Four Ways in Which Technology Enhances Language Learning

Theresa Dold on 12/6/10

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In the past, language learners faced a considerable number of obstacles that were practically insurmountable without constant practice and contact with native speakers. Nowadays, insufficient classroom hours, weak context for language learning situations and the lack of authentic input are all becoming things of the past. Technology is constantly changing and enhancing the learning landscape, especially for motivated students and creative teachers who embrace its power. This article discusses four particular ways in which technology can be used to enhance L2 learning.

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1. Increased Time on Task

Question: If the average university student spends 240 hours in the language classroom over a four-year period, and the Foreign Service Institute of the US Department of State estimates that English speakers need 575-600 hours of study to achieve a low-advanced rating in a Category 1 language (i.e. Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch), what is missing? Answer: Approximately 360 hours of language instruction and exposure. For students of a Category 4 language such as Mandarin Chinese, 500 hours merely guides you to a mid-intermediate level. Needless to say, learners at every level of any language must spend more time practicing the L2.

Technology provides a way to minimize common classroom limitations such as short class periods. For example, when the student/teacher ratio acts a limiting factor, technology can step in and lend students access to authentic language produced by native speakers of various origins. Videos, podcasts and other media give students the option to rewind and review material over and over again. Mobile apps such as FlashCardz for iPhone allow students to become more autonomous learners outside the classroom and to capitalize on individual learning styles. Indeed, technology creates opportunities to spend increased amounts of time on language learning tasks.

2. Contextualization

Today’s technologies – by imitating and constructing associations, sounds, sights and social settings – also provide L2 learners with language in context. When we are able to link a language to a context (to an experience), we have a better chance of recalling the linguistic information to which we were exposed. To this extent, multimedia serves the important purpose of combining everything from audio and video to static pictures and texts to create contextualized learning environments. E-mails, spreadsheets, and word processing are other examples of “contexts” that can and should be applied to language teaching because they help students form associations.

3. Authentic Chunks

According to many experts, the best way to retain vocabulary in one’s L2 is to learn the small phrases, or chunks, in which native speakers often use the lexical item(s) of interest. Many classrooms focus too heavily on individual parts that ultimately become isolated from real speech. Technology, however, is able to compensate by making learners aware of the ways in which certain lexical and grammatical elements are grouped together. At Voxy, we try to draw learners’ attention to such chunks and collocations by highlighting them in our online texts.

Image: Macmillan Dictionary Blog

4. Additional Input and Intake

Researchers have started to indicate that input – the exposure to both spoken and written samples of a language, whether comprehended or not – is no longer enough for students. This input, they say, must be converted into intake: the comprehended input that helps to further develop students’ linguistic systems. Technology provides a way not only to increase language input but also to enhance the process of converting input into intake.

Imagine the process of gathering online information for an upcoming presentation. This process requires that one access, read and sift through large amounts of information (input) in order to choose what is most important. For language learners, it is precisely this process of consciously and purposefully filtering through large amounts of input that ensures the input-to-intake conversion. A simple worksheet assignment hardly has the same effect.

For a more in-depth discussion of the ways in which technology enhances language learning, take a look at this comprehensive technology module for language teachers created by Dr. Orlando Kelm of the University of Texas at Austin.

Photo: Cult of Mac

source

voxy.com/blog/2010/four-ways-in-which-technology-enhance-language-learning/

Second PETA e-reflection

We need to know Benjamin Bloom taxonomy in order to have a full understanding of new topics, and be able to apply it in new situations. Studying is only finish for a given topic once all the competences in the taxonomy are attained. Bloom taxonomy is worth mastering, we can use it for understanding a new topic, write down an essay, and also conduct it in learning and teaching process. The taxonomy comes in six parts which could be also noticed as competences, that is the ability to recall, clarify, or as assignment that a teacher could schedule like class activity, an essay, a project, etcetera.

            As a teacher, prepared lesson plan before teaching will help the teaching process become much easier. Lesson plan telling us about what comes next and whether we are on goals to end the class in time available. It will also help us to manage the material in the class, later we could change it if there is something left or need to be added in the previous plan. It is expected that we could adapt the lesson plan to respond our student needs.  

            I remember from my previous school observation, there is a school which taught their first grade until third grade students using thematic method. I think it’s really helpful for student to learn the subject using thematic method. Professor Yohanes Suryo even use thematic for science learning. He has proved it as a good way to teach complex subject. Even though not many school has used thematic, I think it could be use as one alternative method in teaching and learning process.

Second Post Technology and Language Learning

It goes without saying, that technology has become part of our life. People are trying to figure out how could it supposed to use in education lately. Technology is positively give lot of advantages, every school does their best to provide newest technology in their classroom. Teachers use it at for teaching and learning processes, supporting the lesson they delivered.

            In language classroom technology is also applied. Overtime, research discover many electronics teaching aid, started from the simple until the complex one. Nowadays teacher could use Microsoft Power Point instead of blackboard, listening files instead of native teachers, etcetera. Most people think using technology at classroom is a must. Actually, the main point here is how to use technology to help students learn and reach the learning objectives. Until now there is no measurement, which show how effective technology could help teaching and learning process.

            In  recent years, technology has developed faster than what people expected. The same holds good for why some research show people brain structure has change trough the adaptation in the latest technology. In this case, we can conclude that our student way of thinking and learning is also change as well. That is why it is important for teacher to  update to the latest technology. They attempt to use it as teaching aid. It is a good idea to use it as an alternative methods to deliver the subject. But we must be careful to use it as the only main method to teach, learning could also be fun even without technology. For example in the village at Papua where access to technology  is limited, the teacher who taught Papua students has an interesting way to teach. That situation help us to reconsider, what is the main  benefit of applying technology in classroom. Using it as teaching aids, alternative way of teaching or just to following ages evolution. 

            As we could not use this technology forever (Riordan, 2010).  No matter how good and sophisticated the technology we use in teaching and learning processes, there always be a good teacher behind.

Humanistic Studies First Essay

        

                   First Humanistic Studies class impressed me much, it is unique as it relates with many thing. Learning multicultural and religious society will help us to learn, important aspects from various perspectives. Why could Javanese people and Sundanese  be so polite, why do these people have different ways to talk to their parents, friends, and relatives, even tough their life principles are different. We could also deduct moral values from different beliefs and cultures. Then teacher would learn students thoughts and personality easier from their social background.

            By finishing this lesson I hope I could grasp ideas I had never learnt before. Spend your hours for genuinely understand other people perspective show that you respect what they said and care for them as a human (Sharma, 1999).  As a human being we cannot live without others, being open minded is a good way to realize what we have missed and forgotten in our life journey. It is also one simple way for teachers to indirectly tell their pupils how much we care. In learning activities we could hold sharing sessions, group discussion or freely accept our students for individual counseling.

            Before knowing another people cultures and beliefs, I do look forward to knowing myself better as an individual, I find it interesting while looking at the course map. No one could understand another without understand themselves first. With upcoming sessions at Humanistic Study class I wish I could known myself better.

            Retrospect to my previous experience, I did and always would respect another  who has a lot of difference from me. There is nothing wrong to be different. I always have many friends with different cultures and beliefs, but that fact does not bother me at all. I respect them exactly as the same as one who has the same culture and belief with me. Being different makes life becomes more interesting.

            Everyone who entered your life has one lesson to teach and one story to tell. Everyone who you will find and garnish your days, give you a symbol that there is an opportunity to show your sympathy and politeness to explicit your humanity (Sharma). I believed there is blessing behind those differences between us. Everyone come with different nationalities, cultures, and beliefs. Differences taught people to respect one another, giving them wisdom, sympathy, and patience in order to make them a better person.  

First PETA e-reflection

The first lesson in “Principle of Effective Teaching and Assessment” remind me of my previous experience at school. It has been a year or so , that I have not thought about it. I met many type of teachers, some of them are highly sympathetic. Perhaps they are the best I had ever been taught by. My Junior High School English teacher was a persistent and also thoughtful person. He had special attention to student who did not have good score at his subject. He asked them to answer all the questions in every session, he would have explained in front of class refined their mistakes over and over,  even gave them additional tasks until they made it well. I was the one who got his eyes on me. Surprisingly, he knit his brows to comprehend my English. Another favorite teacher of mine is my Mathematic teacher who has cheerful and fun personality. He had a passion on teaching, it encourage students pay more attention to him.

            It’s not the words that matter so much as the way you say them. Effective teacher is the one who knows his students best. He prepared everything before entering the class, the teaching material, the teaching method, the assessment, even his appearance, supported by his love and passion to educate their pupils. He does so with pleasure he delivered the subject. He also treated his student fairly, without considering who they are. It goes without saying, that nobody is perfect, but one has to work really hard to be a teacher.

First post Technology and Language Learning

The people of today are surrounded by technology. In the nick of time everything in our world has changed. From wagons to cars, fans to air conditioners, stairs to elevators, etcetera.  The same holds good for explains why children who born at these past years or so called as digital generation. In old times children used to play dolls, nowadays they play doll games on the computer. According to this issue, consequently it will be really useful for teacher to master technology. Technology will help students in learning. Language class will not be the same as before. By learning how to use technology, the subject could be delivered more completely. It will be much easier for students to do their assignment as well. Eventough technology is a bit costly in the meantime, sooner or later it will be so cheap, that students and teachers could afford it .

            Compared to the old times when technology was so limited, expensive, and that was hard to use in teaching and learning process, nowadays teachers and students have greater opportunity to discover the suitable way in learning and teaching activities.