ASEAN-ELT 15-17 March 2017 UPM/Melaka, Malaysia

1. Digital Literacy with EFL Student Teachers: Exploring
Student Teachers’ Initial Perception about Integrating
Digital Technologies Into a Teaching Unit
ASEAN-ELT
15-17 March 2017
UPM/Melaka, Malaysia
Tati L. Durriyah, PhD
(tati.wardi@uinjkt.ac.id)
Fakultas Tarbiyah dan Ilmu Keguruan, UIN Jakarta
Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) Jakarta
Muhammad Zuhdi, PhD
(zuhdi@uinjkt.ac.id)
Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Jakarta

2. Problem Statement & Research Purpose
• Indonesia’s literacy education is long associated with programs such as
illiteracy (2006) and basic functional illiteracy eradication (2015). Literacy
education beyond this basic level is still under developed. Furthemore, many
Indonesian K-12 students reportedly displayed low abilities to think critically,
such as reflecting and evaluating (USAID) while university students had
difficulties to critically evaluate and utilize information on the Internet
(Kompas).
• International Literacy Association (ILA)’s present definition of literacy
highlights two important points. First, literacy teaching currently needed is one
that enables people to communicate and connect. Second, people nowadays
use various modes of communication including writing text, audio, graphics,
and video.

3. Problem Statement & Research Purpose
• We conducted a study that seeks to address the question as to how we could
integrate digital technology into English teaching that is informed by digital
literacy.
• Based on classroom research that explored practices and some potential use
of digital technology for literacy learning, the purpose of this study was to
investigate a literacy course whose goal was to teach student teachers about
English teaching that is informed by digital literacy.
• Our guiding questions were: What kind of digital technologies that student
teachers selected to integrate into their teaching plan?What were their
considerations when selecting digital technologies for teaching and learning?

4. Theoretical Framework
• Cambridge Assessment Report (2013). Digital literacy is an important skill that
students at the digital age should acquire.
• Spires and Bartlett (2012) simplify the scope of digital literacy into three
categories: finding and utilizing digital content, producing digital content, and
disseminating digital content.
• Digital literacy in relation to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching is
emphasized on the integration of digital technology into language teaching
(Dudeney, Hockly, & Pegrum, 2013).
• In a context of teacher education, digital literacy has informed us that it is
crucial for teachers to be active users of digital technologies in order to be
benefitted from them. Included in those benefits is the use of digital
technologies as a learning environment that enables student teachers to
increase their confidence in improving their English skills e.g., writing
( Cervetti, Damico, & Pearson, 2006; Hundley & Holbrook, 2013)

5. Context & Methods
• Our reseach adopted a qualitative paradigm.We conducted a classroom reserch
in an undergraduate English education program of Universitas Islam Negeri
(UIN) in Jakarta. For one semester author 1 (Tati) taught a course called media
and language learning consisting of 35 students.
• The course contents encompass basic discussions on technology in teaching,
different kinds of technology, to digital literacy and its application in teaching.
• The research participants were active users of leading social media.They owned
digital technology devices like laptops and smartphone enabling them to access
digital information
• The students were assigned to expand teaching units from a junior high school
English textbook by integrating digital technologies that are relevant into units
of teaching.The assignment was submitted to the instructor in both paper and
electronic copy.The copy served as a data source of this research.

6. Data Analysis Procedure
• To analyze data we followed a tradition of Grounded Theory, which enabled us to
approach data organically and minimizing certain theoretical assumptions.
• We used Grounded Theory general principles as has been put forward by Strauss
and Corbin (Glesne, 2006), that is re-reading the data source for the
identification of themes.This process includes four phases: first, comparing results
with emerging themes; second, testing and redefining the themes; third, continuing
to reduce the number of themes, and fourth, constructing explanatory theory
position data. In every phase of data collection and analysis our goal was that
from the data would present us literacy teaching that was emerged from data
collected from research participants.

7. Findings on Student Teachers’ Initial Perception about
Integrating Digital Technologies Into a Teaching Unit
• Facebook
• Blogs
• Skype
• WhatsApp

8. Facebook
• Creating a closed group is the first step to transform Facebook into a space
for teaching and learning activities.
• Facilitating E-Classrooms: a Facebook closed group offers experiences
found similar in typical online classrooms (online class environment). "Facebook
closed group as an online platform can be used as a place to share materials, have
discussions between teachers, students (and colleagues), collect assignments, and
other activities."
• Having interactive discussions. Facebook group’s most useful feature
lies in its ability to provide a space for interactive discussion. Most specifically,
they plan to use it as an extension of limited hours of classroom instruction.In
their teaching plan, they plan during the week after school hours to maintain
interactive discussion in Facebook group on topics that yet to be mastered/
comprehended by students.

9. Facebook
• Providing a safe and less intimidative space. One of the reasons
why Facebook has great potential for learning space is its affordance to make
students feel less intimidated.“We prefer Facebook because here students tend to
be active and freely express an opinion when asked by teachers.” Other interesting,
and important revelation about Facebook is the fact that on Facebook
students feel like having more freedom in expressing their opinions then when
they do in classrooms. Many of them confessed that they often feel
embarrassed or initimidated to share opinion in class.

10. Blogs
• Blogs are quite popular among student teachers.They maintained blog sites in
which they wrote regularly about a variety of topics that interest them.They
seemed to nurture their writing habit on a blog.
• Blogspot.com, Wordpress.com., and Wattpad are among popular blogging sites
in Indonesia.They explained procedures in which they planned to use blogs for
learning. It would start in classroom where teachers and students discuss a
topic and then they continue discussion it on a blog.
• Other activity on a blog they proposed to be doing is concerned with reading
and writing connection (Lee, 2015).The student teachers planned an activity in
which students will write their reading comprehension on a blog, by way of
summarizing, retelling, and the likes.They argued that through writing down on
a blog, students will make visible their comprehension about a story allowing
others (peers and teacher) to read.
• Also, on a blog students seem to have control and responsibility over their
writing process (sense of writing ownership).What’s more, a hashtags feature
in digital technologies for blogging like Wattpad it motivates them to think that
they are connected to others who have similar interests.

11. Skype (and otherVoIP)
• Skype is one kind of digital technology used for live verbal communication via
the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol,VoIP) popular in Indonesian.
• Student teachers in this study identified Skype potential for learning especially
as a tool to exercise students’ oral English proficiency (Erben, Ban, &
Castañeda, 2009).
• Skype is popular among teenagers and school children, partly because it’s free
to install in smartphones and laptops. Using a Skype-installed smartphone that
connects to an Internet, the participants argued that students would beable to
conveniently practice with their partners in speaking skill practice.
• “For teaching speaking skill, I suggest Skype and Google hangouts since these two
are commonly used in Indonesia.When I was in high school my friend and I often
used Skype and Google hangouts for video call. I think they are also suitable for
teacher to use the tools both as training and assessing speaking skill.”

12. WhatsApp
• All student teachers research participants were regular users of WhatsApp.They
intallled it in personal digital technology devices like smart phones and laptops.
• A student teacher describing how she would use WhatsApp for classroom
learning—she was discussing how she would infuse WhatsApp into a classroom
activity.“A teacher asks students to go out classroom to find a room similar to the
description in the book or that have been discussed. Students will take a note what they
will be findings.Working in a group, they are free to look for a room that fits with the
description. During the searching time, the teacher and students will be connected via
WhatsApp in one of their digital devices (smartphone or Ipad). UsingWhatsApp
students will share what they have found (images and description).After the time is up
and images being searched are collected, students will write a description about each
one of the pictures. ' “
• The use of WhatsApp like the above activity is not only as an immediate
communicating tool during a dynamic group activity, but its use also demonstrates
a detailed and transparent process during the time students is configuring their
understanding as learners (a sense of community) Church, K. & Oliveira, Rd.
(2013).

13. Discussion
• Our findings on Facebook Facebook echoes the analysis advanced by Manca
and Ranieri (2013), two Italian scholars who conducted a meta-review analysis
on the use of Facebook for learning.We will use their review as a reference in
discussing our Facebook findings:
• Facilitating E-Classrooms. Our findings confirmed Manca and Ranieri’s review on
studies about the way in which Facebook group and its some identifiable
characteristics are useful as a learning space.
• Having interactive discussion. Facebook group’s use for learning is
overwhelmingly for interactive discussions. In having an interactive discussion in
Facebook group students appear to benefit from learning to each other
(mutual learning), and by doing that they seem to be more aware about
exercising critical thinking.
• Providing a safe and less intimidative space. Recalling their own experiences, the
student teachers argued that on Facebook students tend to freely participate,
discuss, and share information.They also tend to be more open to discussion.
What’s more, in some cases students whose English as a second language found
to be more encouraged in participating and interacting than when they are in
traditional classroom, where they tend to be passive due to language barriers
and social pressures.

14. Discussion
• Our finding on blogs especially on students having sense of ownerships on
blog writing echoes the research finding by Duckate and Lomicka (2008).Their
research showed that a blog appears to be helpful for students who learn to
write in a foreign language for practicing their writing skill.Their findings about
the advantages of writing on a blog are especially evident in providing learners
a strong sense of belonging and creativity in the writings (ownership and
creativity).

15. Discussion
• Our finding suggests Skype potential benefit to develop students’ verbal ability, in
this case oral English proficiency.A question whether Skype presents itself as
beneficial for language learning was examined in an experimental research by
Japanese researchers Kato, Spring, and Maori (2016).
• Kato, Spring, and Maori explored the use of Skype to support listening and
speaking skills of American students learning Japanese and vice-versa Japanese
students who learn English.Their findings showed statistically significant
improvement of communication skills (listening and speaking skills) of both
groups of language learning students.When they communicate they tended to
talk longer and was able to respond to target language being spoken.

16. Discussion
• Offering a sense of intimacy and immediacy is what we learned about WhatsApp
potential for learning.The participants claimed that being in a WhatsApp group is
like having a community where members feel familiar enough to communicate
their thoughts and share tidbits of information relatively fast and ease.
• Our finding indicates that WhatsApp offers a window into a small detail of
learning process, arguably crucial to develop our insights about the complex
nature of teaching and learning process.
• This is perhaps what British researchers O’Hara and colleagues (2014) called a
process of ‘doings’ in WhatsApp where members build connections by sharing
brief notes, short narration, sharing light moments by sharing thoughts, feels,
news, photos, video, and links.

17. Reference
• Allen, C. & Berggren, J. (2016). Digital literacy and sustainability—a field study in EFL teacher development. CALL
Communities & Culture. Short papers from EUROCALL 2016.
• Bauer, J., & Kenton, J. (2005).Toward technology integration in the schools:Why it isn’t happening. Journal of Technology
and Teacher Education, 13(4), 519-546.
• Cambridge Assessment (2013) What is literacy? An investigation into definitions of English as a subject and the
relationship between English, literacy and ‘being literate’ A Research Report Commissioned by Cambridge Assessment.
• Church, K. & Oliveira, Rd. (2013).What’s up with WhatsApp? Comparing mobile instant messaging behaviors with
traditional SMS. Mobile HCI 2013–Collaboration And Communication.https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/
3ea1/9dcbe7c8fcde728f546d96543ae9e2aa8d07.pdf (Retrieved October 20, 2016).
• Collier, S., Foley, B., Moguel, D. & Barnard, I. (2013).Write for your life: Developing digital literacies and writing pedagogy in
teacher education. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 13(3), 262-284.
• Dudeney, G., N. Hockly, & M. Pegrum (2013): Digital Literacies. Harlow: Pearson
• Erben,T., Ban, R., & Castañeda, M. E. (2009).Teaching English language learners through technology. NewYork: Routledge.
• Hasan, M. M. & Hoon,T.B. (2013). Podcast applications in language learning:A review of recent studies. English Language
Teaching, 6 (2), 128-135.
• International Literacy Association (2016) Why Literacy? Retrieved February 10, 2016. From http://
www.literacyworldwide.org/why-literacy.

18. Acknowledgements
• English Education Department, Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Jakarta
• The research for this paper was supported by Pusat Penelitian dan Penerbitan
(Puslitpen) Universitas Islam Negeri Jakarta.

19. ThankYou
Tati L. Durriyah, PhD
(tati.wardi@uinjkt.ac.id)
Fakultas Tarbiyah dan Ilmu Keguruan, UIN Jakarta
Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) Jakarta
Muhammad Zuhdi, PhD
(zuhdi@uinjkt.ac.id)
Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Jakarta

20. The author’s continuing (related) research
• http://
karyamahasiswa.weebly.com/ -
Students’ digital work is being
displayed on the blog.