Communicative technologies challenges

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COMMUNICATIVE TECHNOLOGIES CHALLENGES

PhD Syrotyuk M.V.

(Taras Shevchenko KRHP Academy)

The article deals with the modern approaches to the foreign language lesson conducting. The attention is paid to language competence forming via communicative technologies and e-learning environment. The article contains communicative technologies challenges, praiseworthy and critical points of view towards technology implementing in the teaching and learning process. High school system is called to be an important social, historically formed institution which is responsible for the accumulation and recreation of scientific and professional knowledge. The understanding of the fact that the reason of state's welfare lies in the priority of qualitative education will bring light to the people's mind.

Keywords: communicative technologies, e-learning, computer oriented learning environment, foreign languages, online courses.

foreign language lesson communication learning

Стаття освітлює основні підходи під час заняття з вивчення іноземної мови. Увага звертається на формування мовленнєвої компетенції за допомогою комунікаційних технологій та електронного навчального середовища. Праця вказує на виклики комунікаційних технологій, а також на позитивні та негативні точки зору щодо імплементації ІТ під час процесу викладання. Вища школа покликана бути тією важливо, історично сформованим інститутом, що відповідає за накопичення та рекреацію наукових та професійних знань. Розуміння факту, що причиною добробуту громадян лежить у пріоритетності якісної освіти, дасть можливість змінити схоластичне відношення студентів до навчання, а викладачів -до надання якісних освітніх послуг.

Ключові слова: комунікаційні технології, електронне навчання, комп'ютерно орієнтоване навчальне середовище, іноземні мови, онлайн курси.

Problem raising

Modern society opens new frontiers for learners and teachers though its challenges require more effort, power and research. An educational establishment is called to prepare highly-qualified, competent and confident before he faces the demand of today's' labor-market. And, unfortunately, not all graduating students are able to cope with the stormy waves of current employment. Thus, parents and the state itself have trusted their children to high-school system as the place where the latter form themselves not just as specialists but also as a man which is ready for any challenge of society. Thus the background and the springboard for the learners at any educational establishment is the learning environment. And if we discuss the acquiring of the appropriate language competence, we appeal to e-learning, mobile learning, virtual and distance learning. B.Wilson suggested that learning environment is a place where people can draw upon resources to make sense out of things and construct meaningful solutions to problems [8, p. 3].

The analysis of the recent research works and publications. P. Ford concretized the definition where learning environment is viewed as a community with its own culture and values providing a variety of learnplaces that support student learning [4, p. 146].

R. Webster proposed the definition of personalized e-learning environment (PELE) as a virtual leaning environment which acts as an interface to learning resources as well as to other learning systems and environments. The process of developing the PELE is regarded as a way of enabling students to develop as autonomous learners in that it helps them to think about their own learning in a structured manner [7.4].

According to G. Dudeney and N.Hockly, "technophobe" refers to those of us who might be wary of new developments. "Digital native" refers to someone who grows up using technology and who feels comfortable and confident with it, as today's children. "Digital immigrants" are those who have come late to the world of technology [3, p. 8-9].

The aim of the article. The aim of the article is to spill the light on the effective management of language laboratory and multimedia centers in the process of foreign language learning and teaching.

The exposition of the main material

Speaking about economic charges no one contradicts that its installing, functioning and supporting needs and costs much. And many leaders of educational establishments in Ukraine see no need in retaining the whole powerful multimedia centre if the computer class exists. Taking into account economic expenses and financing one should use all possible opportunities to achieve our educational aim. And if this aim is in forming foreign language competence, one should do his best to use authentic sources of a foreign language.

Though multimedia center functioning does not promise the high language competence acquiring by itself. A range of computers in any language laboratory will not be enough to encourage students to learn a foreign language and to be motivated to push beyond their limits. One more prominent and vital participant is needed - a qualified teacher whom the PC will never substitute.

The majority of foreign language teachers are speakers of the same language as students. So learning of foreign language for the former had been artificially as well.

Lucky are the students and the teacher himself if there was an opportunity either to live, work or at least to travel abroad. If not, the only difference between the learners and the teachers is the age. Unfortunately, at present, Ukraine does not see the necessity for the foreign language students to have some practice abroad in the country the language of which they had learned. And one of the "inner" and much more cheaper way-outs to such a problem, is modern language laboratory functioning.

The development of informational society is impossible without active use of information technologies at all levels of educational system as this is the process of providing the education system with the theory and practice of development and use IT, oriented at realization of psycho0pedagogical objectives of learning and upbringing.

If we characterize a personal computer just a technological learning device, we will soon understand that the role of the latter one is bigger than we have imagined. Its work should be forecasted, controlled and observed before, during and after the lesson.

While conducting the lesson in technology classroom, the teacher should remember some factors which will influence the result of foreign language competence. Among them:

1. Individual learning. Multimedia learning programs open new opportunities and borders for learners' process. But not all can use this "learning freedom". Much attention, observation and control should be given to such group of students (pupils). Individual work should acquire some features of self-work, self-control which can be achieved after permanent psychological and educational teachers' help;

2. Attention dispersion. This factor can be the result of failed teacher's work. While working in the technology classroom, the learners can be side-tracked if the learning material was not organized well and the classroom activities were not managed in a proper way. And the learner can be tempted to browse some proposed links and website. That requires hard work of the teacher to concentrate the learner at the process of learning and cognition;

3. Lack of interactivity. The level of live interactivity between the learner and the screen (monitor) is far from the level of interpersonal communication. Thus, interactivity in the technology classroom should not consist just of working at the computers but involve different forms and methods of work;

4. The absence of proper feedback. Unfortunately, the feedback in multimedia programs is limited by the answer "yes/correct" or "no/incorrect";

5. Insufficient teachers' and learners skills in the application of ICT;

6. The complexity of learning material designing. The work in the technology classroom quite often is really more difficult than to put down a lecture. It takes more strength, imagination, attention, creative and logical thinking;

7. The use of time. Some teachers can not forecast the lesson in time context. That causes insurmountable troubles in material understanding, group and solo work;

8. Accessibility. Not all learners have got necessary software and hardware in their disposal that can limit learning a foreign language with the help of ICT;

9. The complexity of software and hardware use;

10. The complexity of reading the learning material from the screen and others.

The importance of research of IT acquires great value among teachers, methodologists, scientists though the absence of exact and concrete psycho-pedagogical learning basis causes the gap between potential and real opportunities of personal computer in learning process.

High school system is called to be an important social, historically formed institution which is responsible for the accumulation and recreation of scientific and professional knowledge. Its importance in the society forming is confirmed by the world experience. Strategic doctrine of industrially developed countries is based on the development of person's potential, and education system as the essential part of it, plays a vital role in this permanent and fleeting process. Some countries of the Eastern Asia like Japan, Southern Korea, Thailand and others were able to approach and almost overtake industrially developed countries by concentrating their attention at all levels of education. The understanding of the fact that the reason of state's welfare lies in the priority of qualitative education will bring light to the people's mind.

Computer-oriented learning environment actualizes the development of approaches to the use of the IT potential for the personality development, his activity level raising. Student's work in such an atmosphere and environment promotes a student to create new strategies of decisions search to forecast the results of the already made learning, practical or creative decisions by the objects, phenomena and process modeling and interconnections between them.

Computer-oriented learning environment as a part of education system has to contain knowledge kernel, which must be assimilated by the students. Students can work independently, in an individual profile and tempo.

Computer-oriented learning environment should cooperate in the "student- teacher-technical tools" system which will predetermine person's cognitive and motivation capacity extending the opportunities for available learning material access in the terms of restricted studying time in the form of individual and personified work. The structure and functioning of computer-oriented learning environment determines the readiness level of a student to individual creative practice, training and work.

The use of information-communication technologies promotes the understanding and realization of similar and different peculiarities between speech acts of foreign language and mother tongue.

New tasks for learning in the computer-oriented learning environment appear in the context of information society especially with the development of learning material constructing, creating new age of video and e-books which are specially oriented at autonomous (independent) computer learning.

Thus, essence and content characteristics of educational IT carry out multifunctional character which shows their powerful person-oriented potential that creates real pre-conditions for personification of professional specialists' preparation.

The creation of computer-oriented learning environment is directly connected with the development and implementation of communication technologies which are called to provide operational connection and access to information resources in any knowledge sphere without restrictions in volume and speed.

Due to the functioning of computer-oriented learning environment a student "penetrates" into some complicated learning personification process which shows him the limitless boundaries of his mind, imagination work in the classroom but actually far away it. The functioning of this system is the key to his learning, individual success and development. Here the learning process receives his preference, interest and dedication. Learning process acquires new forms and look attracting the student to assimilate new knowledge, to form new skills and habits, to develop imagination, mental or physical abilities, to present his inner world through speech, face, movements and screen. The work in computer-oriented learning environment becomes a powerful factor in professional and personal development of student personality, promotes actualization of his inner potential opportunities and needs and forms motivation to learning and self-development.

The potential of IT in education appears in a different way and contains such opportunities:

- methodology and strategy improvement of educational content selection, change insertion to the process of traditional disciplines;

- learning efficiency raising, its personalization, individualization, organization of new cooperation forms in the learning process, content and character change of the teacher's and student's role;

- modernization of management mechanisms of education system, educational process, its planning, organization and controlling.

Leading link of the informatization process is the change of its objectives and lesson content:

- the content of the disciplines;

- a wide use of informatization means;

- a deep informatization impact on the objective of the learning process.

As all youth lives side by side with technology, the teacher's aim should be to create all possible conditions to bring students' outside world in the classroom. Almost all languages are well mediated nowadays. Thus using the Internet the teacher will present the students powerful and interesting opportunities for communication, interaction and collaboration. Students are encouraged to communicate not just with their group mates in the classroom but with those who are physically and geographically apart. Doing this, new ways for practicing language are opening. ICT provide appropriate basis for the development of main language skills - speaking, listening, writing and reading.

Speaking about foreign language competence, the teacher himself should realize that phonetic, lexical skills should become automatic in the target language. It should not cause any troubles or language barriers for the student to express his own point of view in an oral or written form. If we speak about secondary education one should take into account the fact that lesson time doesn't propose the teacher much time for theory, explanation, examples. Practical exercises take main part in foreign language teaching. As a result these exercises whether phonetic or lexical should contain practical orientation.

The foreign language teacher is not always the best example of the speaker of a foreign country: his articulation, pronunciation, and speech in general, physical, psychological, emotional state does not always reflect the best model for pupils to follow. Sometimes he can contradict himself by proposing different variants of intonation or stress patterns by distracting.

Speaking about teaching pronunciation, intonation, speaking in general, the teacher can use a wide range of opportunities that IT suggests. For example, using any sound editor, e.g. Sound forge o just microphone, the teacher can ask the pupil to record his homework (a list of new words, any set-phrases or sayings) digitally at home. Then he sends it either via e-mail, Skype or using social networks, web camera to the teacher. The teacher analyzes pupil's recording and tries to correct it and to explain the pupils how, where and when correct and make it perfect. At the next lesson, the pupil will be ready to present an appropriate version of his homework in front of the classroom. This pre-lesson (distance) work will make him confident and motivated at our lessons. The question is: "Is the teacher ready to find 25 minutes for his pupils to keep in touch outside the classroom?" If the teacher continues his work outside the classroom or language laboratory, the flow of learning a foreign language will become permanent, emotionally coloured and positively receipted.

Unfortunately, many teachers ignore training in the use of information- communication technology. Teachers do not pay enough attention to the lesson preparation and thus very often are far less skilled that their own students. A gap arises not just between students and the teacher but between the latter and the technology. Some decades ago the teacher was the main person which conducted the foreign language lesson. All attention and efforts were directed to satisfy his demands. But implementing ICT in the classroom opens not just new horizons for the teacher but causes new demands, first of all, for his readiness to conduct the lesson on the appropriate pedagogical, methodological and technological level. Is any of these components are beyond his attention or control, the lesson is expected to be unsuccessful.

Speaking about teacher's readiness to implement ICT at his lesson, we must admit that teaching with technology should be as natural as it was with books, papers and pens.

Despite of all points of view at technology use, not many teachers see the benefit of using IT in the classroom: they may lack confidence, training in controlling lesson procedures and so on.

On the other hand, there is group of teachers who conduct lessons in the technology classroom but their role is almost passive one. They are present physically but their work is not seen at all. They start the lesson and give up the students in front of the screen for the rest 70 minutes sitting at their own desk or browsing the Internet.

According to Pasov Y. I. active implementation of articulation-motion memory is a main condition of effective remembering of language material since real assimilation starts from imitation and not even from listening [2, p. 39]. If phonetics is taught in the computer-oriented learning environment, pupil is able to penetrate into world of authentic language. Watching the movements, gestures, face expression on the PC screen, the pupil can come close at hand to the speakers. One more advantage of learning a foreign language in a multimedia resource centre is that each pupil can train articulation/pronunciation in the isolated acoustic atmosphere from the classroom. If all pupils repeat some words, word-combinations after the speaker, the result of correct assimilation can be sometimes taken with a pinch of salt: some pupils speak louder, some of them are quieter, the others do not repeat at all. Working at PC each pupil is encouraged to be engaged and to respond for himself not for the rest of the classroom. Each pupil can select the best speed of information and learning material processing.

Learning a foreign language needs its permanent mastering. If the language is taught only at the lesson, the result will not be satisfying: the pupil should continue his learning a foreign language at home, outside the school, on the way to school or home. Due to the opportunities of IT this dream has become a reality. Much benefit can be found by the pupil by recording his voice, some phonetic phenomena. He can compare the latter one with the authentic variant. Then he can analyze both variant, watch sound diagram and correct his own speech if needed.

During the lesson the teacher should bear in mind that between the student and himself one more participant appears - a personal computer which is an essential recipient in the learning process. In an ordinary classroom the teacher can not observe, control and check pupils' understanding of new lexical material simultaneously. And if the teacher does him best to achieve that doesn't mean that all pupils are able to acquire essential lexis and know how to use it in practice. IT proposes different levels of difficulty, various task speed, different topics that make pupil motivated and interested during and after the lesson.

Supporting the integration tendencies of cognition, the process of education informatization actualizes the design and development of approaches to the potential use of information technologies in order to develop the personality of a student, his alternative thinking, imagination, attention, abilities.

Speaking about psychological atmosphere the teacher should take into account tiredness and emotional climate at the lesson. The pupils get tired and nervous every time the lesson is boring, monotonous and predictable. As M. Heidegger, the German philosopher suggested that if one wants start to learn a cognitive skill, ICT can allow the learner to access at a distance a series of well designed cases that will throw the learner in the proper situations, give the learner access to rules and procedures, and allow the learner to experiment with emotions and involvement. Thanks to computer- based cooperative work tools, the distant professor can also organize discussions that will enhance classroom teaching. [5, p. 38-39].

Conclusion

Information communication technologies individualize the learning and teaching process by introducing adaptive learning programs of various levels. Learning multimedia programs promotes the adequate design of content components of the learning material, individual and independent way of full or shortened learning variant. Mastering of correct pronunciation, intonation, recognition and understanding of authentic fragments and texts in a foreign language, other opportunities that personal computer suggests for inner and outer communication, information passing promotes students' motivation greatly to the learning process, learning and improving the level of the foreign language competence.

Speaking about the efficiency, we should bear in mind the importance of an adequate choice of these or those technical aid and the methods they are penetrated into the process of teaching. So, while using multimedia resources one should take into consideration many vital aspects.

When we analyze the innovational potential of the teacher, we realize that he is endued with the amount of socio-cultural and creative characteristics and oriented on the continual improvement of his pedagogical activity and always ready to perception, elaboration and the use of innovations in the educational process.

During the process of teaching English with technology, the teacher should bear in mind that his role becomes more and more prominent and vital. The student should feel "protected" himself in this innovational world. It's impossible to achieve if the teacher is indifferent to the process of teaching, or if the student is left alone before a computer screen, and the teacher is just a passive spectator or even absent at the lesson.

Thus we emphasize on the teacher's management and presence during teaching a foreign language with innovational technology.

Література

1. Морська Л. І. Інформаційні технології у навчанні іноземних мов : навчальний посібник / Л. І. Морська. - Тернопіль : Астон, 2008. - 256 с.

2. Пасов Е. И. Коммуникативный метод обучения иноязычному говорению. - М. : Просвещение, 1991. - С. 39.

3. Dudeney G., Hocky N. How to teach English with technology / Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hochky / / Pearson Education Limited: Edinburg Gate, Harlow, 2008. - P. 8-9.

4. Ford P., Goodyear P., Heseltine R., Lewis R., Darby J., Graves J. Managing change in higher education: A learning environment architecture / P.Ford, P.Goodyear, R.Heseltine and others / / Society for Research in Higher Education and Open University Press. - 1996. - P. 146.

5. Francisco J. Garcia Penalvo. Advances in E-learning: Experiences and methodologies / J.Francisco, G.Penalvo // Information Science Referece. - Hershey. - 2008. - P. 38-39.

6. Harmer J. How to teach English / J.Harmer // Pearson Education Limited: Edinburg Gate, Harlow, 2009. - 176 p.

7. Webster R. A reflective and Participatory Methodology for E-learning and Life-long Learning / R. Webster / / Advances in E-learning: Experiences and methodologies / J.Francisco, G.Penalvo / / Information Science Referece. - Hershey. - 2008. - P. 4.

8. Wilson B. What is a constructivist learning environment? In B.g.Wilson (Ed.) / B. Wilson // Constructivist learning environments: Case-studies in instructional design: Educational Technology Publications. - 1996. - P. 3.

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