Is a smart phone a toy or a tool? Students cannot get enough of it -- after all, social media notifications and viral videos do take time to reflect on -- while teachers, quite understandably, are dismayed to see an excellent educational tool used purely for entertainment. This paper posits that these two concepts are not mutually exclusive. It…

This essay develops a theory of "digital liminality" as a way to analyze the role of technology in the classroom and in students' lives. It is also a report on the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom as a site of intercultural exchange between instructors and Muslim students. The role of digital media in higher education was a…