A touch of edtech to create “compelling” blended learning environments

Abstract

It is true that current technological advancement has a great influence on the lives of individuals in the world. This advancement inevitably brought their use to education. When the undeniable importance of learning and teaching English is taken into consideration, one of the most important concerns of English language education may be creating compelling input in learning environments. In this sense, the increasing popularity of mobile technologies as well as technology use for educational purposes has attracted serious attention in terms of questioning their effects in various settings for language education. Therefore, this study investigates whether Web 2.0 tools like Edmodo would support English classes in a way to form compelling input in blended learning environments and whether it would have an impact on high school students’ overall academic performance and most specifically speaking performance. The mixed methods research design was used to collect data so data came from a needs analysis, Oxford Placement Test (OPT), Key English Test (KET) and student follow-up interviews. The data were analysed by using descriptive analysis techniques and t-tests. The results of the study suggest that despite the possible other factors affecting the overall results at the end of the intervention, it is still possible to claim the benefits of using Web 2.0 tools in creating compelling blended learning environments in English language education.