the integration of technology into promotingautonomous language learning for 10th grade studentsmajoring in english

MÔN TIẾNG ANH – MÃ CHẤM: A10a

THE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY
INTO PROMOTINGAUTONOMOUS LANGUAGE LEARNING
FOR 10TH GRADE STUDENTSMAJORING IN ENGLISH

BY PHAM THI HUONG
DUONG THI PHUONG

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to:
The Key Organizers of Hung Vuong Summer Camp in 2016 for giving us this golden
opportunity to share our experience in using technology to promote our students’ self-study strategies
to improve their English language proficiency.
Our school for giving us an inspiration, encouragement and invaluable guidelines during the
process of completing this paper.
The rest of our colleagues for help and support.
Our students’ works in class 10D1 at Chu Van An Gifted High School and family for giving
us constant encouragement and confidence to fulfill our work.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT
1. Introduction

1

2. Literature Review and Rationale for the Study

1

3. Suggestion for possible activities to integrate technology into facilitating autonomous

2

learning
4. Implementation

4

4.1. Portfolios

4

with the use of technology and students’ increased interest in their

autonomous learning of English
4.2. Project-based learning (PBL) and students’ engagement with their independent

5

learning of English with the teacher’s facilitation and the effectiveness of technology
4.3. Video-making with the aid of phones or camcorders to strengthen Class 10D1’

13

students to improve their English communicative skills through their independent learning
4.4. Mobile learning

14

4.5. Online interaction

14

4.6. Students’ writing

15

4.7. Doing the shadowing with the help of technology

18

5. Discussions

19

6. Recommendations

20

7. Conclusion

20

REFERENCES

20

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ABSTRACT
According to MOET (2007), at the end of upper secondary education, students will be able to
reach a certain level of English proficiency in four skills and master the other aspects of language
such as grammar, phonetics and vocabulary in addition to understanding English and American
cultures to be well aware of cross-cultural differences. When there is the question of how to meet the
mentioned expectations, foreign language teaching and learning are discussed. Both students and
teachers of English at high schools in Vietnam are recognizing the limitations of only studying
English for an hour or two every week in a classroom environment. It is open to question “How can
students improve their English outside their classroom?”.Enhancingstudents’ autonomy to learn
English may be a promiseto increase their language acquisition. With the development of science and
technology such as the widespread application of computer science and Internet services, they open
up more horizons for high school students to promote their communicative skills and develop their
English language proficiency through effective independent learning. This paper examines emerging
technologies that are applicable to autonomous learning in the areas of practising listening and
speaking skills, project-based learning, portfolio and video making, and online interaction. We
summarize recent research and discuss possible uses of computer and internet services and mobile
phonesfor students’ autonomous language learning. We are going to introduce our implementation
ofsome Websites to improve listening and speaking skills through the shadowing technique; to
develop students’ language use and communicative competence; to promote online interaction via
emails and Facebook to share materials for self-study and inspire the spirit of independent

learning;Google search and Google imagesfor students’ project-based learning andportfolio making;
and softwares for video making.
Keywords: autonomous learning, technology
1. Introduction
MOET (2007) stated that at the end of upper secondary education students need to attain
certain level of English proficiency and cross-cultural awareness. To reach this goal, a number of
measures have been taken. Among those measures is the use of technology. With the advent of
technological development, computer-assisted language learning programs have been increasingly
integrated into teaching and learning foreign language with a view to creating a more realistic
learning environment for language learners at schools. Efforts have been made to promote the use of
technology in the classroom and some yield positive results. However, due to the limited time
allocation of the English curriculum, students are able to study English few hours a week, which
might not satisfy students’ needs to gain their targeted language competence. Therefore, it is
important that students be guided to learn by themselves, outside the classroom environment. Within
the scope of this article, we aim to summarize some theoretical frameworks for using technology to
facilitate students’ autonomous learning and provide sample lesson plans that have been worked out
for English-majoring 10th grade students at Chu Van An High School for the gifted.
2. Literature review and rationale for the study
2.1. Autonomous learning
Zou (2011) defined autonomous learning as follows:
“autonomous learning is not only an individual and gradual process of self-awareness which
involves the sharing of control between teachers and learners, while offering learners
extended opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning (Boud 1988), but also a
gradual increase in relation to awareness of learning context (Hauck 2005)”.
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Zou (2011) also emphasized the role of teachers in supporting students in learning and
reflecting on their autonomous learning experience. In this study, we also use the term “self-study” to
refer to the type of autonomous learning when students can be responsible for their own learning

process.
2.2. The integration of technology into language teaching and learning
A number of studies have discussed the use of technology in language teaching and learning
through different perspectivesboth in the classroom and out-of-classroom contexts (Shyamlee & Phil,
2012; Lai, 2013; Zou, 2011). Different types of technological gadgets have been mentioned in
studies.
2.3. Rationale for the study
Technology has been playing an important role in promoting language learning not only
inside the classroom but also outside the classroom context. Moreover, technological supportive
learning environment has been proved to be effective in enhancing students’ motivation and
achievement. Technological advances allow people to record videos, spread information and telecommunicate easily and quickly. Moreover, the limited hours of teaching and learning English at
schools give rise to the increasing demand for language learning outside the school context.
Therefore, on one hand, using technology for language education outside schools is worth an in-depth
discussion. On the other hand, there should be a framework that will facilitate and support students’
learning process beyond classroom time. For those purposes, we aim to summarize the practical
framework for using technology to facilitate students’ autonomous learning. The study also provides
the lesson plans for English-majoring ten graders. They are chosen as the subjects of the study
because they first enter an intensive language learning environment and may be badly in need of
support to fit in the new learning environment.
3. Suggestion for possible activities to integrate technology into facilitating autonomous
learning
Students’ self-study is a crucial skill which increases students’ motivation to acquire
knowledge on their own and develop their lifelong learning habits. Technology is of great help to
engage students with their autonomous learning and ongoing self-study. Some other possible ways in
which technology can support students’ independent language learning are presented as follows:
3.1. Portfolios with the use of technology and students’ increasing interest in their autonomous
learning of English
What is a portfolio?
Paulson and Meyer (1991:60) defined portfolio “A purposeful collection of student work that
exhibits the students’ efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must

include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging
merit, and evidence of student self-reflection”.
What goes into a portfolio?
 Topic areas students are interested in
 Group projects
 Individual projects
 Work from presentations
 Essays written by students
 Photographs
 Videos
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Essential elements of a portfolio
 Cover letter which briefing students’ profile including their personal information like name,
age, hobbies; their rationale for making their portfolio; and their learning and learning
progress
 Table of content
 Entries
 Dates to all entries
 Drafts and revised versions
 Reflections
Portfolio development process
Danielson and Abrutyn (1997)’s stages are shown as follows:
 Collection: save students’ work showing the day-to-day results of learning
 Selection: review and evaluate their work
 Reflection: reflect on the choosing artifacts for the portfolio relating to the learning goals
 Projection: compare the reflections to the criteria and set goals for the future
 Presentation: Share the portfolio with peers or the whole class and receive feedback
3.2. Project-based learning (PBL) and students’ engagement with their independent learning of

English with the teacher’s facilitation and the effectiveness of technology
What is PBL?
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by
working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex
question, problem, or challenge.
Elements in Designing Project
In Gold Standard PBL, Essential Project Design Elements include:
 Key Knowledge, Understanding, and Success Skills - The project is focused on student
learning goals, including standards-based content and skills such as critical thinking/problem
solving, collaboration, and self-management.
 Challenging Problem or Question - The project is framed by a meaningful problem to solve
or a question to answer, at the appropriate level of challenge.
 Sustained Inquiry - Students engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions,
finding resources, and applying information.
 Authenticity - The project features real-world context, tasks and tools, quality standards, or
impact – or speaks to students’ personal concerns, interests, and issues in their lives.
 Student Voice & Choice - Students make some decisions about the project, including how
they work and what they create.
 Reflection - Students and teachers reflect on learning, the effectiveness of their inquiry and
project activities, the quality of student work, obstacles and how to overcome them.
 Critique & Revision - Students give, receive, and use feedback to improve their process and
products.
 Public Product - Students make their project work public by explaining, displaying and/or
presenting it to people beyond the classroom.
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3.3.Mobile learning
With the advance of technology, mobile phones are becoming popular with students at high
schools in Vietnam. Besides their common uses such as making and receiving phone calls, sending

and receiving messages, mobile devices are changing the way people learn English. When mobile
devices are connected with the Internet, they provide students with freedom, infinite learning
resources and the convenience to learn anywhere at any time.
4. Implementation
In this paper, several autonomous learning activities have been applied to a grade 10 class of
English-majoring students in the context of Chu Van An High School for the gifted in Langson
Province are presented. In order to ensure the effectiveness of using internet-connected computer
applications and mobile devices for students’ autonomous English learning, the teacher acts as a
guide to facilitate students’ independent learning by inspiring them by being a role model to improve
listening and speaking skills, giving clear explanations about the concepts such as doing the
shadowing, portfolios and projected-based learning and using mobile devices and scaffolding
students’ autonomy with instructions.
Besides the use of traditional assessment “tests” which is used to assess of students’ learning,
the teacher of English in Class 10D1, an English majoring class at Chu Van An Gifted High School is
strongly desired to implement authentic assessments to engage students’ passion for their English
learning and to expose them to a real life communication, important skills such as teamwork, critical
thinking and problem solving skills. The use of portfolios, projected-based learning and videomaking offer students opportunities to develop their creativity and explore their own potentials and
aspirations with the aid of technology.
4.1. Portfolios and students’ autonomous learning with the help of technology in Class 10D1
In the first semester of the school year 2015-2016, Class 10D1 made three types of portfolios.
 Class portfolioswere made to collect individual students’ information including their names,
hobbies, their passion for learning English and their future dreams. This portfolio helped the
teachers of English working with the class understand the students’ needs and aspirations for
their language learning. The individual pictures scanned out with the help of the computer and
scanners were attached to students’ profiles.
 Portfolios collecting pictures and informationwere created to illustrate the class’s trip to
Langson museum. The comprehensive criteria were set to assess these portfolios (see index
A). The class was divided into 4 teams in which there was a team leader and other members
acted as tourist guides and photographers and video recorders. These teams could use the
computer to design their portfolios of artifacts and their information and write their reflections

on the trip. The portfolios indicated the students’ independent learning, their creativity and
their further understanding of their culture and history.
 The Competition “Whose individual portfolio was launched to increase students’ autonomy to
learn English. 39 students of Class 10D1 participated in the contest. They had freedom to
choose their own topic areas such as art, music, famous people to put in the portfolios. The
students made use of the internet to collect picture and important information related to their
artifacts. The teacher explained the concept of portfolio and guided them to design their
portfolios based on the assessment criteria. The students were required to reflect on their selfstudy process.

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4.2. Class 10D1’s Project-based Learning at Langson Museum with the support of technology to
make portfolios and video clips.
 The teacher exposed the students to an engaging topic that gets them thinking “learning
Langson’s culture and history”.
 Then the class was divided into 4 teams. Each team had a leader to manage the team
effectively.
 The teacher assigned two class leaders to design a plan, the list of rules for the trip and the
teacher made criteria (see index A) to assess the final product.
 At the class meeting, the leaders announced the plan, schedule, procedure, suggested
technologies such as cameras, recorders, camcorders or phones to take photos, record their
acting as tourist guides.
 The class had a schedule with deadline for the submission of the final products and show
videos with the use of projector or put portfolios on displays up on the classroom wall.
Idea for students’ self-study through project-based learning with the teacher’s playing the role of a
facilitator and the help of technology:
Part 1: Context and Rationale


General information: Identify your context.
Title of project: Langson in my Eyes

Age of students: 16-17
Language level of students: Intermediate
Amount of time you meet per week: Two 45-minute meetings and a one-hour meeting within
four weeks


Project Description

Main purpose: Students will become familiar with language related to cultures, traditions, customs,
cuisines and landscapes. They will increase their confidence and fluency when speaking English.
They will enhance their collaborative skills, teamwork skills, IT skills, problem-solving skills and
critical thinking and Research and Inquiry skills. The students will gain experience as tour guides.
They will deepen their understandings about outstanding features of Langson Province. They will
build their love for their hometown.
Entry event: Divide the class into four groups and ask them to answer three questions:
a. What have we already known about Langson province (cultures, traditions, customs, cuisines and
landscapes)?
b. What do we want to know about Langson Province?
c. What do we need to know about Langson Province?

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Engage students with the announcement that our class is going to discover Langson Province by
joining a project-based learning. Each group will choose one favorite aspect of Langson Province.
Example (the group chose their aspect)
Group 1: Cuisines

Group 2: Landscapes
Group 3: festivals
Group 4: Ethnic minority groups
Product: This project will have four products: Four 5-6 minute video clips including
narration.
Project-Based Learning elements:
Student Voice and choice; their role-playing as tour guides in turn; driving questions; collaborative
skills; teamwork skills, communication skills, critical thinking; publicly presented Project; Research
and Inquiry; Problem-solving skills and IT skills.
The Benefits of the project:
Students will be able to use the target language appropriately in the context such as some of helpful
expressions used by tour guides and vocabulary related to their topic area. They will gain experience
as tour guides. They will deepen their understandings about outstanding features of Langson
Province. They will gain soft skills such as collaborative skills; teamwork skills, communication
skills, critical thinking; publicly presented Project; Research and Inquiry; Problem-solving skills and
IT skills. They will build their love for their hometown.
Part 2: Learning Objectives


Language Development
Language Skills: speaking, listening, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation
Core vocabulary to be learned:
invader /in'veidə/ (n)
drown /draun/ (v)
vindicate /'vindikeit/ (v)
merit /'merit/ (n)
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worship /'wə:∫ip/ (v)

palanquin procession /pælə„ki:n prəˈseʃ(ə)n/
parasol /„pærəsƆl/ (n)
sacrifice /'sækrifais/ (n)
Main grammar points and/or sentence frames to be learned:
The present tense and the past tense
Be located in/ be situated in/ be famous for/ to originate from/ to date back/ to stem from…
Vocabulary related to culture, natural beauty, festivals, cuisines and ethnic minority groups;
descriptive adjectives for use in describing their feelings and people and things.


Learning objectives:
-

After gathering all the information about culture, natural beauty, festivals, cuisines and
ethnic minority groups, the students will be able to create a 5-6 minute video clip about
the aspect they chose.

-

Students will be able to introduce some key features of Langson province with 90% of
fluency and 90 % of confidence.

-

Students will become familiar with language related to cultures, traditions, customs,
cuisines and landscapes. They will increase their confidence and fluency when speaking
English. They will enhance their collaborative skills, teamwork skills, IT skills, problemsolving skills and critical thinking and Research and Inquiry skills. The students will gain
experience as tour guides. They will deepen their understandings about outstanding
features of Langson Province. They will build their love for their hometown.
Part 3: Learning Activities & Assessmen

Lesson Plans
Topic: Langson in my Eyes

Lesson goals/objectives


After gathering all the information about culture, natural beauty, festivals, cuisines and ethnic
minority groups, the students will be able to create a 5-6 minute video clip about the aspect
they chose.



Students will be able to introduce some key features of Langson Province with 90% of
fluency and 90 % of confidence.



Students will become familiar with language related to cultures, traditions, customs, cuisines
and landscapes. They will increase their confidence and fluency when speaking English. They
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will enhance their collaborative skills, teamwork skills, IT skills, problem-solving skills and
critical thinking and Research and Inquiry skills. The students will gain experience as tour
guides. They will deepen their understandings about outstanding features of Langson
Province. They will build their love for their hometown.
List of materials needed: Internet sites, camcorders, laptops, printers, speakers, headphones,
postcards, brochures, newspaper articles, pictures and real people and things.
Steps/brief description of activities.
Meeting 1 (45 minutes)

Goals: To introduce the project and outline plans and discuss possible criteria for
marking the clips.


Warm-up (6 minutes)

1. Divide the class into four groups of 6 students and give the groups handouts and ask them
to complete the table as follows:
What we know about

What we do not know about

What we need to know about

Langson

Langson

Langson

2. Engage students with questions to lead the students to the project-based learning as
follows:


Do you like discovering an interesting aspect of Langson Province?



What aspect will your group choose to make a 5-6 minute amazing video clip?

Example (the group chose their aspect)
Group 1: Cuisines
Group 2: Landscapes
Group 3: festivals
Group 4: Ethnic minority groups


Main activities
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Activity 1 (16 minutes)
1.

Let the students watch the sample video clip about a trip to Langson Museum

2. Give them guided questions for discussions


What is the video clip about?



What did the students do in the video clip?



How did they use English?



Did they use non-verbal communication?



What score do you think they will get for their video if the rating ranges from 0 to 10?

3. Ask the groups to give feedback on the quality of the clip and express their feelings about
the content
4. Ask motivating questions


Do you think that you can make a better clip?



What do you need to ensure the success of bringing the clip to life?

5. Introduce the ratings for progress and the final product


Groups’ report on their preparation, their progress, their meeting deadlines: 10% of
their total score



Groups’ final product: 60 % of the total score



Groups’ reviewing other groups’ products: 20% of their total score



Groups’ self-reflection on their project including their plan making, their writing
narration, their rehearsal on their narration, their video recordings and their video
making: 10% of their total score

6. Ask the four groups to outline their plans for making a 5-6 minute video clip about their
selected aspect (using the teacher’s handouts) based on the following suggestions:
Main Focus
1

Human resources

Time to complete if any

Search for information related to the
topic

2

Prepare equipment for the video
recording

3

Decide places to do the video recordings

4

Draft their narration and send it to the
teacher’s email

5

Schedule to do the video recordings
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6

Assign the students to be a tour guide at
certain places

7

Report progress to the teacher

8

Make the clip based on their video
recordings

9

Anticipate the challenges the groups will
face in implementing this project and
suggest possible solutions
7. Teach students words or phrases to describe places, kinds of food, festivals and ethnic

minority groups in addition to giving useful expressions used by tour guides.
Be located in/ be situated in/ be famous for/ to originate from/ to date back to/ to stem
from/ delicacy/ specialty…
Activity 2 (20 minutes)
1. Teacher calls on four group leaders to present their plans. Meanwhile, the teacher gives
the four groups feedback forms and ask the other three groups to feedback on the plans
Feedback Form
Guided questions
1

What do you think about the other groups’
plans?

2

What do you like best about their plans?

3

What may your group learn from the other
groups?

4

What do they need to improve?

5

Do you think that they will be successful?

2.

Students give peer-feedback on the groups’ plans

3.

Teacher’s feedback on the groups’ plans and recommendations

4.

The groups will revise their plans based on the suggestions

5.

Tell the group to contribute their ideas to design Rubrics for marking their video clips

6.

Give feedback on their ideas for the Rubrics and finalize the Rubrics
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Homework (3 minutes)
1. Teacher asks the groups to search for information about their topic and write their
narration
2. Teacher requires the groups to submit their drafted narration to the teacher two days
before the next meeting
3. Teacher asks them to make their report on their preparation and their narration next
meeting (one week after the first meeting)

Meeting 2 (45 minutes)
Goals: To report the groups’ progress and present their narration, to receive feedback
from the teacher and their friends to make better products


Warm-up (3 minutes)

Ask the groups to express their feelings about their first week preparation for their project


Main activities

Activity 1 (20 minutes)
1. Tell the groups to report whether they have any difficulty preparing for their work and
they need help for their preparation or not
2. Give them feedback and advice
3. Tell the representative of each group to present their narration in front of the whole
class
4. Ask the students to listen to the presentations and complete feedback forms as follows:
Presenters

Content

Language use

Pronunciation

Facial expressions

Suggestions

5. Ask the representative of the groups to present their feedback and suggestions for each
presenter
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6. Teacher gives feedback, suggestions for each group and marks their report on their
progress and their narration presenting
Activity 2 (20 minutes)
1. Show the class a sample of narration
Example: Ky Cung – Ta Phu Temple Festival
Ky Cung Temple is located at the head of Ky Lua Bridge by the Ky Cung River in Lang Son City.
The temple is dedicated to Tuan Tranh, who is considered as the God of the Ky Cung River. Tuan
Tranh had great contributions in defeating invaders but he had to suffer an unjust accusation and
drowned himself in the Ky Cung River. He was then vindicated by Than Cong Tai, who had merit
of opening Ky Lua Market to trade with Chinese in the 17th century and has been worshiped at Ta
Phu Temple in Lang Son City. Ky Cung - Ta Phu Temple Festival is held every year from the 22nd to
the 27th of the first lunar month to honor Tuan Tranh. This is the biggest festival in Lang Son
Province. It involves Tuan Tranh's palanquin procession from Ky Cung Temple to Ta Phu Temple
to repay Than Cong Tai for his kindness on the 22nd and returning on the 27th. The procession
includes groups of people in colorful dresses, many kinds of flags, and parasols. The festival is also
featured with many folk games such as human chess, lion and dragon dance, and “sli” and “luon”
singing of the Tay and the Nung, which are two ethnic groups in Lang Son Province.The festival
attracts many people to come not only to see and take part in the activities, but also to offer sacrifices
at the two temples and pray. One of the special offerings in this festival is a whole roast pig. In
particular, on the days of the palanquin procession, many families living in the streets that the
procession goes along place sacrifices in front of their houses and pray for luck when the palanquin is
processed by. Besides, family members and friends get together and have parties during the festival.
2. Introduce some vocabulary related to the topic above
invader /in'veidə/ (n)

drown /draun/ (v)
vindicate /'vindikeit/ (v)
merit /'merit/ (n)
worship /'wə:∫ip/ (v)
palanquin procession /pælə„ki:n prəˈseʃ(ə)n/
parasol /„pærəsƆl/ (n)
sacrifice /'sækrifais/ (n)
12


3. Tell the groups to revise their narration based on the feedback and suggestions
Homework (2 minutes)
1. Ask the groups to send their revised narration to the teacher one day after the second
meeting
2. Tell them to bring their product “A 5-6 minute video clip about their chosen topic” to
the next meeting
3. Inform the class the date and time for the next meeting
Meeting 3 (60 minutes)
Goals: To show the four products and receive evaluation


Warm-up (5 minutes)

Students express their feelings about completing the clips


Main activities

Activity 1 (25 minutes)
1. The groups show their product respectively

2. Teacher asks the four groups to review the clips
Activity 2 (15 minutes)
1. The groups give present their review on the video clips
2. Teacher marks their review
3. Teacher evaluates and grades the clips based on criteria in Rubrics
Activity 3 (15 minutes)
4. Groups’ writing self-reflection on their project including their plan making, their
writing narration, their rehearsal on their narration, their video recordings and their
video making
5. Teacher marks the groups’ self reflection
6. Teacher announces the rankings of the four products
4.3. Video-making
With the aid of phones or camcorders, Class 10D1’ students have made video clips in English
improve their communicative skills through their independent learning. Besides the videos about the
museum trip, Class 10D1 made several inspiring videos to enhance the spirit of English learning. For
example, after each class or school event, the class made a 5-minute video clip to show at the class
meeting. In semester 1, our class made a clip about the girl students’ joining the Football
Competition, another video clip about the class’s first forum as well as the video clip about their
organizing Halloween Night with the English subtitle. The class video-recorded the biggest event
“10D1’s Got Talent”. The students made a very motivational video clip about their path to pass
exams to become a student in an English majoring class and their passion for learning English and
13


they shared their dreams job in English. Another video-clip was about the students’ expressing their
opinions in English about the effectiveness of formative assessment implemented in the context of
Class 10D1 including portfolios, project-based learning, reflections, story writing. After listening to
these videos, the students become more engaged with their own learning as they are inspired by
others’ speaking English and they also feel proud of their performances in plays or of their
organizational skills.

The students who often make the class’s videos use app Vivavideo to design the clips about
the class’s activities. The monitor of class 10D1 is an expert in using software to make the class’s
professional video clips about English-related events. She often uses some programs like Filmora,
Premiere Pro or Adter Effects.
The class’s videos were shown during the meetings with the Students’ Parents’ Association to
help the parents keep track of their children’s active involvement in class’s activities and their
independent learning activities after school. Through such interaction between the teacher of English
and the parents, the stakeholders may join hands to encourage the students’ autonomous learning at
home.
4.4. Mobile learning
The strategies of exploiting mobile devices to engage Class 10D1’s self-study are applied as
follows:
(1) The teacher encourages the students to download valid dictionaries to their phone windows such
as OXFORD Dictionary online, CAMBRIDGE Dictionary online, Merriam-Webster: Dictionary and
Thesaurus, etc,. These dictionaries are their own conveniences in terms of looking up new words and
finding their synonyms or acronyms.
(2)The students may download podcasts to their windows and practice their listening or speaking
English along with native speakers.
(3) The teacher also engages them with mobile learning of idioms, phrasal verbs or listening to
English songs and sing along for relaxation and pronunciation improvement.
(4) The mobile devices assist the students to record their speaking English and send their recording to
the teachers for feedback on pronunciation, content quality and language use.
(5) The students in class 10D1 who are responsible for making the class’s videos often use their
mobile phones to interview, record and video participants in English.
(6) The class encourages the members to use Skype or Viber as a tool to practice speaking English at
home with their partners.
(7) Closed Facebook Group is a great way of communicating with the students in Class 10D1. Their
phones may have this page in their windows.
4.5. Online interaction
Class 10D1’s facebook page was set up right after the students started their study at Chu Van

An Gifted High School in order to increase communication between the form teacher (also the
teacher of English) and the class to inspire the students’ autonomous learning and English
proficiency improvement and to share learning materials. The ultimate aims of using Facebook Page
are shown as follows:
 The teacher shares her experience in learning four macro skills: listening, reading, speaking
and writing.
 The teacher shares some websites to improve their life skills such as debating techniques,
presentation skills, critical thinking skills, etc,.
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

The teacher shares useful English tests, exercises and different aspects of English language
such as phrasal verbs, idioms, collocations, etc. Sometimes, the teacher posts inspirational
quotes to inspire the students to be more optimistic, active and enthusiastic about their own
learning.
 The class’s written stories or inspiring letters (taking photos) or their relfections in English in
hard copies every week are posted on the page to promote the spirit of learning and the
students’ writing is very helpful to motivate others’ interest in learning.
 The teacher writes reflections on the class activities and students’ performances and share
them on the page to promote the class’s pride in what they have achieved. The teacher also
makes reference to some students who are very hardworking, responsible and disciplined in
learning English to make them good examples for the whole class to learn from.
After each big event, the class often uploads the class’s photos or video clips to help the whole
class reflect on what they did. For example, the class shared their video clips about their first Forum,
their Halloween Night and their Got Talent. The sharing activities are of great help to inspire the class
to learn more, do more, dream more and become more.
The teacher designs to-do lists and asks the class to set their weekly goals or on the first day of
school after TET Holiday, the teacher handed out a very nice worksheet to encourage the students to

write their new year resolutions. After that the teacher often takes photos of these works and posts on
the Facebook page. The teacher and individual students in class 10D1 were impressed by their great
goal setting and their plans for the whole year. This strategy is very useful to spread the spirit of
autonomy in learning English in general and learning other subjects in particular.
4.6. Students’ writing
The use of the computer and the internet services such as Google search or Google image is
very helpful to design engaging worksheets for the students’ writing at home.
Sample 1
In March 2016, there is a Mini Camp of English-Related Activities held in Hai Duong Province
where you are going to be with Vietnamese Teachers of English, American Teacher Assistants,
Excellent Students from some Gifted High School in the North of Vietnam. Write the most
LEGENDARY essay of 300 words.
The focus of your essay:
Your expectations from the trip
Your strategies to build relationships with International Citizens (American Teacher Assistants)
Your ideas to network with excellent students from Gifted High Schools in the North of Vietnam
Your vision and goals to implement what you learned from the trip to better the community of 10D1
in terms of English learning and organizing school extra activities
NOTE: 10 best candicates with the most inspirational essays will be choosen to join the final round
“Making a 3-minute speech about your ROAD MAP
(Lộ trình ) to develop your DIPLOMATIC
SKILLS” when you are still at High School. Four candidates with the most inspring PUBLIC
SPEAKING will be selected to join the CAMP in HAI DUONG Province.
Your Name: _______________________
Mark: _____/10 points
Deadline: 20 February 2016

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INSPIRE me!
Sample 2
Write the most inspiring letter to a 9 grader who is going to take an entrance exam to the Englishmajoring Class at Chu Van An Specialized High Shool
Your Name: _______________________
Mark: _____/10 points
Deadline: 8 February 2016

Sample 3
15-minute test
A Letter from the Future

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Situation: Now you are in Class 10 D1, Chu Van An Specialized High School in Lang Son
Province. You realized one of your big dreams. Write an inspiring letter to one of your old teachers
or a classmate to let them know about your determination and achievements. (100 words)
Name: _______________/Deadline: ___________
Sample 4
The ULTIMATE aim of this activity is to help deepen your understanding of English Idioms
Make up your own stories using the following idioms

Name: ______________
DEADLINE: Tuesday, 6 October 2015

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Since the beginning of Semester 1, Class 10D1 has written about 30 sets of writing pieces. These
collections of the students’ works help the teacher understand the students’ feelings, desires and their

dreams or their opinions about what is happening in the context. Moreover, this self-study activities
are often assessed by the teacher to see the students’ progress in writing activities and in language
use. The class has two bookcases at the back of the classroom. These stories, letters, reflections and
reference books are kept there to encourage the students’ independent learning.
4.7. Doing the shadowingwith the help of technology
Shadowing is a language learning technique developed by the American Professor Alexander
Arguelles. The basis of the method is audio in the language that you are learning. While listening,
you attempt to repeat -- to "shadow" -- what you hear as quickly as you hear it. It is most beneficial to
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be walking swiftly at the same time to maximize alertness and oxygenation.As in beginner
shadowing, the goal is to shadow the audio as close to simultaneous as possible. There are several
ways to do this:
 Shadow the audio while walking.
 Shadow and read while walking.
 Shadow and read while sitting. Sitting makes shadowing closer to a later stage of the
Listening-Reading Method.
 Shadow the audio or videos while lying in bed
 Shadowing and recording
In the context of class 10D1, the teacher of English sets a good example of using this technique to
improve her pronunciation and fluency in communication. Every morning, the teacher spends at least
30 minutes going to YouTube.com and searching Gardening Australia, TED Talks, CNN students
news
or
keynote
speeches
or
/> speak English along. The teacher introduces this
technique to the whole class to self- study at home and to create their own English speaking

environment at home when there is no partner to communicate with in English. At the moment, this
approach is used by Class’s 10D1 students. After a period of 7 months, I have seen some of my
students make improvement in their communicative skills thanks to the use of the Shadowing
Technique. The students just need an mobile phone, an Ipod, an IPad or the computer connected with
the internet, they can do shadowing anywhere at any time.
5. Discussion

It cannot be denied that technology Integration in Foreign Language Teachinghas made great
impacts on teaching and learning English because internet-connected computers have been of great
help to teachers’ work such as downloading infinite sources of materials to make lessons more
interesting and informative to students; and facilitate students’ autonomous English learning outside
the classroom. With the help of technology, students are no longer taking a passive role in their own
learning as it allows learners to solve problems, create, collaborate and research and to interact with
their teachers and on worldwide scale. Computers and the Internet have made foreign language selfstudy materials increasingly easy to access and use, and there are now many software applications
marketed as complete language learning solutions, from free self-study courses. In the context of an
English- majoring class, Class 10D1, the teacher of English exploits the uses of technology to
stimulate the students’ engagement with their self-study through portfolio-making, project-based
learning, video-making, mobile learning, online interaction, students’ writing and doing the
shadowing. These self-study strategies have made students more interested in learning English and
they have been more inspired to be responsible for their self-improvement. The technology gives
them more freedom to choose their learning materials and programs. When joining project-work,
students will improve their IT skills, teamwork skills, problem-solving skills and language skills. The
students have more opportunity to share their ideas and express their opinions in English.
However, technology integrated into students’ self-study also has several drawbacks. Firstly,
technology can be a distraction when students do not use them in proper ways. For example, they just
make use of their internet-connected computers or mobile phones for online games or chat with
friends. Students will neglect their study and lack social interaction. Secondly, technology may foster
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more cheating on assignments. For example, students may be lazier to think about ideas for their
writing essays as they may copy others’ work online. Thirdly, using technology to make video- clips
may be time-consuming. Finally, there may be a question of the validity of learning resources online.
6. Recommendations
The writers would like to put forwards some suggestions for teachers of English who may
apply some of our strategies to increase their students’ language self-study outside the classroom.
Firstly, teachers of English should set good examples of using technology to search useful materials
to make lessons for interesting to students.
 Secondly, teachers should introduce valid and reliable websites, learning programs or
materials to their classes.
 Thirdly, teacher should give students detailed explanation about how, what and when students
should learn independently. When assigning students with project-work or other assignments,
teachers should be a great facilitator to give students support, help and guidance if any.
 Fourthly, teachers should set very clear criteria to assess students’ products such as portfolios,
video-making.
 Fifthly, teachers should keep track of what students are self-studying by online interaction or
small talks after classes.
 Sixthly, teachers should interact with their students’ parents to exchange information about
students’ self-study and to ensure effectiveness of independent learning.
 Seventhly, teachers should be a REAL inspirer as a lifelong learner with the use of internetconnected computers.
7. Conclusion
Technology helps to make students’ language learning outside the classroom more engaging.
It helps students develop their capacity for discovering new knowledge, self-reflection and selfassessment in addition to teachers’ formative assessment, and thus enabling them to assume more
responsibility for their own learning. Exposing students to project work, portfolios, online interaction
or mobile learning makes them more autonomous in planning, implementing and evaluating their
learning. Therefore, students will become more disciplined, creative, active, optimistic and
enthusiastic about their mastering English language.
REFERENCES

Danielson, C. & Abrutyn, L. (1997)An Introductory to Using Portfolios in the

Classroom.MOET (Institute for Educational Strategies and Curriculum Development) (2007).
English Curriculum. Hanoi: Educational Publishers.
Paulson, F.L., Paulson, P.R., & Meyer, C. (1991) what makes a portfolio a portfolio?
Educational Leadership, 48 (5), 60-63.
Shyamlee, S. D., Phil, M. (2012). Use of technology in English language teaching and
learning: An analysis. International Conference on Language, Medias and Culture. IPEDR,33.
Zou, X. (2011).What happened in different contexts and how to do learner autonomy better?.
Teacher Development, 15:4, 421-433, DOI:10.1080/13664530.2011.635268
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