Author(s)

Jianing Li

Corresponding Author

Jianing Li

ABSTRACT

Our generation is currently living in a fast-developing era where modern educational technology has been reshaping our knowledge of teaching and learning to an extent we have never imagined. In this article, we analyse the Piaget’s cognitive development theory and ACTFL standards to study the learning habits of K-6 ESL students. We therefore develop a system to evaluate the functional value of online teaching platforms for K-6 ESL classes. Based on TPACK framework, our 6 standards could be interpreted as: a) to what extent can this platform ensure the teaching quality of a given content; b) the difficulty level of operating this platform; c) how flexible the platform is in cooperating with teachers’ teaching methods; d) attractiveness to students from classes conducted on the platform; e) interaction among teacher and students promoted by the platform; and f) supervision effect from a teacher with the help of the platform. In the case study these standards are used in our evaluation of “Schoology”. It is hoped that this TPACK evaluation system could inspire both teachers and educational technology providers in seeking approaches to ensure class teaching and educational technology could bring out the best in each other.

KEYWORDS

Online teaching platform, remote education, ESL, childhood education, TPACK, educational technology