In this forum the presenters will cover several important examples of out-of-class technology usage and its effect on the language learning classroom. The topics of discussion will include informal digital device usage among Japanese high school and university students as well as the utilization of social networking sites and digital games. An overview of each topic will be presented as well as implications for practice.

In an age of misinformation, “fake news,” and “alternative facts,” peer review aims to empower people to “filter the noise” and identify legitimate scholarship, but does it also inadvertently impede the publication of quality research? This presenter will describe her successes and challenges during four peer review processes in the field of ELT. Her conflicting experiences raise questions about the extent to which peer review facilitates inclusivity in the professional community of ELT scholarship.

The presenter will explain about voluntary peer observation. For this type of observation, the person being observed not only volunteers but also can be in control of the process. The presentation will include a scheme for voluntary peer observation and a description of an observation done in this format. A form will be distributed that can be used to communicate information to an observer about an observation that has been planned.

This presentation examines the advantages and difficulties of EFL teachers learning beginner level French as a soft approach to teacher development. The presenters are the teacher, a student, and the class administrator. Using student questionnaires and testimonials, they highlight the students’ successes (team bonding, insights into student motivation, and practical teaching ideas), and challenges (time commitment, conflicting schedules, and frustration at the class level). Lastly, they discuss how these challenges may be addressed.

Common sense would say that good teachers need to work hard to teach English to their students. But, of what use is hard work if it isn’t approached in an informed, smart manner? At an annual teachers’ meeting at a medium-sized private university, this theme was discussed. How is hard work different from working smart for teaching? Are they one and the same? Survey results and discussion outcomes will be shared.

This workshop will go over a developed professional development (PD) course on the use of G Suite tools. I designed this PD to realize the start of a professional learning community (PLC) at my school. A PLC was the method settled on to retain tech knowledge at our school even when teachers leave. They first needed, though, to be trained on the best use, and in some cases, the basic use of the tech in their classes.