A.E. Krasheninnikova

Siberian State Aerospace University named after academician M.F. Reshetnev

LEARNING LANGUAGES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Technology is becoming increasingly important in both our personal and professional lives. It should come as no surprise to find that technology has been co-opted by the field of education in general and learning/ teaching languages in particular.

The idea of using technology in language teaching is not new. In the 1980s teachers all over the world got acquainted with CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) approach which offered learners a great variety of computer-based materials for language teaching. As access to Information and Communication Technology became more widespread a new term TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning) appeared in 1990s. This approach was supposed to use the Internet and web-based tools.

Today due to availability of Internet access the use of ICT is a normal part of ELT practice. Technology is perhaps the best means to creating an environment conducive to language learning. Technology can support teachers in making language learning more exciting, engaging, less painful and more comprehensive. Moreover, technology offers new ways of practising language, assessing results of students’ progress, gives excellent opportunities for collaboration and communication with learners from other countries.

With technological tools available in education teachers carry out their administrative and teaching duties. 1) Administrative - the teacher uses the computer for administrative or organizational functions, such as record keeping; word processing to produce texts (i.e., creating lesson plans and student materials); e-mailing parents and students. 2) Blended - the teacher uses computers with students in an environment that combines face-to-face (f2f) classrooms with computerized tasks. 3) Distance - the teacher uses computers to support distance learning, where learners meet only virtually.

ICT provides real-world purposes for language as teachers can use it from the lowest levels, such as word processing and scanning, to high-end multimedia and interactive communications through voice and video on the Internet. So, teachers have an opportunity to combine traditional teaching with technology.

To begin with there is a great choice of websites which are considered to be the easiest and less stressful ways of using ICT in the classroom. These sites offer an expanding collection of resources for learners of different levels. Teachers can choose from authentic sources or ELT-specific sites which are made by and for teachers. ELT sites give teachers a chance to collaborate by sharing activities and worksheets. ELT websites are ideal both for homework and classwork. The importance of authentic sites is very high as they can be chosen to fit learners’ interests and therefore keep learners’ motivation which is a key factor in language learning. Everybody has their favourite websites, but one can try the following: www.englishclub.com, www.usingenglish.com, www.bbclearningenglish.com, www.onestopenglish.com, www.els.com, www.busyteacher.org You can also explore several websites for authentic listening, such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, or the British Broadcasting Corporation. Using the authentic texts and digital media at these sites, you can prepare support materials, such as lesson plans and Web references.

There are hundreds of exercises and activities at Randall Davis’s Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab or at the Internet TESL Journal. While using websites it is worth bearing in mind that these websites are used not only for “singing and dancing” but also for real work sometimes boring and monotonous.

Then comes internet-based project work which is rather beneficial to learning and teaching languages. Main benefits are the following: 1) Projects encourage critical thinking. 2) Projects encourage cooperative learning and stimulate interaction. 3) Projects encourage collaboration. 4) Projects provide greater motivation.

The Internet, in this context, is a great source of information which is necessary to carry out project tasks. A good example of such sources can be online encyclopedias: 1) www.britannica.com contains not only articles but also video images and audio, web links to more information from other web resources, dictionary with the meanings of the words , their etymology and thesauruses

2) www.wikipedia.org is a collaborative encyclopedia produced by and for the Internet community

3) www.encyclopedia.com has more than 100 trusted sources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses with facts, definitions, biographies, synonyms, pronunciation keys, word origins, and abbreviations.

Moreover, the Internet provides learners and teachers with a variety of online dictionaries and thesauruses available round the clock: multitran, lingva, thesaurus.com, www.thesaurus.net

Webquest creation is one more way of bringing ICT to the classroom. Webquests can be teacher-made and learner-made, depending on the learning activity the teacher decides on. Webquests are divided into short-term (a learner will have grappled with a significant amount of new information and made sense of it) and longer-term (a learner will have analysed a body of knowledge deeply, transforming it in some way). Before planning webquests it is better to start with the following sites:www.webquest.org, www.fi.mini.cz/ICT4ELT/websites/webquests_nepouzivase.html, www.theconsultants-e.com/webquests/. Creating webquests help learners develop language abilities as well as research skills, analytical skills and word processing skills.

Some teachers do not consider email beneficial to language learning and teaching. But it is one of the most useful ICT tools today. Email allows to keep in touch with other teachers and to share new teaching methods and materials via mailing lists and discussion groups. Reading and writing emails give a learner more exposure to the target language and interact with real people from other countries. Moreover, emailing is a good way for teachers to connect with learners and exchange information or give tasks.

For the developing of speaking skills it is good to use chats. Chats have enormous potential to link students around the world, in real time. Chats are highly motivating to students. Chats can be used outside the classroom to improve their English as part of their homework or self-study activities. But it is necessary not to overuse chats and set a clear purpose for learners. Types of chats include: text chats, audio or voice chats, public chats (www.chat.yahoo), private chats. According to educational purposes chats can be: free topic, collaborative, informative, practice. The one to choose depends on the lesson’s aims. A good way of assessing students’ progress is to use portfolios in language learning process. Portfolios provide a clear idea of learner achievements, products, test scores or grades.

Some teachers prefer creating their own electronic materials rather than using ready-made ones. One of the easiest ways of getting started in this area is to use some of the simple exercise generators which can be found online. One of the most popular is the Discovery School Puzzlemaker. Another useful tool is Hot Potatoes which allows to create web-based exercises of different types (multiple choice, jumbled sentences, gap-fill, crosswords, matching)

Thus, technology can contribute to learning and teaching languages, and make learning more engaging for students creating optimal learning environments. ICT provides learners with opportunities to interact with each other, interact in the target language with authentic audience, work in an atmosphere with an ideal stress/anxiety level and encourages producing varied and creative language, to say nothing of the development of learners’ autonomy.

References

1. Dudeney, G., Hockly, N. (2007) How to Teach English with Technology, Pearson Education Limited.

2. McDaniel, R. How to Use Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://robin-mcdaniel.suite101.com/technology-integration-a149815

3. Hanson-Smith, E., Rilling, S. (2007) Learning Languages through Technology. Retrieved from

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