Discover the untapped potential of DISCORD for language education. Uncover its unique affordances and drawbacks to explore how it can revolutionise language teaching. Dive into expert opinions and make an informed decision now!
Table of Contents
- What is DISCORD? Can we use DISCORD for Language Education?
- Affordance 1: The DISCORD Server and Channel
- Affordance 2: Privacy and Security
- Affordance 3: Customisation of Roles
- Affordance 4: A range of features that promote engagement
- Affordance 5: The use of bots for various functions
- Affordance 6: Integration with familiar tools
- Affordance 7: Virtual learning journeys
- Drawback 1: Cybersecurity and Privacy
- Drawback 2: Distractions
- Drawback 3: Receptivity by colleagues and students
- Drawback 4: Overwhelming amount of variables
- Drawback 5: Some essential educational tools unavailable
- Conclusion: Can we use DISCORD for Language Education?
- Recommended Readings
- References
Are you a fervent online gamer that actively engage your peers through online communities? Do you also use a lot of digital tools and is very involved in keeping tabs with updates and sharing of use cases for those tools? If yes, you probably might have heard of the platform called DISCORD. The key question is: have you used DISCORD for language education?
In our ever-evolving digital landscape, DISCORD has garnered attention as a dynamic communication platform originally designed for the gamers and tech communities but with immense potential in the realm of education. Its rich features and user-friendly interface offer language educators and learners a unique opportunity to foster interactive language learning environments that promote collaboration and nurture a sense of community. Unsurprisingly, it was also one of the major platforms that was utilised heavily (and suddenly) by educators during the pandemic.
In this article, I will unveil the hidden treasures and potential pitfalls of harnessing DISCORD for language education. Drawing upon extensive research and expert insights, we will explore how this platform can reshape the landscape of teaching and student engagement in language learning. Prepare to revolutionise your language instruction and unlock a world of possibilities. Dive in now!
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What is DISCORD? Can we use DISCORD for Language Education?
So, what is DISCORD for a start? Originally created for gaming enthusiasts, DISCORD has garnered appreciation amongst educators due to its adaptability, user-friendly nature, and robust capabilities. This multifaceted communication platform supports text, voice, and video interactions and can be accessed via desktop applications, mobile apps, or internet browsers. Boasting over 300 million registered users, it caters to various needs including socialising, gaming, and building virtual communities.
DISCORD provides discussion spaces known as ‘servers‘, attracting a predominantly younger demographic compared to other social media sites, with a substantial number of users between the ages of 13 and 24. The platform enables users to establish and participate in public and private servers based on shared interests, with private servers moderated by their creators who establish regulations.
Additionally, DISCORD features multiple channels for categorising topics, primarily employing text and voice communication. Thus, DISCORD transcends conventional options of classroom communication platforms such as Google and Microsoft.
With a brief understanding of what DISCORD is, let us get ready to uncover its immense benefits in building a language learning community! Let’s jump right in and discover the game-changing advantages that await us!
Affordance 1: The DISCORD Server and Channel
And so, I have shared earlier that DISCORD allows users to create “servers”, which are essentially an environment for all activities that we want to implement in an online space, subject to the functionality of the platform. We can thus create such servers for our classroom, where we can dedicate every server as a virtual space for each individual class; or a space for each specific course – it all depends on the architecture we want to adopt for our context. DISCORD‘s customisation options also allow for the tailoring of the space to meet the unique needs we may have for the class or course.
After creating the “server”, we can also create further “channels” for a variety of purposes. There are two fundamental types of channels: text and voice. A text channel provides a platform for asynchronous learning, where individuals can share messages, upload files, and exchange images that can be accessed by others at any given moment; while a voice channel facilitates synchronous learning by engaging in real-time communication and collaboration among students, with the additional function to share screens with one another.
The capabilities of these features are easily evident to us. Through the text channel, language learners can engage in a wide range of literacy activities, while the voice channel empowers us to drive different forms of dynamic oracy activities. Beyond that, these channels can also serve as persistent channels (e.g. indefinitely there for access over our planned period), enabling learners to maintain their learning journey over an extended duration. Within this period, the wealth of materials, lectures, and student-generated content can be preserved indefinitely, creating a valuable archive of artefacts for future review and reflective practices.
Affordance 2: Privacy and Security
Privacy issues are probably at the top of our concerns when it comes to the utilisation of online learning spaces. Will people with malicious intentions easily gain access to our servers and channels to stalk our learners in their languaging activities? This is something that cannot be trivialised given security concerns that have arisen in the early adoption of popular tools like Zoom.
To a certain extent, we can be assured that DISCORD‘s privacy settings allow us to ensure that only authorised individuals have access to our servers and channels. We can ensure that every participant in our server(s) is a verified individual (aka our colleagues or our students) before they are permitted into our spaces.
Another additional layer of security is the settings that come along with the invite links. We can make sure that any sent invite link expires after a limited time (e.g. 1 day) to minimise the possibility of any leaks to external parties. Of course, whenever we start a learning community, we can always invest one lesson from our curriculum to conduct such onboarding activities so that our invite will never have to even leave the classroom. By using these controls, we can create a safe and effective learning environment for our students.
Affordance 3: Customisation of Roles
The capacity to customise roles is one of the most powerful functions that draws me to this platform. DISCORD‘s customisable server settings allow us to assign specific roles to students, which can help to increase engagement and promote teamwork.
In customisation, there is a long list of permission settings that can be customised for every role that is created (e.g. deafen members, timeout members, priority speaker, video). What this means is that we can create very specific roles as part of a classroom management routine, such as the appointment of class group leaders or support specialists. Depending on our engagement frameworks, we may also create roles that are dynamic and assign to different students at various junctures in a term / semester / year.
One interesting point is that the roles can be named creatively too. If we keenly adopting different techniques of collaboration as part of cooperative language learning, the roles can be named to instill suspense or facilitate “role-playing” (e.g. detectives, spies) as part of specific language learning activities.
Also, if we like to encourage certain students to contribute more in one channel while taking a back seat in another, they can also be assigned different roles in the various channels. This allows a more equitable distribution of classroom participation, to the extent that selected students can be challenged or encouraged to practise targeted language skills more than others.
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Affordance 4: A range of features that promote engagement
Let me zoom in more on the engagement features. Remember that DISCORD is primarily a platform for communication between gamers? For that, it offers many features that enable online and offline communication through various tools: video, audio, screen sharing, and text chat.
These are the features that can also be leveraged for use in an educational context, especially for language teachers who seek to create a collaborative learning environment with their students, encourage student participation and self-directed languaging activities while also making these language learning experiences more interactive.
The video and audio tools allow for face-to-face conversations, while screen sharing gives teachers the ability to present visual materials like slideshows and videos. The text chat function allows students to communicate with each other and ask questions during class, promoting discussion and collaboration. Note that all these can be controlled within settings for each channel, thus also allowing the design of focus for different channels (e.g. one for oracy vs one for literacy; one for asynchronous offline learning and one for synchronous online learning).
Specifically, teachers have been using the “Go Live” feature which acts as a supplement to alternatives like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The caveat though, is that it is up to the limit of 50 pax and may be subject to server capabilities. Nevertheless, teachers use it to hold virtual lessons or small-group consultations. This feature allows teachers to provide personalised attention to students who may have missed class or require additional assistance with the coursework. Similar to others, the “Go Live” feature also allows recording which can then be shared with students who missed lessons or those that would like to review lessons again for self-learning.
So, what happens if some students decided to be mischievous and disrupt the class? That would definitely be at the back of some of our minds, especially if we are dealing with a profile of students that are “exceptionally vocal” in class. DISCORD has features and controls that allow us to manage our classroom effectively. We can mute or remove students who are disruptive with the assistance of student leaders (e.g. students for whom we have assigned roles).
Affordance 5: The use of bots for various functions
One of the most annoying challenges I had as a classroom teacher was to deal with much mundane administrative tasks that are routine and arguably low in stakes but omnipresent for a whole range of reasons (some more justified than others). What if these tasks can be automated, at least partially if we are not comfortable with full automation?
“Fortunately”, DISCORD started a “robot revolution” in 2015 which paved the way for a sprawling universe of bots which now shapes the experiences on the platform. Today, there are myriads of bots (all with fanciful names) that can be utilised on our servers depending on our use cases.
So, what are DISCORD bots? DISCORD bots are specialised computer programs designed to perform specific tasks within the platform. These bots are meticulously programmed to respond to specific keywords, interact with users or other bots, and perform various automation-based functions that streamline and enrich the user experience on the platform. The possibilities of DISCORD bots are virtually endless, with their diverse array of uses ranging from entertainment to administrative roles.
In the realm of server management, they are capable of adding to or moderating a server’s role ranks, following preset directives. Furthermore, DISCORD bots excel in automating cumbersome moderation tasks that typically require significant time and effort when handled manually. Such tasks include filtering or deleting spam messages, muting offenders, kicking or banning disruptive users, among others.
Specifically for us, DISCORD bots can be used in our virtual language classrooms for scheduling, reminders, verification, question and answer, etc. One of the most commonly used bots for classroom management is the automated attendance bot (one example here), which allows teachers to easily keep track of students’ attendance in a virtual class. This bot can be programmed to take attendance automatically at the start of each class or can be activated manually by the teacher. Additionally, interactive quiz bots (an example here) can be used to create engaging quizzes and tests for students, providing instant feedback and allowing for personalised learning experiences.
Supplementing these vitally necessary services, DISCORD bots can also serve for entertainment and informational purposes to build the educational personality of our servers. For instance, we can prompt bots to play music from YouTube videos directly on the voice channels (say you are using Suggestopedia/Desuggestopedia), facilitating a shared listening experience. They can also provide a sweeping overview of helpful information, tailored to individuals or the community’s needs (e.g. content in a flipped classroom for content-based instruction or content and language integrated learning classrooms). For a lighter touch, DISCORD bots can even generate and add memes from various known meme generators to keep the server atmosphere lively and amusing.
The advent of DISCORD bots has significantly enhanced the platform’s functionality and user engagement. I would consider this to be one of the top game-changing affordances in using DISCORD in favour of other platforms. Granted, most platforms these days have commenced the journey of automation to certain extents, especially with the advent of ChatGPT and the various solutions that have sprung into the market over the last half year. However, to weave it so extensively and providing such a large space for customisation like DISCORD is rare, if not unheard of.
Affordance 6: Integration with familiar tools
Well, if the earlier affordances still leave us a gap – because we have that favourite tool to which we already so accustomed, the current affordance has the capacity to significantly change our minds. DISCORD offers possibilities for integration with other tools, including some of the most commonly used learning management systems (e.g. Google Classroom). This then allows seamless collaboration and communication between us and students across platforms or tools.
Integration can be done via a few ways, though this may get technical for some of us. We can review such integrations in one page for management. However, if we prefer a more familiar way of integration, we can consider platforms or tools (e.g. especially those which might facilitate language learning) which have an app version that has presence in DISCORD (e.g. Kahoot, Memrise). In other words, integration can take the form of having apps in our servers. Note that these apps are just pretty much similar to the entities of bots, albeit not necessarily automated programs.
With integration, any migration from an existing platform might be easier if we wish to do so. Otherwise, we can have best of both worlds (or many worlds) by using DISCORD as the main platform for communication and interactive language learning alongside other platforms that serve a range of other purposes.
Affordance 7: Virtual learning journeys
One of the most amazing educational experiences that the pandemic has facilitated (or rather coerced us into having) is the vast landscape of virtual learning journeys. We probably have experienced some form of that on a website or platform as an asynchronous experience; or on Skype / Zoom / MS Teams / Google Meet as a real-time synchronous event.
The value that DISCORD provides is an experience that can become both synchronous and asynchronous, hosted in a single channel within our server. We can create servers for different locations, such as museums, national parks, or historical landmarks, and students can explore them together through screen sharing and voice chat. This not only provides an engaging and interactive learning experience, but also allows students to visit places they may not have been able to otherwise. The experience can start as a “Go Live” event and the recording can be used as an asynchronous learning activity for further reviews. The persistent channel, in this way, fosters sustained learning that emerges from the journey, rather than limiting it to a singular spontaneous occurrence.
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Drawback 1: Cybersecurity and Privacy
After painting a rosy picture thus far, it is time to flip the coin to the other side. We need to be equally cognisant of the drawbacks in case we should be sold by its affordances and overlooked the necessary precautions we need in place to ensure that the overall experience is indeed a pleasant one.
This sounds contrary to affordance 2 but no issues on cybersecurity and privacy should be taken lightly. All the more so, if we are dealing with young and adolescent learners. While we can set up our servers and channels faithfully and meticulously with the highest level of privacy settings, do remember to read DISCORD’s privacy policy to decide whether we satisfied with its collection and use of data. As of writing, DISCORD allows us to make various modifications to the way our collected data is used, but not whether they are collected.
Also, do not forget that DISCORD is already a thriving platform with many gamers who are seeking fun here. It is very accessible and has a large number of public servers which anybody can join easily. As with any public social media platform, the types of cybersecurity issues need to be addressed. In other words, our students need to be educated on how to use the platform safely and effectively.
In consideration, we may want to restrict the use of this platform with mature learners (e.g. adults who should be taking responsibility for themselves). That being said, it is also a good opportunity to educate our adolescent learners how to use such platforms properly, especially if they are nonetheless using it in non-educational contexts. For younger learners (e.g. elementary school students), a more secure platform might be more appropriate.
Drawback 2: Distractions
On a related note, as with the use of internet for learning, the use of DISCORD can open the door wide for distractions. Within the platform, the variety of public channels with content made for entertainment can be tempting, especially if we have students who are already using it personally. The user interface presents all their participated servers with visible tags that can capture their attention easily. This competition may obscure the immediate use in learning that we intended for them.
A few studies, limited but reminiscent of online learning case studies, have also demonstrated that students using DISCORD as a course hub were indeed found more easily distracted and may find it more challenging to engage with cognitively complicated content which requires more intense attention (Craig & Kay, 2022; Vladoiu & Constantinescu, 2020). Where students cannot focus, we can hardly imagine them to be engaging in deep higher-order thinking.
We can, of course, argue that all online learning has the potential to distract – the amount of content in the world wide web way triumph DISCORD in comparison. The issue with here DISCORD is that the user interface can nudge one into being pulled into different directions, while other online learning environments do not necessarily cause that.
As such, if we are really determined to use DISCORD, we need to be cognisant of the type of activities we design for the platform – in contrast to other options that may require concentrated attention. We can also make good use of the tools integration – where students can move from one environment to another fit for purpose to maximise the potential for any platform while minimising the concerns that come with one.
Drawback 3: Receptivity by colleagues and students
When I started the article in introducing DISCORD, I highlighted that it was originally “created for gaming enthusiasts”. This image has been fortified over the years, although DISCORD has also increasingly gain traction among communities with shared interests or investment in technological tools such as generative AI tools (e.g. it is used as the primary interface for the art-generating tool Midjourney).
Now, not everyone wishes to be associated with using something primarily associated with gaming and entertainment for education. Not that the tool is inherently designed solely for such uses (this article would be irrelevant if so), but we do have colleagues among us who wish to maintain clear boundaries between tools used for education and tools used primarily for other informal purposes. With this in mind, for any of us who might be enticed in using DISCORD (if not already using) due to the earlier affordances, we might also want to check in with our colleagues or institution whether there are any landmines to avoid. The last thing I want to realise is that some of us started using the platform only to receive backlash from fellow educators.
Also, it may jolly well be our students who are against this very notion of using DISCORD for learning, if they have been the active users themselves. To many gamers, it is THE platform where they find solace with their fellow enthusiasts – a space that is guarded against any authority figures that may interfere with their private pursuits. While we may not be making presence in their gaming communities and are actually building up our own private servers, some of such students might still view this as in intrusion into their private space.
For this consideration, my recommendation is always to buzz around first before full-fledged adoption. If we truly believe in the value of the platform, we can build up prototypes (trial servers) to really explore the affordances and invite our colleagues to join us (not all, but some who are potentially more receptive and probably those who provide critical support later on). This will then develop potential colleagues with whom we can collaborate, giving us the support required when we want to use it pervasively in our own classrooms.
For students, regardless of any platform we are using, it would always be good to check in with them on their receptivity. We should welcome any issues with receptivity, as they are potential triggers to engagement and conversations about the construct of learning. Our interest in their pursuits can sometimes ignite their interest to learn languages – what we aim to do so.
Drawback 4: Overwhelming amount of variables
This drawback relates to the double-edged sword of DISCORD as a comprehensive platform with multiple purposes and whole range of use cases. New users can be overwhelmed by its user interface. For teachers who are inexperienced in navigating applications, it may take them some time to set everything up the first time they create a classroom.
Have you heard about the “paradox of choice”? We all enjoy the variety of choices in life – we also like to have the autonomy to make various choices on how our online learning community is shaped. However, choices come with a cost. Beyond a threshold, every additional choice adds to the “marketplace of choices” where we then have to expend much of our cognitive power to navigate the complexities within them just to, sometimes, decide on one simple option.
This is the situation faced by some new users of DISCORD. When we hope to maximise the benefits we can reap from using the platform, we may over-indulge ourselves in the design of every single aspect, scrutinising every single setting (e.g. roles, bots, channels). It can be overwhelming, even though the platform boasts of a detailed documentation on many of such details (ironically adding to the issue). In contrast, a simple platform designed just to do a few things may become more cognitively light and user-friendly.
On this aspect, it is thus for us to decide whether we are keen to tap on the affordances offered by DISCORD to the extent that we want to manage the complexities on the other side of the coin. There is, of course, a shortcut to this by using pre-existing templates to clone certain settings created by other users. Note that this can contribute to other drawbacks within this list (e.g. cybersecurity and privacy), so we decide what is most important for our own use cases.
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Drawback 5: Some essential educational tools unavailable
Ok, I admit this is nitpicking. But it exists. There might be a couple of, if not a lot more other, educational tools that we want to embed within the channel as bots or apps but they are not available as of now. Kahoot is there, but what if we prefer the use of Quizzz, Quizlet or some other quiz tools not found in DISCORD?
Till publication of this article, some common note-taking or brainstorming tools like the whiteboard on Zoom or Lino or Padlet are not readily available in the App library of DISCORD. If these are tools that we MUST have in our repertoire of tools, then we may need to reconsider the use of the platform or work with IT professionals on the building of integration between different tools.
Conclusion: Can we use DISCORD for Language Education?
If I have to provide any verdict, my answer would be a “YES”. The affordances matter to me, as I am one who likes to work with a considerable space for customisation and innovation. While research on the use of DISCORD for education is rather limited (even more so for language education), there is much positivity found here:
- “all-in-one platform”, “a sense of community” (Ghazali, 2021)
- “a breath of fresh air” (Wulanjani, 2018)
- “an alternative for EFL students in finding a place and partners to practice their speaking” (Sartika, Sudana & Gustine, 2022)
- “a very convenient application to help with the promotion of learning engagement through its usefulness and user satisfaction” (Ayob, Abdul Hadi, Mohd Pahroraji, Ismail & Saaid, 2022)
Notwithstanding this, let us not trivialise the drawbacks that come with using it. Personally, I will calibrate my use cases according to the student profiles with which I am working. For instance, I would probably not use it at all for the youngest elementary students, but may use it as a supplementary platform for older elementary for specific purposes (e.g. building synchronous language channels for facilitated activities). As a asynchronous learning environment, I may use it for adolescent students and tapping on the opportunity to educate them on cyberwellness and privacy; and be more liberal in its use with adult learners.
In fact, adult learners (or even adolescent students who are deemed more mature and interested in learning more beyond the classroom) can be guided to join other language-related servers. There are many servers dedicated for participants to study languages or engage in language exchanges with many native speakers and experienced teachers.
A language learning server tend to focus only on one specific language. Currently, language servers built for such purposes do span across quite a number of popular languages, including spanish, german, french, japanese, italian, and portuguese. As such, people who want to learn a language (a new language), can locate fellow learners or engage in a supportive and friendly environment to engage in language practice.
At the end of the day, I believe there is no inherent reason by which DISCORD should be used or banned for our learners. It really depends on their profiles and what we hope to see from their participation in an online language learning environment. I do wonder though: are you already using it? How are you using it? If you are not, will you consider using it and why? If you are reserved or against using it, what will be your considerations? Do drop me a comment at any of our social media platforms or via feedback on this website. I will be very keen to learn from each and every one of you!
Recommended Readings
- Barnwell, P. (2023). Teachers’ Essential Guide to Discord. Common Sense Education.
- Brooks, J. (2021). Channeling Learning: Using Discord for Education. Medium.
- Craig, C.D., & Kay, R. (2022). Examining the Discord Application in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Digital Life and Learning, 2(2), 52-66.
- Ghazali, N.E. (2021). Designing Online Class using Discord based on Community of Inquiry Framework. ASEAN Journal of Engineering Education, 5(2), 46-52.
- Locke. (2020). How to use Discord for your classroom. Discord.
References
Anwar, F, & Ekawati, A.D. (2022). Students Perception of Using Discord to Improving Speaking Skills for Junior High School. PROCEEDING AISELT (Annual International Seminar on English Language Teaching), 7(1), 97-106.
Ayob, M.A., Abdul Hadi, N., Mohd Pahroraji, M.E.H., Ismail, B., & Saaid, M.N.F. (2022). Promoting ‘Discord’ as a Platform for Learning Engagement during Covid-19 Pandemic. Asian Journal of University Education, 18(3), 663-673.
Barnwell, P. (2023). Teachers’ Essential Guide to Discord. Common Sense Education.
Brooks, J. (2021). Channeling Learning: Using Discord for Education. Medium.
Craig, C.D., & Kay, R. (2022). Examining the Discord Application in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Digital Life and Learning, 2(2), 52-66.
Ghazali, N.E. (2021). Designing Online Class using Discord based on Community of Inquiry Framework. ASEAN Journal of Engineering Education, 5(2), 46-52.
Locke. (2020). How to use Discord for your classroom. Discord.
Odinokaya, M.A., Krylova, E.A., Rubtsova, A.V., & Almazova, N.I. (2021). Using the Discord Application to Facilitate EFL Vocabulary Acquisition. Education Sciences, 11, 470.
Sartika, D., Sudana, D., & Gustine, G.G. (2022). EFL Students’ Experience in Speaking Practice on Discord Application. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, 2(1), 25-36.
Uong, T.T.G., Nguyen, K.D., & Nguyen, N.H. (2022). Students Perception of Using Discord to Improving Speaking Skills for Junior High School. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(4), 84-104.
Vladoiu, M., & Constantinescu, Z. (2020). Learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Online education community, based on Discord. In Proceedings – RoEduNet IEEE International Conference, 2020 (pp. 1-6). DOI: 10.1109/ROEDUNET51892.2020.9324863.
Wahyuningsih, E., & Baidi. (2021). Scrutinizing the potential use of Discord application as a digital platform amidst emergency remote learning. Journal of Educational Management and Instruction, 1(1), 9-18.
Wulanjani, A.N. (2018). DISCORD APPLICATION: Turning a Voice Chat Application for Gamers into a Virtual Listening Class. 2nd English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings – (ELLiC Proceedings Vol. 2).
