Information technologies as innovative techniques in foreign language teaching

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AS INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Yashina N.K.*

Vladimir state University named after A. G. and N. G. Stoletovs (VLSU), Vladimir, Russia

The given article deals with the problem of using Information Technologies as Innovative Methods in Foreign Language Teaching. Now as never before computers (and the Internet) have played such an important role in our life and education as well. They have an advantage of greatly enhancing the participation of individuals in particular in foreign language learning to find quickly reference materials and test programs, nothing to say about writing e-mails in English, etc. All these activities have become extremely motivating due to the use of computers in education. The author presents the most commonly used IT applications in English Language Teaching.

Keywords: IT - information technologies, reference tool, teaching and testing programs, e-mail exchange, word processor.

ИНФОРМАЦИОННЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ КАК ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ МЕТОДЫ В ОБУЧЕНИИ ИНОСТРАННОМУ ЯЗЫКУ

Яшина Н.К.*

Владимирский государственный университет

им. А.Г. и Н.Г. Столетовых (ВлГУ), Владимир, Россия

В статье рассматривается проблема использования информационных технологий как инновационных методов в обучении иностранному языку. Сегодня, как никогда раньше, компьютеры (и интернет) играют важную роль в нашей жизни и образовании. Преимущество этих технологий заключается в том, что они значительно расширяют возможности людей, в частности, в изучении иностранного языка они позволяют быстро находить справочные материалы и тестовые программы, практиковаться в написании электронных писем на английском языке и т.д. Все эти виды деятельности приобрели определяющее значение благодаря использованию компьютеров в образовании. Автор рассматривает наиболее часто используемые виды информационных технологий в преподавании английского языка.

Ключевые слова: IT-информационные технологии, справочные материалы, обучающие и тестирующие программы, обмен электронными письмами, текстовый процессор.

Nowadays great changes occur in all spheres of human life. The necessary requirements claimed to every individual such as mobility, information search, competitiveness and, of course, knowledge and practical use of foreign languages in everyday life and vocational communication have become greatly sought after in modern society. That is why in foreign languages teaching faculty must develop new methods of instruction based on recent technological advances except traditional ones. One cannot argue the fact that Internet has become the universal technique of information search and a good resource for learning languages.

Although computers are still restricted to a fraction of the world's population, the use of them (and the Internet) in education generally, and in the teaching of English, in particular, continues to increase at an extraordinary speed- quite apart from the use in language laboratories.

Now the main uses of computers in language teaching include the following:

Reference. First of all computer is a reference tool, either through the Internet or CD/DVD-ROMs. There are already a number of proper encyclopedias available on CD-ROM (for example, Encarta, Grollier, Hutchinson, etc.) and all sorts of other information is also presented, (for example plants and animals lives, aircrafts design or music history). Besides, every person can do research at home with the help of a computer [1], [2].

As an example of reference material one can find the following information about Chomsky Noam from the Encarta encyclopedia by selected Web Links:

Chomsky Noam (1928) American linguist and political activist, was educated at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the founder of transformational - generative grammar, an original system of linguistic analysis that revolutionized linguistics. Chomsky believes that language is the result of an innate human faculty and that the aim of linguistics is, therefore, to determine what universal properties are and to establish a «universal grammar» which would account for the range of linguistic variation humanly possible. His analyses of language start with basic sentences, from which are developed an endless variety of syntactic combinations by means of a set of rules that he formulates. At the end of a chain of syntactic rules are phonological rules governing pronunciation.

The availability of research material means that faculty can send students to the computer to prepare for all sorts of task and project work, following up references in course books, or finding out the facts about topics they are interested in, many of the programs have excellent visuals which make the material very attractive.

The greatest potential for the computer as a reference tool is, of course, the Internet, where by assessing dictionaries, spoken pronunciation of words, practice exercises, activities and search engines (such as «Alta Vista», «Google», and «Hotbot»), users can look for information or just about any subject under the sun.

Teaching and Testing programs. language teaching software packages, often supplied on CD-ROM, offer students the chance to study conversations and texts, do grammar and vocabulary exercises, or even to listen to texts and record their own voices.

The following example illustrates grammar practice (from Person Education ltd) in the use of noun phrase much, many, (a) little and (a) few.

We've got to get the six o'clock train so we haven't got …….. time.

Much many little

a little few a few

Although some teachers have criticized computer-based programs of this kind as being only dressed - up work book exercises, it would be unwise to underestimate their usefulness for variety of tasks and motivation. Now students might well find going over to a computer to «play» with some language exercises as a welcome relief. Such programs now include extensive reference resources as well.

A trend to attach CD-ROM-based packages to accompany course books, full of extra input material and exercises will be available, too, on the Internet. However, there are also web-sites where students can sign up for complete self-study courses, which include all the regular features of a course book together with the possibility of sending work to a tutor who will monitor progress. A number of language tests have successfully gone in the electronic format as well. Students can send their answers straight from the computer screen to the examination centre.

E-mail exchange. One of the main uses for computers which are hooked up to the Internet is as senders and receivers of e-mail. It enables easy access to people all over the world. This makes the idea of pen-pals (or mouse pals) and/or contact between different schools much more plausible than the «snailmail» equivalent. Getting students from different countries to write to each other has greatly increased both their English development and especially their motivation.

It should be pointed out, however, that e-mails are often written in a special speaking-like informal style. There is less of an obligation for grammatical correctness or even correct spelling. So while e-mailing students may promote written fluency, and it may give them a real chance to communicate. It may not enhance accuracy or help student to write in more than one or two genres.

Of particular interest to faculty and students is the fact that documents can be attached to e-mail and send along with them, so that students can send word-processed word to their teachers who can communicate with them in the same way.

Websites. Almost any web-site has potential for students of English. They can go and visit a virtual museum for a project on history or science. They can go to a web site which offers information and song lyrics from their favorite rock group and they can access timetables, geographical information, and weather forecasts. There is also a number of sites designed especially for students of English as a foreign language where they can exchange e-mails, do exercises, and brows around reading different texts, playing games, or doing exercises.

We can give as an example the following web site providing practice in relative clauses. information technology language teaching

Relative clause practice from Edunet Ltd at

http:www.edunet.com/english/ practice/rside/Home html.

Practice

Try this exercise to see if you can tell the difference between the two types of relative clauses. For each answer, simply decide if it is correct (click on Yes)' or wrong (click on No). Click on Help if you get stuck.

1. My mother who is 64 lives nearby.

Yes, No, Help

2. William Golding who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1983 has died at age of 81.

Yes, No, Help

3. Young people, who leave full-time education of age 16, often come to regret it later.

Yes, No, Help

4. Children whose parents smoke will often become smokers themselves.

Yes, No, Help

5. When lived in Oxford< which is some time ago, we used to go to Stratford quite often at the weekend.

Yes, No, Help

It should be mentioned that quite recently the projects methods (in particular Internet- projects) have become very popular. They enable to use language material creatively and to turn knowledge of foreign language into a discussion, a kind of investigation.

Besides, the development of academic Internet-projects allows to see educational resources of Internet at different angle and begin to perceive them not only as supplementary ones (though they are such in reality) but as analogue or alternative as well. Academic Internet-projects (along with printed text-books and work books) may also be designed for the development of foreign language communicative competence.

English literature singles out 5 academic Internet- projects: 1) hotlist- «список ссылок»; 2) treasure hunt -«охота за сокровищами»; 3) subject sampler -«коллекция примеров»; 4) multimedia scrapbook- «мультимедийный черновик»; 5) webquest-«интернет-поиск»

For example, Krasnova T.I in her article «Use of Webquest technology in self-directed work of students» gives a detailed description and use of it. [3]

According to her the given technique is nothing more than the problem task with the elements of role playing using Internet information resources. This technique was developed by the American Bernie Dodge and Australian Tom March in the midnineties of the XXth century. Webquest represents an activity-oriented project of didactic pattern designed for self-directed work of students on web-sites of World Network with a view to solve some academic problems.

In fact, Webquest is a presentation consisting of several parts: introduction (designed to increase the students' interest, it may be given like history, legend of problem character), this situation is supposed to be solved by the student playing a definite role and having certain responsibilities for his common results.

Tasks should be phrased and must be soluble, bulky, complex requiring urgent resolution. The examples of the tasks may be as follows: information collection, puzzle solution, creation of products, analysis of the situation, decision- making, investigation of something, etc. Here it is very important to stipulate the project results (type, form, get-up). The process (step-by-step) description of what students should do while implementing the project, the list of web-sites having the necessary information are presented. Quest is the process of search the answer to the question; presentation of the results (in Internet or any other form: verse, newspaper, poster, etc. The control and assessment of students' work should also be taken into account. The faculty should think beforehand about criteria of self-control, self-assessment and control made by the group, that may be quite common or detailed depending on the plan. Criteria should be known to students in advance. At the end the summary (summing up the project activity) is given. There are different forms of presenting the results of implementing Webquest. They may be given as public speech, computer presentation, essay, web-page, etc.

Some teachers plan whole lessons around the Internet. For example, Dede Teeler [6] in her book «How to use the Internet in ELT» gives a number of such sequences including designing a lesson around students visiting a teenager advice web site or getting students to make their own newspapers and using a web site for that purpose.

She thinks that the teacher could also ask students to look at a number of different newspaper web sites from Britain and the USA to compare which stories are the most important and how those stories are told. The potential is almost literally endless, of great benefit to them especially if and when they wish to continue studying on their own [7].

The word processor. In in the article published in 2007, Alison Piper suggested that the most successful educational use of the computer was a word processor with students grouped around a screen drafting and redrafting collaboratively [4]. Unlike pen and paper, word processors allow students to compose as they think and change their minds in the course of writing. Because the writing takes place on a screen all the students in a small group can see what is happening and respond in a cooperative way.

There is no reason to revise Alison Piper's judgment even though many years have elapsed since it was made. Though computers are ideal for students working on their own, they also have enormous potential for student working together, either operating a program or offering suggestions about what to do next. Word processing is the simplest and most obviously cost-effective way of tapping into this potential. However, there is also scope for individually word-processing work which the teacher can give feedback on using the editing program which comes with the word processor. Students can now send such work as attached document via e-mail so that teachers can give feedback at their leisure and «hand back» the work the moment they have finished.

In conclusion we may say that widespread use of the computer - indeed the digital revolution generally- changed late twentieth and early twenty first centuries life as surely as the industrial revolution impacted on the world over a century before. In language teaching, too, things will never be the same again with computer-based materials finding their way into course book packages and classroom everywhere. Such developments will be in inestimable value.

Yet we need to remind ourselves that there are huge areas of the world where access to a computer is impossible or difficult. Though there are wonders and plenty of marvels on the Internet, there is a lot of rubbish too. The teachers might also observe the students in class and conclude that groups of people talking and working together are still (and always will be) vitally important in language learning. Finally, we must remain conscious of the fact that different people learn and respond in different ways. The American writer Theodore Roszak argues that putting computers in schools is a bad use of money pushing expenditures in other vitally important items such as materials and teacher to one side [5]. His views may be somewhat extreme, but it is difficult to argue with the opinion that:

“There are about as many kids born computer-proficient as there are born piano-proficient or poetry-proficient. It is more folklore that all children born since 1980 have mutated into brilliant computer users [8].

Список литературы / References

1. Hennigan H. Penpals to keypals / H. Hennigan // Modern English Teacher 4(3) - 2009.

2. Jarvis H. The changing role of computers and Language Teaching and the case for «Study skills» / H. Jarvis // Modern English Teacher 9(1) - 2005.

3. Krasnova T.I. The use of webquest technologyin self-directed work of students / T.I. Krasnova. [Electronic resource] - URL: https://www.tru.ru/files/event/section 1-08/doc (accessed: 23.08.2020)

4. Piper A. Helping Learners to write: a role for word processor / A. Piper // ELT journal 41(2) (2007)

5. Roszak N. Dumping us down / N. Roszak // The New Internationalist 286 - 2003.

6. Skinner B. Computer Conferencing. Does it motivate EFL students? / Skinner, B and Austin, R. // ELT Journal 53(4) - 2003.

7. Teeler D. How to use the Internet in ELT / D. Teeler. - Pearson Education Ltd - 2008.

8. Warschauer M. Computers and Language Learning: an overview / Warschauer, M and Healey, D. // Language Teaching 31 - 2003.

9. Dave Sperling's Internet cafй [Electronic resource] - URL: http://www.eslcafe.com/ (accessed: 23.08.2020)

10. Longman Web Dictionary [Electronic resource] - URL: http:longmanweb.dict.com/ (accessed: 23.08.2020)

11. Cambridge University Press's CIDE Dictionary [Electronic resource] - URL: https://www.cambridge.es/en/ (accessed: 23.08.2020)

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