Feature Article
Incorporating iPad Technology:
Creating More Effective
Language Classrooms
KHAWLAH AHMED
American University of Sharjah
OMAIMA NASSER
Zayed University
Technology today plays a significant role in the lives of many
students who are part of a technology-driven culture that they
have grown up with. It would seem unimaginable for young
adults today to communicate or exchange ideas without using
technology. The plethora of devices competing with the com-
puter, from smartphones to tablets, just to name a few, have pro-
vided students with the ability to communicate and get
information with unprecedented accessibility and speed. Because
visual culture, youth culture, and digital media go hand in hand
today, it is only logical that classrooms move beyond the tradi-
tional methods of teaching, which no longer seem compatible
with student expectations or the needs of today’s workforce, and
utilize this passion for technology. Fully incorporating technol-
ogy in the classroom is inevitable, and utilizing students’ passion
for technology can act as a catalyst for motivating them to work.
This article presents the benefits of utilizing the iPad in the ESL
classroom, showing how lessons can become more effective, pav-
ing the way for more motivating and engaging English language
learning. It also provides information which guides ESL teachers
in choosing appropriate apps for transformative lessons and
information on apps that have been used in ESL classrooms.
doi: 10.1002/tesj.192
Technology has infiltrated every aspect of modern life.
The new nifty technical innovations are considered as either
luxuries or necessities, depending on the generation you are
TESOL Journal 6.4, December 2015 751
© 2015 TESOL International Association