Presentation Technology, culture, and the foreign language classroom: The significance and function of cultural knowledge more

This presentation is a call for culturally responsive technology integration. Despite the fact that technology in education is ubiquitous, effective integration remains difficult. I argue that one of the reasons why integration is so challenging is due to cultural differences in the way technology is used. My argument is supported by data obtained through qualitative research investigating the technological implementation of native English teachers in Japanese EFL classrooms. The talk begins by introducing the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) model. TPACK is one of the most widely used frameworks for technology integration in education. However, this presentation provides evidence for its critical limitations in intercultural contexts. The findings from my research indicate Cultural Knowledge (CK) acts as a separate but interdependent dimension within TPACK. As such, I call for the TPACK model to be revised to include CK as a separate dimension to address the importance of cultural knowledge in technological integration–TPACCK. This presentation is aimed at those working with technology in intercultural contexts. Attendees will learn how cultural filters mediate technology use and how technology can be used to overcome barriers to language learning in Japanese EFL settings. Implications in other contexts are also discussed.