The development of students’ digital literacy skills is important in the new millennium, yet it is even more important to integrate such skills with their other skills, including communication and research skills. This paper presents the design of an undergraduate sociolinguistics research project which aimed at developing ESL students’ digital literacy, communication and research skills. The project consisted of four phases, namely the (1) preparatory phase, (2) developmental phase, (3) application and consolidation phase, and (4) self-reflection phase. After receiving initial training on technology (preparatory phase), students researched on a sociolinguistics issue using online and offline resources (developmental phase), produced a video, created a website and gave an oral presentation showcasing their research discoveries and digitally-mediated multimodal productions (application and consolidation phase). Finally, they wrote a post-task essay reflecting on their learning processes and experiences (self-reflection phase). The results of the project showed that students’ digital literacy skills, communication skills and research skills were enhanced. ESL teachers are advised to incorporate the use of digital literacies into the L2 classroom to develop students’ integrated skills. They are also encouraged to introduce self-reflective practices into the classroom to ensure effective language learning.

Authors:
Alice Yin Wa Chan, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chit Cheung Matthew Sung, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Alice Yin Wa Chan is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at City University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong

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