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From http://fltmag.com

Study Abroad and Technology: Friend or Enemy?
By Senta Goertler
July 13, 2015

“When I lived abroad, I couldn’t even call my parents let alone Skype or FaceTime with them. I had to send them a letter telling them that I met a man and we were going to get married.”

These are typical statements from study abroad leaders and language teachers, who lived abroad in the times of expensive global phone calls and without widespread Internet and email access. In many places of the world, our students have easy access to technology and to their friends and family at home, their favorite show, and their hometown news. Some might say study abroad students today never have to survive on their own abroad, because their support network is only a Skype call away. Robert Huesca (2013) provided a good personal narrative of the differences of his recent abroad experience with experience in the pre-technology age. This availability of home through the Internet can limit language contact and cultural immersion (cf. Trentman, 2013).

Before I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology use for language learning and the development of intercultural competence as it relates to experiences abroad, I will provide an overview of the state of study abroad in general. In the later section of this article, I will share how I implemented a model of using technology developed by Rachel Shively (2010) for two courses taught while abroad and a course-sequence at home. In those sections I will showcase what worked and what did not.

Read the full article at http://fltmag.com/study-abroad-and-technology/