Abstract
We are living in a digital era of technological learners who are adept at using technology without any formal instructions. The ongoing pandemic may have staggered economy and halted lives across the globe, but, one blessing of these desperate times has been the desperation of ever individual to empower oneself with information and technology because it has proved to be the lifeline of communication and learning. Emails and virtual classrooms have been the new norm ensuring connectedness between the teacher and the taught amidst such desperate times calling for desperate measures. English language teaching too has undergone the much needed metamorphosis. It has been proved beyond doubt that technology enabled language learning can help one to ameliorate the efficiency and effectiveness of the English Language learning process. It not only offers flexibility and interaction but is also a rich platform that provides the users a whole new experience of learning. The use of ICT in a language classroom stimulates young learners to undertake assignments which they would otherwise ignore or avoid. It makes the same task more interesting and is specially beneficial for learners who are otherwise reluctant to speak in class. It saves the teachers repetitive tasks because the content in multimedia formats can be stored and retrieved at any time and any number of times. The role of teacher too has transformed to that of an instructor or facilitator. ICT enabled language teaching has the biggest advantage in a class with differential learning abilities because self-paced independent learning methodology is encouraged which can handle diverse groups with different learning abilities without any inferiority complex for a slow learner. Thus ICT is a welcome and powerful tool for educational change and reform.
Introduction
The term ICT is defined as' forms of technology used for creating, displaying, storing, manipulating and exchanging information.' (Melelsea, 2007).
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English a global language of communication and learning and to integrate language acquisition with technology is the need of the hour. In fact it has rejuvenated the whole experience of English language acquisition. The greatest advantage of ICT in language teaching and learning is that a teacher centered class can, very conveniently, using ICT tools, be transformed into a learner centric class with the teacher playing the role of a facilitator. As a matter of fact, the use of technologies provides learners with unprecedented opportunities to practice English and involve themselves in authentic environments of language use. (Kramsch and Thorne, 2002). In addition, the integration of ICT boosts learners motivation because of multimedia capabilities including visual aids, audios and . (Altimer, 2001).
Online language support helps to encourage learner autonomy and motivation by attracting their attention and elevating their interest in learning, thereby making language acquisition an enjoyable process. Adoption of e-content inside and outside classroom leads to enhanced comprehension, better listening and writing skills. For example, according to Kelson (2009 p.3) 'YouTube has the potential to connect learners with authentic English input through what is quite possibly already a part of their life experience... and provides a context through which they can interact, exchange ideas, share feelings and participate in a web based environment'.
Technology has offered new opportunities to restructure language learning and teaching by opening new avenues and newer challenges to the teacher and the taught. Computer aided language learning empowers the learner to take charge over one’s own learning – they set their own objectives and targets, choose their own content and material, decide their own methods and techniques and evaluate their performance themselves too. This newly found freedom and flexibility offers opportunity to learn beyond boundaries of a prescribed text and time and contributes to lifelong learning. It also offers rich e-resources that can be accessed fast and efficiently at the click of a mouse. For language learners, ICT offers a chance to be creative, improves efficiency and helps them to communicate better.
Thus the blend of ICT in English language learning helps to enhance interactive teaching – learning methodologies and teaches them to annotate texts in innovative ways. The student get exposed to a wide range of strategies to learn reading, writing, speaking, listening skills and ways of improving grammar and vocabulary. ICT has not only changed methodology but also assigned new roles to language teachers which is in sharp contrast to traditional language teaching. Teaching has gone beyond books and classrooms with teachers playing the role of guides to help learners to be skilled in selecting, accessing, evaluating organizing content and resources. In this whole process the teacher also plays the motivator in the learning process – facilitating intellectual group discussions mediated by technology and critically reflecting and commenting on the e-resources and digital literature. Thanks to ICT, more information is transmitted to a larger number of students in a shorter span of time. As Zepp (2005) points out,' teachers should relate the goals of English language learning with effective use of ICT... The teacher's role in an ICT environment is that of a facilitator instead of being a purveyor of knowledge. The modern teacher in the ICT era is no longer described as “a sage on the stage” but a guide by the side”. '
E-learning … not merely electronic learning but enhanced, enjoyable and easily accessible learning
The truth behind the popular Chinese saying “Tell me, and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand,' is best illustrated in the use of ICT in English Language teaching. The use of animations, power points, live chats, webinars and other audio visual material injects a renewed motivation and enthusiasm in a otherwise mundane language teaching class. The introduction of these new technological pedagogical tools seamlessly addresses the language learning needs and abilities of diversely heterogeneous groups and enables the learners to address their pace and mode according to his / her ability and availability of time at home. To make the teaching – learning process more viable and enjoyable in the electronic mode , language teachers specially need to take up the challenge of creating course material which instills a whiff of fresh air in the lesser explored areas of language teaching – specially grammar and vocabulary. The rules of grammar are so baffling at times that students prefer to just let them be or lose interest in the class. In a virtual mode, where the teacher is not physically present, it is indeed a challenge to make the lesson so interesting and effective that the student is tempted to tread in lesser explored territory. There has to be a tenuous balance of practice and consciousness raising (Ellis : 2002) which would lead to more effective learning. The aim should be to offer material which is interactive and communicative and provided with sufficient contextualization for deeper and more effective assimilation on the part of the learner. The mechanical mode of rote memorization with no real learning, needs to be veered away from, because on the e-platform mode the situation is less controlled by the teachers and there are no preconceived strings attached.
The use of ICT tools also helps to address students who may be differently placed in the ladder of learning ranging from basic, to intermediate to advanced. The activities can be planned and pitched keeping in mind the learning abilities of the learners and they can decided to upscale or downscale their progress in language learning according to their learning ability. Even though the interface between the teacher and the taught is minimal in a virtual learning environment, the liberal use of audio visual material, coupled with the methodology of repetition to reinforce learning, helps to explain better an otherwise challenging task in grammar. The feedback is generally prompt, supported by explanations for wrong answers and is specially rewarding for students who are reticent to speak in class or raise their doubts out of fear and inferiority complex. The provision of supplementary materials, through links, You Tubes, demonstrations, power points and other related and relevant websites go a long way in students learning to explore and enrich their understanding. The role of the teacher, in such cases, is that of a facilitator and guide exposing the students to the vast repositories of knowledge. In short, the visual classroom exposes you to a virtual world which gives you access to the treasure of knowledge with the space and freedom to chart your own journey to progress. The transition from the chalk and blackboard form of pedagogy to the use of ICT in classroom has redefined English language learning for both the mentor and the mentee offering lucrative returns for both stakeholders.
Transacting teaching and learning from the Computers to Classrooms : A case of reciprocal gains
The veracity of what Albert Einstein said, “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the condition in which they can learn', can best be illustrated through the learning that takes place through virtual classrooms. Traditional teaching when blended with methods that use newer technologies yields results that can never be achieved through blackboard and chalk form of pedagogy. What we need is to harness the immense potential of the electronic world to create good e-learning systems within the realm of classroom teaching. This is blended learning which will serve as a platform to spark students' interest in language learning with the use of technology. Software's like Moodle, aid the learning process by throwing an array of options before the learners. The sooner these learning management system make inroads in the classrooms of India, the sooner will we be able to address the challenges involved in traditional language teaching pedagogy. Today the virtual learning mode has been presented as a solid alternative through novel pedagogical strategies that promise to revolutionize English language teaching as well as learning. The use of ICT in language teaching is a kind of panacea to address the rampant inertia in education system. This by no means spells doom or extinction for teachers as mentors – there is just a shift in the role where the teacher now plays the facilitator and guide. The proliferation of courses on MOOC (Massive open and online courses) Swayam, Swayamprabha, Arpit and a host of others such platforms are symbolic of the importance of providing open ,accessible, superior, higher education content for a global community of teachers, scholars and learners. Digital divide across borders is narrowing and making its way to the rural pockets of India as well. Hence ICT is increasingly playing a role in making productive interventions more effective and useful.
Blended learning : Curriculum designing for specific skill sets – Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Grammar and Vocabulary
To begin with the learning objectives of the skill set that the e-content developer is targeting need be specified. This is to be framed keeping in mind the text in hand and the language skill that can be enhanced using that particular test. The next step is to build up activities which will enhance purposeful participation and interaction with the use of ICT tools. Let us delve into the skills and discuss at length the strategies to hone these skills. Reading skills can be planned to fulfill the objective of identifying one’s strength or weakness as a reader along with an ability to interpret diverse reading material in hand. The aim should be to check one’s ability to distinguish between functional and intelligent reading. The activities that can be planned to develop this skill, the teacher can pick up comprehension exercises based on reference to context, newspaper clippings, interesting, emails, blogs, Facebook posts, illustrations, advertisements, interviews, pieces of travelogue, poems etc. Centered around such diverse reading material activities like “Take a quiz to assess your reading skills” can be worked on. JAM-Just a minute sessions can be organized where the learner uploads his / her one minute narration of his / her understanding of the topic. Match the following / true or false, fill in the blanks- type of exercises can be very interactively created using user friendly softwares like hot potatoes.
Writing skills should aim to practice the process of writing in a formal as well as informal situation and also the ability to review and edit one’s own piece of writing. Again, instead of merely providing a topic to write on with instructions for an introduction, body and conclusion in the name of teaching the format- the ICT tools can be roped in to provide pictures, clippings of movies, cartoon strips, recordings of dialogues, pictorial diagrams- based on which activities can be designed. The writing may revolved around writing blogs, Facebook posts, learners journal writing skills, editing other’s writing, writing differently on the same topic and writing from another person's point of view. When it comes to speaking skills, the objective should be clear - to develop an ability to converse in formal and informal situation and to gain enough confidence to overcome barriers and hesitation in communication. Activities can be devised from smaller speaking tasks like greetings, apologizing, introductions etc. to JAM (Just a minute) sessions on topics discussed, to more complex tasks like giving presentations and engaging in group discussions on the virtual platform. The e-content can be provided in the form of visual clips, audio files, graphics, movie clips- that can stimulate thinking and provide food for thought before attempting an activity on speaking. The learning objective on an exercise in listening can aim to indulge in listening effectively in different situations – be it a classroom, friend circle, office meeting etc. The learner must develop the ability to identify good listening habits and gradually hone the skill to listen with a specific aim – to interpret, to infer to critique .The e-content can be supplied through audio files, mp3 files, animation etc. The activities can involve listening to speeches, songs, commentary, announcements, case studies- followed by listening comprehension tasks that assess listening abilities and the learner can post their responses that can be evaluated by the teacher- the facilitator. For grammar, several YouTubes, web links, presentations and web resources can be provided as supplementary material to reinforce learning through repetition. The objective should be clear- to learn to use grammar correctly in real life communication- oral or written, and can be tested through endless grammar games, puzzles, organizer grids that are freely available on the internet and very user friendly.
Last but equally important is vocabulary i.e. enhancing your word bank. The learning objective should be to give the learner exposure to new words to improve one’s word bank. Learning words and their meaning in isolation is of no use unless you become adept at using them in your day to day interactions. So verbal and written activities should be planned in the form of crosswords, puzzles, word search, treasure hunt. Inducing information technology in these activities make them more interesting and instant evaluation and feedback instills further quest in the learner's mind. Case studies can be shared wherein poor communication skills of an employee prevent him / her from performing well in an organization. Listening will be tested, suggestions can be invited as to what the employee could do to prevent the situation. This would assess speaking, several other techniques like role play, narration tasks can be designed to test clarity, pronunciation, and comprehension of the leaner. Therefore, virtual learning does offer a promising framework for setting up an effective learning environment in a English Language Teaching .A unique synchronicity between face to face and e-learning methodology is the need of the modern era.
ICT: Issues of access, equity and impending threats
There is no doubt that ICT enabled lessons offer an array of communication channels that are neither place nor time dependent. They are also appreciable for the fact that they encourage a non threatening, unique learning environment that promotes and motivates learning. Learners from diverse background can participate freely in online programmes without any fear, complex or feeling of inadequacy. At times, language courses are opted for, not out of compulsion for course fulfillment and requirement, but, also for professional and academic enrichment. The autonomous learning methodology in ICT enabled lessons puts the onus of learning on the learner because they learn to take responsibility for themselves. Online learning also facilitates, communication with a mentor who addresses queries and concerns thereby providing an excellent opportunity for learners to communicate for a real task in real time. There is opportunity to connect through interaction. There is no monologue or one way communication like in a typical classroom but a dialogue between the two stakeholders. The joint efforts of both helps to create and share knowledge and there is 'talking to' students instead of' talking down' students that usually happens in a traditional classroom. Hence ICT is a welcome change and a terrific pedagogic device that generates better attention span and participative learning. Such e-lessons command the attention of the learners and they engage meaningfully in the process of knowing , learning and retaining. This creative engagement is beneficial because the leaner is not stifled with too much imposition of structures and frames. However, the problem lies with equitable access of ICT in a country like India where the rich-poor divide and urban- rural boundaries are so vast that in spite of best efforts the fruits of labour are not reaped evenly by all. Connectivity issues and affordability of internet services is a challenge at times, in fact, even possession of an electronic gadget that empowers you to learn is a distant dream. Then again, cyber crime and plagiarism are issues that are a big threat that cannot be overlooked.
So, issues of access and equity need to be addressed before we claim to take language lessons in the virtual form to every household.
Conclusion
If online activities and exercises in English language teaching are created with good range of imagination, research and openness, they can revolutionize language teaching across the globe. At the hands of an imaginative, motivated teacher, technology can do wonders and can greatly impact the learning attitude of the taught. However caution is needed to ensure that only authentic sites are referred to and copyright issues are in place. A Teacher must understand the great responsibility as a facilitator to recommend resources that are safe from cyber stalkers. To conclude, it is certainly a challenge for a language teacher to adopt ICT as an alternative to improve language skills of the student, but it is definitely an effort worth it. In an era where vast strides are being made in technology and the acceptance of English as a global lingua-franca it is the need of the hour to develop alternative paradigms for delivering education.
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