Globalised language learning and localised distraction: is technology a double-edged sword?
Technology has become a crucial aspect of language learning in third level education. Based on a survey conducted at University of Limerick (n=65), 90% of second year students from Applied Languages use technology when studying. The use of Social Media and the affordances of technology provide language learners with the opportunity to connect and interact with a multilingual and multicultural virtual world at a global scale. However, we live now in the age of distraction and the power of the personalised digital presence of learners seems to lead to a localised distraction with negative effects on learners’ performance.
In a recent poll (ReImagineEdu, 2016) looking at the digital profile of nearly 1000 learners, it was reported that 78% of students worry about digital technologies distracting them from study. On the other hand, we recognise that multimodal social media, for instance, the: “Formal and self-determined use of social media indicates a disruption from a hierarchical learning and teaching paradigm to a networked learning paradigm in all of our learning spaces” (Middleton, 2015).
The aim of this paper is to investigate the experiences, perceptions and awareness of language learners about the distractive nature of technology and actual impact upon their learning.