Using technology in language teaching and learning

By Teguh Khaerudin

Using technology to help language teaching and learning is not a new practice. Attempts to bring technology into language classroom can be traced back to the 1960s. Warschauer & Healey (1998, in Bax, 2003) classify the development of technology use in language classroom into three main stages, i.e. behavioristic CALL (1960s-1970s), Communicative CALL (1980s - 1990s), and Integrative CALL (1990s - present).

Three phases of CALL

As we can assume from its label, the behavioristic CALL in the 1960s - 1970s refers to the use of technology in language teaching and learning which is much influenced by the approach of behaviorism to language teaching. In this approach, technology was employed to build the expected behaviors by providing repeated drills. Mistakes were highly avoided because learners' accurate production was paramount.

In the 1980s, people started to value learner's fluency as no less important than accuracy. Communicative language teaching was proposed as more effective and more encouraging to improve learners' oral production. Communication exercises were encouraged and learners' errors or mistakes should not stop students from using the language for communication. Technology in this perspective aimed at providing stimulus to discussion, writing, and critical thinking without giving too much emphasis on correcting learners' errors.

In more current practice, the use of technology in language learning and teaching has employed sociocognitive/ socioconstructive approach to language teaching and learning in which social interaction is seen as an essential factor to learning. ICT is brought to the language teaching and learning to provide authentic materials so that learners can perform real-life tasks by using the technology. Learners are given more control over their learning formulated as 'agency', i.e. "the satisfying power to take meaningful action and see the results of our decisions and choices" Murray, 1997,  in Chen, n. d.)

The above mentioned stages of technology use in language teaching and learning has shown us that the course of technology use in language teaching and learning is not (only) determined by the advancement of technology itself but rather shaped by pedagogues view on teaching and learning. Teachers will still be the key essential element of impacts in language teaching and learning as they are the ones who combine and tailor the technology and pedagogy in the teaching and learning process.

References:

Bax, S. (2003). CALL—past, present and future. System, 31, 13 - 28.

Chen, C.-F. E. Unit 1.  Introduction to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teaching   Retrieved 14 August, 2010, from http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/%7Eemchen/CALL/unit1.htm

Teaching Digital Natives (repost)

by Teguh Khaerudin

Teaching today's students how to use technology in language teaching and learning feels like teaching ducks how to swim; they  are better technology users than I am. Using Prensky's terminology (2001), I am a digital immigrant and my students are the digital natives. So, as an immigrant, I have a rather 'thick' accent in using technology whereas natives use it as if they breath the air; it's just natural to them.

In his famous 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants', Prensky warned that "our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language." Teaching today's students using the methods we were taught by at our students period will just not work (Prensky, 2001). He, furthermore,  suggested that teachers should adapt to their 'digital natives' students in two ways: methods and contents.

Changing our methods of teaching would mean that we should know our students'  characteristics. I would say that they are a new breed of students who can do many things we didn't usually do when we were students: learn thing (or things) fast, parallel, and at random! A student reading a book while texting her friend (or friends!) and listening to an iPod is not an unusual setting. Well, I do multitasking sometimes, especially when it close to a deadline, but it doesn't always work well. Failure to tailor our teaching to these characteristics will hinder learning and demotivate students.

Teachers should also look at what contents or materials that need to be delivered to the students. Today's students are information literate who are picky regarding which materials they want to study whereas teachers are always sure that they know what their students need to study. Traditional stuff does not attract students as much as things that are digital and technological. Thus, teachers should start to look at ways to combine traditional and digital or technological materials in their teaching.

Those adaptation both in methods and contents has made teaching digital natives becomes more challenging. With all those accent that teachers have in using new technology, teachers are required to be more sensitive to their students needs, wants, and interests, and to be more creative and imaginative in planning their teaching.

References:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1 - 6.