Integrating Interactive and Mobile Learning Technologies in Pre-Service EFL Teacher Education

Natalia Dmitrenko; Violetta Panchenko

doi:10.3991/ijim.v19i17.54477

Authors

Natalia Dmitrenko Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3556-0003
Violetta Panchenko Municipal Establishment “Kharkiv Humanitarian Pedagogical Academy” of Kharkiv Regional Council, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2958-5802

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v19i17.54477

Keywords:

English as a foreign language, pre-service teachers, interactive online tools

Abstract

A virtual educational environment has come into being in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms since the COVID-19 pandemic. The study introduces various online tools and activities designed to foster engagement and motivation among pre-service EFL teachers. The authors share hands-on experience from exploring interactive platforms and web resources, including Online Test Pad, YouGlish, FluentU, Readers Theater, Voki, Kialo, Edpuzzle, Padlet, and digital dictionaries; highlight their pros and cons; discuss the effectiveness of each tool for a particular teaching purpose; and introduce practice-based strategies for effective integration of online tools into pre-service EFL teacher instruction. The authors explore how online games combine practice with competition and interaction to increase engagement; discover the potential of pattern poems, readers theater, and discussion forums in constructing narratives using target vocabulary and grammar while also honing speaking and writing skills; and suggest tips on using animated platforms for personalizing writing prompts and providing feedback on written work. The analysis of survey results of pre-service teachers’ feedback is presented to justify that incorporating interactive online activities can tap into intrinsic motivation and create a more enjoyable and effective learning experience.

Author Biographies

Natalia Dmitrenko, Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages, Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Ukraine

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3556-0003

Violetta Panchenko, Municipal Establishment “Kharkiv Humanitarian Pedagogical Academy” of Kharkiv Regional Council, Kharkiv, Ukraine

PhD in Education, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Philology, Municipal Establishment “Kharkiv Humanitarian Pedagogical Academy” of Kharkiv Regional Council, Kharkiv, Ukraine. The academic interests are in the field of innovative approaches to teaching English as a foreign language, alternative assessment of students’ learning outcomes, social and emotional learning and mindfulness in language teaching, interrelation of the language and cognitive processes.