INTEGRATION OF ICT IN FOREIGN
LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Learning
how to use ICT’s in the foreign classroom is a matter of professional
development that we teachers must experience and learn about it. In discussions
in teaching languages and the role of ICT’s in the classroom, there is a
tendency on accepting that teachers should train themselves on how to
incorporate them and their advantages when it comes to learning. Nevertheless,
I think that what we know now on this topic is just a drop in the sea of ICT’s
and what they can offer.
First
of all, I would like to say that ICT’s are not the solutions to every single
trouble of teaching, and they can be used as well to teach in very odd ways.
People could argue that they use ICT’s to promote learning in a classroom in a
more dynamic way, even when they do exactly the same but in a computer. For
instance, the use of “fill in the blank” exercises about grammar or filling the
lyrics of a song by means of over-repeating it are good examples of not to use
ICT’s. I think those practices are still concerned with grammar, accuracy in
terms of language competence. This way of using ICT’s has been just a nicer way
to do the same. In contrast, ICT’s can provide other spaces for learning, but
they also required some teaching expertise both in Digital knowledge and
language acquisition.
Furthermore,
Using sound systems, computer games and other tools based on traditional
stimulus-response work would kill the concept of the uses and possibilities in
the classroom. Games are great examples of human interaction; nevertheless,
Teachers do not know yet how to handle them. Many games are destroyed in terms
of a good game to satisfy the demands of the “linguistic knowledge” or
“linguistic purpose” of the game. This has to do with the perception of
language learning and technology teacher have. I think that for developing
initiatives like using computer games to foster learning, Teacher In this way,
language teachers can have a pair project work with teachers of other subjects
as computer science, so both can direct their classes in the same direction.
Learning
how to create blogs as a means of information and source of teaching was the
first step to avoid old misconceptions in my process. These blogs were
especially useful to me in terms of having a space where I could share and
check what I had done. In the future, I hope to use them as a source of
learning experience and as a tool for students to catch the lesson they miss or
share some other stuff that they could have found over a topic. However, using
this tool only for giving more support to students’ process could foster
students’ procrastination to physical classroom due to the fact that
“everything is on the blog.” I would say that learning how to create something
with ICT’s is not only learning about the process, but learning about the
impact it can have in my classes.
Furthermore,
Podcasts, videos and e-tivities that we discussed and created in class are
other means to promote creative and critical thinking. We used to think that we
only have the opportunity to face students with whether British or American
speeches. Many of these audios presented artificial conversations or topics
really out of the context. Podcasting our own voice or taking speeches about
topics we decide to discuss in class can help students to reflect and analyze
the discourses of “language perfection” and standard language”. Creativity can
be fostered by the creation of own podcasts or blogs, etc. Also, creating
videos that use their own speech recorded can help students to realize they can
create as well material for contrasting their previous performance and how they
progress through the time they study.
In
my opinion, what we have learnt so far are good tools for implementing in
language teaching. We can have a wide range of different materials created by ourselves
and we do not have to depend on what is done or on what others said is good for
learning. Podcasting, especially, is a great way to track oral production. This
tool can help not only teachers to have their own material in class, but
creating connections and evidences of students’ learning process to show
parents. Videos can also contribute to this purpose.
On
the other hand, I think that we have just started understanding the basis of what
it could be done using ICT’s in the language classroom. I strongly agree that
we have to start working with the implementation of ICT’s inside the classroom.
In fact, what we know now covers just some aspects of creating material for
language learning. There are still boundaries for the uses of IDT’s; for
example, using video games to foster learning and not just putting a grammar
based class on a game.
In
the same fashion, Teachers should deepen their knowledge about ICT’s in the
classroom, not only for using them for making material, but for facilitating
virtual environments to learn a language. Using some virtual tools as
podcasting, creating videos and E-tivities are just the beginning of a process
that should evolve by the time. The teacher should past from the perspective of
being just users of programs and imagine the possibilities of any of these
gadgets for learning, to properly create those ones. This will implicate that
teachers should learn a language and also they should have some skills in
programming languages. Despite the challenges this represents, I think it is
necessary to change the paradigm on teachers only as users, but as creators in
all senses.
In
conclusion, ICT’s are a field open to explore and that must be explored by
teachers and students. From now and on, In order to work on teaching through
content, I would like to go deepen in the concepts of what a game is and how
games can contribute learning since this is an issue that increases more and
more in our society. Also, I would like to explore the creation and use of
videos in the classroom; I would love to create more interactive videos or more
professional videos to have more interactive interactions among students,
teachers and the video
