In order to catch up with current practices in digital and mobile learning, College of Foreign Languages and Literature invited Dr. Harwati Hashim, the Deputy Dean Education in Universiti Kebangsaan, to share with us her expertise and experience of teaching in the fields of educational technologies and especially with the use of iPad. Dr. Harwati Hashim is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovations, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia (UKM) and currently the Head of Undergraduate Programme for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL).  She is not only an educational technology enthusiast and an e-learning practitioner, but also a productive scholar publishing numerous articles in journals and proceedings at the national and international levels.  To date, she has won more than 20 medals, including a diamond medal, from various local and international innovation competitions mainly focusing on e-learning, mobile learning, augmented reality and the use of social media for learning.

The many resources Dr. Hashim shared with us. In her one-week visit here at Fu Jen, Dr. Harwati Hashim gave talks and workshops covering a wide range of topics, from the practical aspects of using iPad for drawing and creation of AR and VR games, to the theoretical and pedagogical issues related to service learning and digital education. The titles of the talks were:

• “Leveraging iPad as Teaching and Learning Tool”,
• “Immersive Teaching and Learning Using Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality”,
• “Technology-Driven Service Learning: Implementation Challenges and Way Forward”, and
• “Reimagining the role of Technologies in Distance/Digital Ed.”

Dr. Hashim met with Dean of the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures Chi-Wen Liu, Vice Dean of the College of Foreign Languages and LiteraturesLydia Ming-i  Tseng, and Lynn  Chou (Chair, CEBA Program)

The lecture and workshop series were part of the MOE-sponsored Xplorer project which aims at nourishing students’ skills and competence in 5 C’s (communication, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, collaboration and creativity) as the core competences of the 21st century. “Nowadays,” Dr. Hashim pointed out, “mobile technology is changing the landscape of language learning and is seen as the next frontier being researched for its potential in enhancing the teaching and learning of the English language. The portability of mobile devices is believed to bring new methods that can shape students’ learning styles and teachers’ pedagogies, which allow learners to learn on the move; thus, enhance English language teaching and learning.” In the workshop on “Immersive Teaching and Learning Using Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality,” the participants were amused to find out that teachers learned a lot more slower than students. Despite the technical difficulties some teachers have encountered, they all confirmed mobile devices as motivational tools to be used in various learning activities.

In the last talk she gave, “Re-imagining the Role of Technology towards Innovative Pedagogies in Distance/Digital Education,” Dr. Hashim introduced the emerging practices in digital education from MOOC, Games & Gamification, AR/VR/MR, Podcasting (reflection on what they feel and learn) to Movie Production & viewing. In face of these fast changes, she suggested that the key lessons learned should be that we should continue to reflect on our own teaching (what went wrong), and try to find for ourselves a right combination of TPACK (Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge), or SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition in the use of technology) with an awareness of Bloom's Taxonomy. Finally, as one with passion for digital education, Dr. Hashim suggests that we continue to learn to teach “Heads on, Hands on, Minds on”!