Session 2B
Title: Blended learning

Abstract:
Blended learning is on everyone's lips in education, but it appears to be poorly defined in terms of what it is and what it looks like. I have decided to define blended learning in terms of what students do with their device in the language learning environment (as opposed to teachers using technology as a presentation tool or as a MOOC). And rather than it being some esoteric branch of education, teachers who are used to best practice in the classroom will find that blended learning is simply just another tool in the modern language teacher's toolkit.

This short presentation will present areas where teachers can encourage students to bring their own device (BYOD) into the modern multi-platform language learning classroom while presenting to teachers some criteria for choosing apps for the classroom, some simple classroom management strategies for managing the potentially disruptive force of telephones and devices and offer some ideas on how technology can be used in the nuts and bolts components of language lessons: building context, vocabulary acquisition and retention, prediction and brainstorming activities and individual/group construction of texts, as well as using the devices to help students organise study materials.

Biodata:
John O'Connor trained as a secondary English and History teacher in Ireland in 1995 and left thereafter. He worked in London for five years, mostly in disadvantaged schools before changing career direction totally in 2000 to go to Singapore. John worked for a year in a language centre and later as the head of an ESL department for primary school Year 5 and 6 students in an International school. On arriving to Australia in 2006, he worked for RMIT English Worldwide in Melbourne for three years and since 2009 has worked at UWS College in both the Pathways and English Programs.