The Use of Technology for Second Language Learning and Teaching: A Retrospective

As one of the oldest and most influential foreign language pedagogical journals, The Modern Language Journal (MLJ) offers valuable insights into how technological advances have affected language teaching and learning at various points in history. The present article will review the proposed pedagogical use of technological resources by means of a critical analysis of articles published in the MLJ since its first edition in 1916. The assessment of how previous technical capabilities have been implemented for pedagogical purposes represents a necessary background for the assessment of the pedagogical potential of present-day technologies. In this article I argue that, whereas most "new technologies" (radio, television, VCR, computers) may have been revolutionary in the overall context of human interaction, it is not clear that they have achieved equal degrees of pedagogical benefit in the realm of second language teaching. I further claim that the pedagogical effectiveness of different technologies is related to four major questions: (a) Is increased technological sophistication correlated to increased pedagogical effectiveness? (b) Which technical attributes specific to new technologies can be profitably exploited for pedagogical purposes? (c) How can new technologies be successfully integrated into the curriculum? and (d) Do new technologies provide for an efficient use of human and material resources?