Abstract
Project Letras 2.0, which promotes research and teacher education by using digital technologies at the Faculty of Languages and Literatures (FLL) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), completed ten years in 2021. This paper intends to describe the goals of Project Letras 2.0 - UFRJ and discuss, through the lens of Activity Theory, some of the main conflicts and contradictions that have been or can still be perceived as opportunities for change and development. Therefore, this article may help shed light on debates on theoretical and practical debates about the use of digital technologies in language courses for undergraduate students who are being trained to be 21st-century language teachers. In addition, this paper also aims at encouraging discussions and further research on the use of digital technologies and the strategic adoption of hybrid classes in language courses in higher education.
Highlights
The Challenges of Using Digital Technologies in Higher Education The use of technology in language learning and teaching has become increasingly popular worldwide and its implementation has been a concern for both administrators and professors in higher education
After ten years of activity (Table 1), Project Letras 2.0 - University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) has approximately 10,000 participants registered in the Moodle platform where more than 450 online learning environments have been created for undergraduate, graduate and extension courses of the Faculty of Languages and Literatures (FLL) (English, French, Portuguese, Portuguese as a Foreign Language, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German and Brazilian Sign Language)
Conflicts and Contradictions: Opportunities for Change and Development After describing Project Letras 2.0 - UFRJ and how English professors at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have been using the Moodle platform to create online learning environments for their undergraduate courses, this paper highlights some conflicts and contradictions that have emerged during the course of the Project and that should be seen as opportunities for change and development rather than samples of undesirable or discouraging outcomes
Summary
The Challenges of Using Digital Technologies in Higher Education The use of technology in language learning and teaching has become increasingly popular worldwide and its implementation has been a concern for both administrators and professors in higher education. Since 2011, to support professors in designing and developing online learning environments, Project Letras 2.0 - UFRJ has regularly hosted several lectures, courses and workshops on the use of digital technologies in education and, on technical and pedagogical aspects of Moodle. In order to help the professors involved in the project create and develop online learning environments, the assistants have regular face-to-face meetings with the professors and, when needed, with the undergraduate students who act as course tutors They interact by email or by phone. After ten years of activity (Table 1), Project Letras 2.0 - UFRJ has approximately 10,000 participants registered in the Moodle platform where more than 450 online learning environments have been created for undergraduate, graduate and extension courses of the FLL (English, French, Portuguese, Portuguese as a Foreign Language, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German and Brazilian Sign Language). Forums (Figure 1) are, the most popular activity in the Letras 2.0 - UFRJ online learning environments, and are used for discussing texts and/or videos; sharing tips, personal learning experiences and ideas on a topic; sharing and discussing students’ responses to a given task
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