Blending Technologies in Second Language Classrooms

This book introduces an approach for making principled decisions about the use of technologies specifically in Applied Linguistics. The research is grounded in the growing area of 'blended learning' that seeks to combine face-to-face instruction with online-based interactions to record students using a foreign language productively.

“Provides an insightful analysis of the complex processes involved in interweaving online and classroom-based activities for language learning. It will be useful not only for teachers and researchers who are interested in action research in blended settings, but also as a counterpoint to those studies of blended learning which focus almost exclusively on technology to the detriment of wider perspectives through which we can come to know what really happens in blending technologies in second language classrooms.” (Cynthia White, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 50 (2), June, 2016)

"Written in a clear, academic yet accessible style, Blending Technologies in Second Language Classrooms is, in sum, an extremely handy and useable book, which I would recommend as a core textbook for the principled blending of technology into L2 learning, for use by language practitioners, researchers and student teachers alike." - ReCALL

"This book is written with clarity and may serve as an introduction to blended learning and uses of it to enhance language learning via interactive environments. It may also be a resource for teachers already engaged in blending it with face-to-face teaching by providing some useful insights and suggestions for appropriate, multi-modal and sustainable practices." - British Journal of Educational Technology

"Ideas are so tightly packed in and the explanations so lucid that provided the necessary inclination and effort are there to engage, this is a highly rewarding read... Gruba and Hinkelman set out to argue that for best results, the blending of technologies in second language classrooms should be purposeful, appropriate, multimodal and sustainable, as well as developed in a community of innovation; they make a very creditable job of it." - System

"This book is an extremely rich resource for tertiary-level teachers, program developers, departments, and faculties considering a move to blended learning." - Project Muse

"A rewarding read" - IATEFL Learning Technologies SIG Newsletter

"The book is an evidence-based, persuasive text on teh benefits of planning and thinking before including computer-based learning into teaching." - Fine Print

Paul Gruba is Senior Lecturer in the School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Australia, and has a variety of teaching and research interests in the areas of new media and language learning, innovative language assessment, and thesis writing.

Don Hinkelman is Professor at Sapporo Gakuin University, Japan, where he administers an EFL program in oral and written communication. He promotes collaborative faculty development through the Moodle Association of Japan and other teaching associations. His research includes all aspects of foreign language education, especially in team authoring of blended cloud and face-to-face teaching resources and materials.