Innovations and Applications of Technology in Language Education

Book excerpt: The linguistics and language education world has recently experienced a rapidly proliferating interest in applying technology. This interdisciplinary area bridges the gap between two previously separate fields. Innovations and Applications of Technology in Language Education is a collection of 12 chapters by an international group of language and linguistics education experts. Although technology in language education is a global interest, its practices should be contextualized. This book covers how language educational technology is currently applied, discusses how it should be applied, and gives directions for its future development. Providing a critical review of respective current practices and perspectives, this book begins by presenting a set of research‐based principles for developing second language teachers’ professionalism. It then examines the use of technology to enhance students’ English language skills. Acknowledging the advantages and disadvantages of AI‐mediated communication, this book argues for the use of AI to facilitate communication in language education. It also proposes the use of AI to develop and administer language tests and suggests guidelines for practitioners to deploy AI in developing and administering language tests efficiently. This book concludes by discussing technology for specific purposes in second language education and the potential of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) to enhance interaction between students.