Reaction Paper

Reaction paper on “Use of Technology in English Language Teaching and Learning”

By: Pamela Erices and María Fernanda Pedreros

Regarding to the article “Use of Technology in English Language Teaching and Learning” by D. Solanki and M. Phil, teaching and learning English language through technology benefits and improves people skills and capacities. The growth of the media and the number of English learners has increased the different teaching methods and has demanded new challenges on the way this language is taught. The 21st century is the age of globalization and English is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Graddol study (2000) indicates that over 80% of the information stored on the Internet is in English. Also, the same study suggests that in the year 2000 there were about a billion English learners but a decade later the numbers doubled. According to David Graddol ‘it is the language at the leading edge of scientific and technological development, new thinking in economics and management, new literatures and entertainment genre. It is a fact that the growth of the internet has facilitated the growth of the English language.’ Through technological methods, both visual and auditory senses of the students are been satisfied. There is an analysis on the capacity that this study has for students and also for teachers. The impact of the new technology has been an especial support for the new generations, because of the dynamic and didactic strategies that can be applied in this language.

Firstly, we agree that multimedia technology is an essential part of the English learning, most than for any other discipline or branch because it develops faster their communicative competence. According to Solaki and Phil (2012) stated ‘The teaching principle should be to appreciate new technologies in the areas and functions where they provide something decisively new useful and never let machines takeover the role of the teacher or limit functions where more traditional ways are superior. There are various reasons why all language learners and teachers must know how to make use of the new technology.’ Teaching English with multimedia technology helps the development of the auditory ability of the students, to identify differents accents in the English Language and exercise the capacity of understand what is hearing. Also, it helps the visual ability of students, by the possibility of seeing videos of other countries, their culture, and to settle in the environment. We think that this way students gain more confidence for practising and doing autonomous work in the aspects they found difficult. Moreover, it is a matter of exploration which makes learning more fun and interesting with animations and effects. For this reason, we acknowledge that is important for English teachers to be aware of the latest and best equipment available to teach English with multimedia technology and provide a full learning. Nevertheless, traditional learning has proved till the date that is useful too, and there are still teachers teaching in a traditional manner. But we believe that students want their lectures to be more interactive, and significant. However, the world of multimedia technology provides so many options making teaching more productive in terms of improvements. Teachers can use the technology in order to make their lectures more stimulating, instead of hearing and writing what the teachers is saying in the classroom.

Another interesting point is the relationship between the student and the teacher. We strongly believe that the learning process need to be supported by interaction and comprehension. During the learning process with multimedia technology, the teacher takes the role of facilitator by correcting mistakes, answering doubts or explaining some things that the students might ask. So, the “teacher-centered” teaching pattern gets broke, and the student becomes the center. The learning is more individualized and co-operative, teachers in the classroom no longer force students to just receive and repeat information given in a passive way. Due to large classes or long lectures it is difficult for students to have speaking communication. Multimedia technology train and improve students’ ability to speak and listen, it creates an authentic environment which enhances the initiative of both teacher and student, as Solaki and Phil (2012) pointed: ‘Multimedia teaching creates a context for language teaching. This method makes the class lively and interesting, as well as optimizing the organization of the class. Multimedia has its own features such as visibility and liveliness. During the process of multimedia English teaching, sounds and pictures can be set together, which enhances the initiative of both teachers and students, When using multimedia software, teachers can use pictures and images to enrich the content of classes, and also imagine different contexts in the process of producing teaching courseware’. Also, we want to highlight the good relation which is also after the classroom, because the context created in classes lead teachers to be are more flexible with their students. We believe that teachers need to be a closer relation with the students to comprehend their problems which can interfere with their learning and know how to deal with it.

After we expressed about the two main topics on the paper that we were interested on, we also want to mention the well-supported evidence and facts that supported the text. It was interesting to read it, since we agreed in many points as students of the English Language and how the technology has made our own learning more easier and productive. Multimedia Technology helps us to get in context which is more natural, real, and closer to life. Nevertheless, we think that the use of textbooks are also good, but complement both things and variate from one to another, is way better. We always use new technology during time, and education has to be a part of that too, as the paper stated: ‘The teaching principle should be to appreciate new technologies in the areas and functions where they provide something decisively new useful and never let machines takeover the role of the teacher or limit functions where more traditional ways are superior.There are various reasons why all language learners and teachers must know how to make use of the new technology. Here we also need to emphasize that the new technologies develop and disseminate so quickly that we cannot avoid their attraction and influence in any form’.

In conclusion, through time and history, the teaching methodology has been changing and evolving, all this for learning to be better, have a greater degree of effectiveness for the human being who receives the new information and incorporates it into a process that , it is usually quite common and simple in its form. Although the way of teaching is systematized and governed by studies of the learning capacity of the human being, it is dynamic and variable, that is to say, it is changing according to the resources available to be able to teach and also from according to the learning capacity of each individual. At the present the methods of teaching have varied a lot and in a short period of time. This is mainly due to the incorporation of technology in learning methods. The incorporation of technology in teaching methods responds to the interests of improving effectiveness in what is taught and facilitating learning. The use of technology in everyday life is reflected in all senses and even in current learning. If we look back, we will realize how the way of learning and teaching has evolved over time. From chalk slate to now digital and touch screen whiteboards, from exhibitions with large sheets of paper to exhibitions through projectors and using specialized software, from classroom to online classes, having to resort to the library to access to a book to download it from the internet and even use software that read by one. Like all these changes, the teaching of languages ​​has also been changing. Learning a new language is a difficult task, and even more so if the means to achieve it are reduced, this is where the use of technology plays an important role in the current teaching of languages, since it facilitates the way in which they are assimilated. acquired knowledge. The appearance of specialized softwares in the teaching of a language, interactive games for children that brings them closer to the language and gives them basic notions that in the future will be reinforced, as also the current offer of online language classes in virtual platforms make the learning of a language like English more accessible to all through technology.

References:

Solanki D. Shyamlee., M. Phil. (2012). “Use of Technology in English Language Teaching and Learning”: An analysis. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research. Retrieved from http://www.ipedr.com/vol33/030-ICLMC2012-L10042.pdf