ICT
AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY
by Beata Opa³ka
Information and Communication Technology
The following paper aims at discussing selected applications of the
Internet in the EFL classroom in Poland, referring them to my own professional
experience as an academic teacher. Apparently, computers are getting more and
more ubiquitous and indispensable in the modern world today as an unbelievably
powerful tool both for business and education. E-mail and the Internet make it
possible for people all over the world to communicate with each other, and to
have easy and unrestricted access to every conceivable kind of information. As
a result, both have greatly influenced the teaching profession and are
perceived as an effective tool facilitating the process of learning and
teaching foreign languages. However, the adoption of electronic resources
around the world has been far from uniform.
E-mail tandem
The idea of language learning in tandem via e-mail is very simple: there
are two native speakers of two different languages corresponding with each
other. Language learning in tandem appears to be simply a modern version of
corresponding with a pen-pal from a foreign country, however, e-mail is
quicker, less time-consuming and more attractive. E-mail tandem as a useful
teaching tool helps students develop their language awareness and allows for
learner autonomy since students participate in real communication so their
engagement and collaboration are genuine. They also decide by themselves what
topics to discuss and so become more aware of their language needs. Last but
not least, they keep up with the rapid changes in modern communication
technology.
This approach can be adopted for the special needs of students studying
various subjects, e.g.: history, pharmacy, or art by choosing an adequate
e-mail partner (called key-pal)
interested in the same subjects and communicating in the same language
(usually a foreign language for both of them). To illustrate this, I’ll
mention just the two sample projects I’ve read about: in 1993 Ruth Vilmi, a
lecturer of English at the Helsinki University of Technology, started the
International Writing Exchange (IWE) and since then has also developed
software for online language learning (www.ruthvilmi.net).
Another EFL teacher, Karen Fedderholdt, was involved in an email writing
project between non-native speakers of English, that is, a group of Japanese
university students, and a group of Danish students preparing for university
entrance examinations (look at References
and Sources).
Internet
Among teachers there are those who are very enthusiastic and optimistic
about using Internet materials in EFL classrooms, and those who are rather
sober and pessimistic, claiming that the Internet suffers from information
pollution and will face a cataclysmic collapse soon. When it comes to
preparing ESP materials I personally try to avoid excessive exploitation of
the Internet, though. All the same, I find it beneficial to make use of the
Internet as there is evidently a lack of adequate materials and sources of
knowledge for pharmacy students – who I teach – and the Internet presents
a wealth of information and a reliable source of ESP materials and
continuously up-dated information that can be of much help for students
preparing assignments. Furthermore, the Internet gives them the possibility of
joining or even setting up their own Internet discussion group or club, and
they can also design their own websites to present the outcomes of their
assignments.
A wide diversity of the information you find on the Web, although
impressive in its range, is, however, by no means systematic or comprehensive.
As a result, students and teachers must acquire the ability to use the
Internet to search for authoritative information. Firstly, they have to learn
how to effectively find what they are looking for using a variety of Web
search engines (cf. Eastment 2001).
The next step is learning to evaluate information to examine their sites by
determining their accessibility (to
avoid dead end links), accuracy (of
the source that is, authority, objectivity and coverage), appropriateness (for students’ needs), and
appeal (e.g. easy to use,
interesting to read). It is of equal importance to compare the information
found on the Internet with books, reference materials, or periodicals in the
library. If necessary one should seek the advice of a specialist on the
subject. This valuable skill emphasises the need to use more than one source
to collect information, as well as the importance and reliability of
non-Internet sources. The more references students resort to, and the more
established their sources, the more confident they can be about the issue
followed. Additionally, by comparing two different sources they will not only
gain greater understanding of the issue in question, but they may also see how
the information is presented differently by different sources.
Computer-based activities
Computer-based activities (e.g. searching for information, editing texts,
designing Web sites, corresponding via e-mail) could be placed somewhere
between learning EFL in the classroom and independent preparation or
self-access to English. The reason for this is that for many students learning
English via e-mail or working on the Internet may appear to be attractive
forms of out-of-class activities; while at the same time, for many teachers,
they are effective forms of autonomous learning techniques well worth
introducing. Clearly, computer-based activities appear to create a very
special atmosphere of great engagement and dedication on the part of students
working with computers. It seems that computer work is very motivating and
even the ones who are weak at English get highly involved in language tasks.
Such activities encourage all students to select the information they really
need for their purposes. It
serves as well as a genuine opportunity to
practise the skills of argumentation and presenting specific data.
Furthermore, they seem to offer students the richest sources of authentic
English language materials, and enable teachers to be more creative.
Nevertheless, teachers should bear in mind a variety of aspects that must
be taken into account before introducing information and communication
technology into the EFL classroom. The table below compiles some potential
drawbacks and merits of implementing a computer-based approach to EFL
teaching.
To sum it up, teachers need to get to grips with the Internet as the
longer they leave it, the harder it will get to catch up with new
technologies. Such an attitude will not leave them behind students.
Conclusions
In short, classroom work done using Internet materials is expected to lead
to the exchange of ideas via various interactive activities and to reinforce
learner autonomy as students must know how to organise their work to achieve
the best final results. Certainly information and communication technology in
the modern EFL classroom could help students develop their language awareness,
and become a flexible means of ensuring that the educational materials raise
both interest and motivation in students.
Ciesielska-Ciupek,
M. 2000. ‘Preparation of ELT materials using Internet and Corpus
resources’. In Network 3/3: 25-31.
Crystal,
D. 1998. ‘To surf or not to surf: that is
the question’. In Network 1/1:
3-10.
Eastment,
D. ‘Search engines, web directories and sites for news and current
affairs’. In ELT Journal 55/1:
102-106.
Fedderholdt,
K. 2001. ‘An email exchange project between non-native speakers of
English’. In ELT Journal 55/3:
273-280.
Internet
Literacy in Yahooligans! Teachers’
Guide http://www.yahooligans.com/tg/
Kierczak
A., Darzycka B. 2001, ‘Teaching English via e-mail and Internet’. In Network,
4/2:19-25
Newton,
C. 2000 ‘Teaching in cyberspace’. In English
Teaching professional 16: 13-15.
Norbrook,
H. 2001. ‘New technologies and the English teacher’. In Modern English Teacher 10/1: 5-9.
Shapling,
G. 2000. ‘Web wisdom. Basic Internet skills for university students’. In Modern
English Teacher 9/4: 42-47.
Vilmi,
R. 2001. ‘Involve me and I’ll learn’. In Modern
English Teacher 10/2: 63-65.
TABLE
1: Advantages and Disadvantages of introducing the Internet in English
language classroom
Advantages
and disadvantages of introducing the Internet in English language classroom
adapted from Clive Newton ‘Teaching in cyberspace’ in ENGLISH TEACHING
PROFESSIONAL 2000 16:13-15