Basic Concepts of ICT in ELT

From the 1980s until today, the development and use of technology in language teaching has gone through several changes, from initially limited to gap filling and word processing, through the development of web 2.0 tools and platforms, to the arrival of the social web and mobile technologies.  Step by step, hardware advances influenced changes in how learners and teachers took advantage of technological devices for their own learning processes and teaching preparation, as well as they led to changes in course books’, activities and materials design to include in the classrooms. Without going any deeper in this, it is our goal to introduce and clarify some of the most common terms used in ELT related to ICT development, and these are the ones below:

• - Electronic learning is what we call any kind of learning assisted by information and communication technologies. There’s a tendency to limit this concept to the use of web resources, however, it includes any kind of learning involving electronic technology, such as interactive CD-roms, videos, video conferencing or hand-held computers.
• - Distance Learning involves the deliver of information, classes and materials to someone distant by using different channels, not necessarily via websites or e-mail, and it’s typically held at college level. The students work at home or at the office, and they’re usually distant geographically. Nowadays, there are massive courses of this type which offer interactive participation and open access thanks to the web and other network technologies, but distant learning involves materials that can be both printed and electronic media.
• - Online Learning refers to a type of schooling in which everything is held and stored on the web, and supports a two way communication via a computer network so the students can communicate with each other, the teacher and other staff. Materials used combine networking technologies with audios and videos.
• - Blended Learning is an education program in which face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities. The students learn in parts through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of control over time, place, path or pace.
• - Mobile Learning, involves learning with mobile devices, with technologies which include hand-held computers, MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones and tablets. Learners can learn anywhere and at any time since it focuses on the mobility of the learners, who are considered part of an increasingly mobile population.

 These are some of the basic concepts related to the use of ICT in ELT that we must be aware of. However, sometimes we may wonder how to incorporate technology in our classroom and all the factors we should consider in order to use them successfully.

In my case, our classrooms are equipped with PCs with broadband internet connection and ActivInspire, a software which allows us to create our own interactive presentations for their use in the classroom. Most classrooms are equipped with ActivInspire Interactive White Boards as well, connected to the PC, and those classrooms that don’t, are equipped with projectors. Also, digital versions of the students’ course books are installed in these PCs, which gives us fast access to pictures, tapescripts and other multimedia material that accompanies course book activities.

This gives me more opportunities, not only to create visually-attractive materials, but also to provide my students with more realistic input through multimedia resources and online material. For instance, students may practice their listening skills by watching a short documentary or listening to a song, practice their writing by telling a story based on an add or a music-clip, and so on. I’ve also had the chance to use set of activities and games from web-sites devoted to developing online interactive materials for learners, such as Learnenglish.britishcouncil.org or Efllecturer.blogspot.com. I even take advantage of these web resources to encourage students to practice their skills outside the classroom, sometimes sending tasks involving watching videos and doing activities online as homework.

There are many other resources, such as mobile apps, virtual worlds or wikis that I haven’t experimented with yet, but there’s certainly lot of potential in technology to make our classes more dynamic, realistic and meaningful to our students. 

Picture taken from Educatortechnology.com

If you’d like to read more about these topics I recommend you the following material:

 ‘e-Learning, online learning, and distance learning environments: Are they the same?’ is an article written by Joi L. Moore and other colleagues in which they go through the different uses and meanings that have been given to the concepts of e-learning, online learning and distance learning. https://scholar.vt.edu/access/content/group/5deb92b5-10f3-49db-adeb-7294847f1ebc/e-Learning%20Scott%20Midkiff.pdf

In this entry, Jennifer Weingarten introduces other terms, including those related to traditional learning settings, and some useful tips about what to take into account when using technology in the classroom. http://www.distancelearningportal.com/articles/269/blended-learning-e-learning-and-online-learning-whats-important.html

This is a paper which is part of a Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning (WPS ML), licensed and granted by UNESCO. It introduces thoughts on the present state of Mobile Learning and its future, as well as it reflects on the barriers and enablers that are part of the challenge to promote Mobile learning around the world. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002196/219637e.pdf

Teaching in the Digital Era – Challenges For the XXI Century Teachers.

Picture taken from 1hdwallpapers.com.

Let’s start with the fact that technology is all around us and it plays an important part in our daily lives. It’s present in our homes, our workplace, on the streets; it can even travel with us. As communication and information technologies become more complex and massive, our society’s complexity gowns as well: we’re now a knowledge and information based society, and every time we are more and more a mobile society. Every day processes such as transferring money demand to be carried out through the web, manipulating diverse technological gadgets. We then have to recognize that, as members of this society, we must be literate on how to exploit technology in our advantage; in other words, we must know how to effectively use these technologies because we are now living in a digital world.

Teachers like us, not only as members of this society, but also as professionals whose job is preparing others to perform effectively as citizens, cannot stay behind. Society’s demands towards teachers (and learners) have now changed as social dynamics have due to the deep incorporation of these technologies in our daily life. Basically, I consider the teacher in the XXI century must:

• Have knowledge of basic hardware and software operations, as well as know how to use basic communication software and applications.
• Have enough subject knowledge to be able to incorporate technologies into the established curriculum, particularly if its design doesn’t incorporate ICT .
• Use technology wisely, always aware of when and where to use it, but also when not to use them for classroom activities, taking into account our learners’ needs.
• Be able to use these technologies in a variety of classroom settings (pair, group, individual work or with the whole class) and make sure all students have equal access to them.
• Know the learning processes our students are going through in order to help them along and design ICT-based activities and tasks to support and assist the students’ knowledge acquisition.
• Support collaborative work and student-centred activities and use technology to create this collaborative environment.
• Develop the ability to structure problem-solving tasks in order to reflect on daily global matters and have enough knowledge of web tools and applications to help students access the information they need to complete the tasks.
•   Train students on how to discriminate information gathered, carry out a proper analysis of new knowledge acquired.
• Support the development of the students’ knowledge creation skills and encourage them to share this knowledge through different means available.
• Know how to take advantage of the many web resources in order to acquire more subject knowledge for our own professional development.
• Be able and willing to collaborate with other teachers, as well as access experts on the subject matter to develop professionally.
• Be willing to experiment with these technologies in order to learn and share our knowledge with other professionals through professional communities and other spaces the web offers.

As we can see, the XXI century is demanding, and changes occur so fast that teachers may have a hard time trying to keep up-to-date, not only regarding their subject knowledge, but also the different resources that can help us do our job. 
Now I wonder, am I ready to face the challenges of teaching in the XXI century? I think I am. I’m a curious person, always trying to explore new resources and dynamics to give my students the best I can give. I want them to learn in a meaningful way, so I do my best with the resources I have access to in order to give them high quality education and prepare them the best I can for the challenges they’ll face in their daily lives. We should always remember that, as we teach, we learn, and I’m open to new knowledge.

How about you?

 
If you’d like to read a bit more about the topic before sharing your thoughts, here you’ll find three publications that might be of your interest:

• ‘Blooms Taxonomy Blooms Digitally’, written by Andrew Churches, explains how Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive objectives, a theoretical basis to understand the process of learning, can be adapted to the new objectives that emerged with the integration of information and communication technologies into the classrooms, as well as into the lives of our students. http://www.techlearning.com/studies-in-ed-tech/0020/blooms-taxonomy-blooms-digitally/44988

• ‘Constructing on Constructivism: The Role of Technology’ by Nanjappa A. and Grant M. is also a very useful article, which examines the relationship between technology and constructivist strategies (such as collaborative and cooperative learning methods) and how new teacher roles emerge from this paradigm. http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume2No1/nanjappa.pdf

• And last, but not least, you could have a look at ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’ by Marc Prensky, an article that describes two different generations and how this claims for us teachers to practice new ways of teaching in order to connect the students with their own learning process. It’s a very interesting article that can help us understand our students from a socio-psychological point of view. http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Welcome to my blog!

This blog is devoted to share with all of you my reflections on the different topics my classmates and I have worked all along the course Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) ran by professor Evelyn Izquierdo as part of the Msc programme in English as a Foreign Language (Universidad Central de Venezuela).

Apart from being part our assignments, it is also aimed to raise awareness of the potential these technologies have as means, not only to facilitate language learning and practise, but also to promote collaborative learning and students' (and teachers) litteracy in these technologies.

What you you are up to see on my posts are, not only my own reflections, but I may also share with you some materials related to the topic that might be of your interest.

I am looking forward to any ideas or comments you would like to share with me as well!