending technologies; their usefulness for guiding the blending of technologies is also analysed. In this section, the author discusses “ecology” for the first time and notes that “ecologies are configurations of pedagogic actions, groupings, timings, texts and tools” (p. ix). Similar to the description of dimensions of technologies in Chapter 2, ecology may refer to a language learning or teaching system. Therefore, a disappointing