Sessions

ELT teacher perspectives of technology use during COVID-19

During COVID-19 many teachers were asked to improvise and teach online. Many were not prepared to teach online and had to learn many technological tools, theories, and routines that were not directly related to ELT. While technology is assisting language learning, it has been put on the spot to provide solutions. Popular technologies such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and others became the medium of instruction in class. A lot of time and energy was spent by teachers to learn these technologies. How have teachers perceived this technological change and how will it affect ELT in the future? This presentation will give some empirical data from the presenter and his experience as a teacher during COVID-19 times. He will also share some research findings from approximately 150 ELT teachers in the Gulf countries. The research used a survey and semi-structured interviews about the use of technology in the ELT classroom by teachers. Primary results show that teachers went through a lot of stress incorporating technology in their classes.