ICT and Language Teaching

ICT is diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate,

create, disseminate, store and manage information. These technologies include
computers, the internet broadcasting (radio and television) and telephony.

Rational for ICT use:

ICT has pervaded society it is everywhere and most students are digital learners
they do use and like ICT.

ICT help manage time and space instead of writing a paragraph you can take a
picture of it.

There is a growing demand for language courses.

Some studies proved that the use of ICT enhances teaching and learning.

ICT can enhance learner autonomy to be independent from the teacher to some
extent.

ROLE OF ICT

ICT makes language learning and teaching effective and efficient (less
expensive, allow us to achieve learning purposes)

ICT can replace teacher in the repetitive aspect where the students can watch or
hear records of the course at home.

ICT cannot replace teacher in the non-repetitive aspect where the teacher solve
problems, monitor motivate and assess students, and he also deals with
individuals differences.

When teacher use ICT in language classroom it should respect the theories of
second language acquisition.

CALL (computer assisted language learning) is one of the earliest applications

of ICT in language teaching and learning.

EXAMPLES OF ICT
 Applications used in computer for the purpose of language learning and
teaching like wiki, blogs, mooc (massive online open course), smartphones,
projectors, interactive white boards.

ICT can be used to teach language skills

1 listening:

-comprehensible input causes language learning (krashen, 1981)

-noticing and attention make input more comprehensible (Schmidt, 1990)

-computer based multimedia programs make input more noticeable

Ex: listening materials can be created on the computer, in which digital audio
files are supplemented with glosses of individual words or for chunks of words,
providing transcripts, definitions, visual cues or play back of words in isolation
(Jon, 2003)

2 speaking:

-ICT enhances speaking skill of learners through the use of video and audio
programs

-ICT enables learners to chat with native speakers

-speech recognition allows learners to practice speaking skill and get instant
feedback

Ex: computer programs can interact directly with learners to improve their
pronunciation (ex: speech recognition software)

Computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in text-based chat tool can

help students develop necessary linguistic interaction skills

3 reading:

-internet provides unlimited source of reading materials

-Computer software and websites can reinforce the teaching of reading skill
(pre, while and post reading task)

4 writing:

-ICT facilitates the teaching of writing through blogs, wikis, and emails
 -internet allows the learner to publish his/her writing and get feedback from
other learners

-internet tools allow the teachers to check originality of the learners writing and
prevent plagiarism

CHALLENGES OF ICT

-keeping up with ICT development is a challenge for teachers

-technology is not always affordable

-ICT may sometimes discourage creativity

-ICT dehumanizes the process of learning and teaching

FUTURE OF ICT IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

-ICT will be the solution for the growing demand for language courses world
wide

-ICT makes it possible to reduce contact time between students and teachers,
maintain the quality of instruction and achieve comparable learning outcomes

-possibly mobile learning will contribute significantly to language learning

ICT IN MOROCCAN EDUCATION

- E-Morocco 2010
- Genie program 2005
- Massar program.

IMPORTANT

There has been a sizable change in the attitudes toward technology. Two factors
may have influenced this change; the first is the emergence of a body of research
that examines how technology affects learning both in positive and in negative
way, this research informs the effective applications of technology to teaching
and learning, the second factor is the general acceptance that technology has
pervaded our society and ignoring or suppressing it would be doing students a
disservice.
 THE ROLE OF TECHONOLOGY

Technology should make language teaching and learning more effective and
efficient.

Skinner divided the task of teaching into two distinct parts: one part of teaching
involves imparting factual knowledge that is highly structured, predictable and
consistent without regard to context or student differences (delivered by
machine), another part of teaching involves dealing with unpredictable
eventualities such as a misunderstanding on the part of the student or individual
learning difficulties, and so can only be handled by a human teacher

Types of computer exercises

-cloze (fill in the blanks to complete a reading passage)

-Drag-drop matching (require students to use the mouse to move a word or

phrase to the one that matches it best)

ADVANTAGES OF ICT

1 some researchers maintain that one of the benefits of technology use is an

increase in students’ motivation as fun and games are being brought into the
classroom

2 important in academic ability:

Technology appears to improve language learners’ academic ability. This

improvement is probably due to students’ learning attitudes and boosting their
self-confidence.

Galavis (1998) and Dunken (1990) assert that the use of technology enhances
learners’ language proficiency and their overall academic skills

3 a paradigm shift in teaching and learning

The advent of technology and the development in the field of education has
accelerated a shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered approach in
language learning and teaching.
To meet the needs of digitally grown up learners, teachers need to adopt
different roles, they need to be facilitators, rather than the traditional bench-
bound instructors and they need to support and guide students’ learning.

4 assessment shift

Incorporation of technology in the classroom enables learners to assess their

own work in a more meaningful way, become better aware of the quality of their
work and accept feedback more willingly.

The overall assessment shift from teacher to self and peer evaluation contributes
to the development of students’ autonomy which is emphasized in learning in
the 21st century

5 collaborative learning enhancements

Another benefit of technology use is the enhancement of collaboration and

communication in learning activities

According to Gillespie (2006), new technology enables students to collect

information and interact with resources, such as images and videos.

Murphy (2006), states that the internet can serve not only as a reference source
but also as a means of communication. It is argued that technology enables the
user to get connected to the world outside of the classroom and hence produce
high-quality work, knowing that their work will be viewed by a large audience.

DISADVANTAGES OF ICT BARRIERS

1 lack of access

Lack of access to technology resources that requires an internet connection is a

major disadvantage for those schools and individuals who can barely afford or
do not have access to computer or internet connection

2 lack of effective training

Many researchers believe that lack of teacher training, lack of knowledge and
practice are factors that prevent the successful use of internet as a learning tool

Romano (2003), found clearly that access to technology does not improve
learning unless teachers are empowered to adopt technology as an educational
tool
Baylor and Richie (2002), also argue that technology would remain unused if
faculty members do not develop the appropriate skills, knowledge and attitude
for incorporating it into the curriculum

3 teachers’ attitude

Research into the barriers to technology use in education has found that teachers’
attitude was a significant barrier in the academia (Hodas, 1993)

Some teachers thought that technology was a disruptive tool and resisted any
changes (MC Grail, 2005)

Teachers’ lack of confidence was rooted in their fear of failure or lack of

technology knowledge which made them feel anxious

4 students’ attitude

The use of technology requires a shift from traditional teaching approaches;

therefore if the shift is drastic and sudden and students perceive the experience
negatively they may resist such changes, which in turn will lead to poor
academic performance

Students resisted using technology, complaining that it removed them from their
instructors and dehumanized the learning experience

5 lack of time

Lack of time and technical support could be another reason for teachers’
disinclination toward using technology

Some teachers reported that the integration of technology in their classroom

required more time and effort compared to regular classes which do not use
technology

CHALLENGES OF INCORPORATING ICT IN TEACHING

Teacher attitude towards ICT

The problem of system managers

Limited teaching aids

ICT is a time consuming element

Losing control of learning

Using ICT is expensive

Inadequate building capacity

HOW DOES ICT FACTOR INTO EDUCATION

Access to variety of learning resources

Immediacy to information

Anytime anywhere learning

Multimedia approach to education

Access to online libraries

TEACHER’S ROLE

Shift from:

Knowledge transmitter --- teaching facilitator, coach

Primary source of information---knowledge navigator

Teacher controlling and directing all aspects of learning---teacher giving

students more options and responsibilities for their own learning

STUDENT’S ROLE

Shift from:

Passive recipient of information---active participant in the learning process

Reproducing knowledge---producing knowledge

Learning as a solitary activity---learning collaboratively with others

COMPUTERS:

Electronic devices that we use to view, store, send and receive information.
Preparing lesson plans, completing your gradebook, checking emails, preparing
letters, making posters

MULTIMEDIA PROJECTORS

It is compact devices that project images in high resolution. Help create visual
connection for students from a variety of devices and programs
CONCLUSION/ INTRODUCTION

The technology is being increasingly employed in instruction to enhance

teaching and learning

There is no doubt that using ICT in schools improves teachers’ instructional

process and facilitates students’ learning process

The study of integrating information and communication technology ICT in

teaching and learning is one of the most widely discussed issues in the field of
education

The majority of researchers and educators believe that ICT, when properly used,
improves teaching and learning and provides more teaching and learning
supports for the teachers and learners

ICT has been proven to provide a good environment for general language course
(Mullamaa, 2010)

Researchers have demonstrated that technology boosts the development of

teaching methods as well as students’ knowledge

Lam and Lawrence (2002) claim that technology provides learners with
regulation of their own learning process and easy access to information the
teacher may not be able to provide

The use of technology brings both disadvantages and advantages for language
teaching

Technology can undoubtedly raise the quality of learning experience and

enhance the ability of even the best teachers to reach students. However, a
computer is not a substitute for a teacher and it cannot transform a bad teacher
into a good one

Teachers are the main characters to employ ICT in educational contexts; they
should be trained in how ICT can be integrated in the teaching process