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COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

BY KELLY JOHANNA CORAL A.

1. What is technology?
Technology is the application of a set of notions, knowledge and skills that enable the creation of tools,
instruments, utensils and appliances, as well as various devices and objects that provide solutions of a
given problem or better ways to meet the needs of a society in a particular area. Thus, human beings
improve their quality of life.
2. How do you feel when using technology?
I feel very comfortable and ingenious when using technology Im sure I can manage, which is familiar
to me, because I know its functions, its purposes and so on. By contrast, I feel a little clumsy when I use,
for instance, latest technology I cannot handle because I dont know how it works. Moreover, since I
dont know very that technology, I can feel afraid because I could damage the technological tool when
trying to manipulate it.
3. Do you use technology in your daily life? What do you use? What is the most common
technological resource you use in your life?
Currently, it is basically impossible to carry everyday life without using technology. Off course, I use
technology for doing almost everything in my daily life. For example, I use a computer for doing my
homework, or doing some research. For entertainment I use a TV set, a DVD and a MP3 player. I use
some appliances such as a vacuum, a blender, a washing machine for doing chores. Since
communication is a very important necessity in human beings, the common technological resource I use
the most is my smartphone. I use it to keep in touch with my loved- ones, to store relevant word
documents, even if I have to type one, this is very useful. Besides, I use it to improve my English
proficiency by using some excellent applications, to check my email, to catch up with my social
networks, to listen to music and to watch some videos.
4. Do you think that technology in the classroom will help or improve your teaching practices?
How? Explain.
Since younger learners are growing up with technology, and it is a natural part of their lives, I strongly
believe that technology in the classroom is an excellent tool to improve my teaching practices.
Technology, especially the internet can provide me authentic tasks and materials to use in the classroom.
I can also access to a great deal of ready-made ELT materials, what it means technology simplifies my
work. Besides, technology can encourage group learning, so if I create for example a forum then group
discussions help students ask questions and learn more about a specific subject. In the classroom
students can use their ipads or smartphones and internet to make some research online and educate them
and their pairs.

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COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

5. How would you incorporate technology in your teaching practices?

In my teaching practicum I would incorporate technology through using a video beam and a computer to
show them slides with videos, images that facilitate their learning in a specific topic. I would use a tape
recorder or a DVD player to show them movies or other kind of videos for them to practice speaking
and listening. I will use internet to create a class blog of a webpage where I could post online reference
tools for then to practice what they are supposed to learn in the classroom such as online games, puzzles.
Through the blog I also could remind my students about research work, remind them to prepare for a test
or exam.
6. What drawbacks would you think you encounter when using technology in the classroom?
Some disadvantages of using technology in the classroom can be:
-Requirement of training: Both the teacher and the student need extra training in how to handle the
appliances as a recorder, a computer, a video beam etc. It can take considerable time and money.
-Distraction in the classroom: the use of mobile phones or laptops to study in the classroom distracts
some students. Since students can have smartphones with social applications such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, they tend to use those for entertainment purposes while in the classroom.
-Expensiveness: Schools with small budgets cannot afford technology in their classrooms. Also parents
with only living wage cannot afford to buy technological devises like laptops or iPads for their
children.
7. Do you know what educational technology is?
Educational Technology is the application of technology to the practical tasks of teaching and learning
process. It improves performance by creating and managing various technological processes and
resources. Educational technology helps to better the way we learn because it allows us easy access of
educational materials with which we can acquire deeper understanding and knowledge.
8. What is literacy?
Literacy consists of a learning process that allows an individual or a social group illiterate to acquire
reading and writing abilities. It lies in the individuals capacity to put those skills to work in shaping the
course of his or her own life developing his or her full potential. Thus, there are both an individual
transformation and a societal one.

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COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

Technological Literacy
Technology within education is something that we have to pay attention to. With all the tools,
instruments created for our comfort, it is impossible not to think about the impact that technology has in
education. By this, I mean that politicians and educational researchers have to attempt to increase the
interest in technology since from society there is an important concern. Then, policy initiatives have to
be created to support the use and development of technology. We as language teachers should know how
to develop a new literacy in order to help our students with their strongest relationship with technology
especially the internet. So, we will understand the impacts technology has in our daily life, the benefits
we can get to be better at our profession of educating individuals.

Computer Literacy
Computer literacy means know some basics such as how to save and open a file, how to send and
receive an email, how to operate a simple windows based program and so on. In my opinion, being
computer literate means we can better our quality of life. We can get a good job; improve our
proficiency in our career. Since young people have grown up with this type of technology, it is supposed
that we are computer literate. However, some people know little about computers. Thus, understanding
the relevance of being computer literate, people have to take some basic computer courses. It will be not
a task so difficult.
10 things you have to know to be computer literate
When implementing technology in the classroom, we have to bear in mind that we as language teachers
must have some skills in the use of technology, especially the internet. We cannot pretend that our
students perform a task using technology they are not able to use if we know it neither. So, for that
reason, we need to have some training on it. It doesnt mean that we need some specialist technical
knowledge or skills, but we have to absolutely know at least some basic and necessary abilities before
we start. If we already know these, we should be helping our students learn them as well while teaching
our subject matter.
Computer Literacy Skills
It is important to take into account that we as English teachers cannot expect students to learn about both
technology and the foreign language at the same time. However, when implementing Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) in the classroom we have to be aware of some guidance about what
computer skills students should know and be able to do depending on their level at using this type of
technology. So, we should be prepared to monitor students work on classroom-based tasks and support
students when they use technology. Their need for developing assigned tasks will determine their need
for the use of technology, which can turn them into more computer skillful learners.

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COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

What is literacy?
There is not a consensus about the definition of literacy. It has been discussed for many researchers over
the years. Bur for sure, it goes beyond the ability to read and write. Despite, it is no easy to define the
word literacy, it is necessary that we change the way in which we define it. What we believe about
literacy would affect our practices and thus the opportunities we offer our students to learn. When doing
this, we can create more opportunities especially for people with extensive needs, so they can be
included in the community of literate people, their lives can change extremely for their welfare and off
course it will be very rewarding for us as teachers. We cant overlook individuals who need support. We
have to keep in mind that they are capable of benefiting from literacy instruction and have a great
potential.

Guiding Principles: Second Language Acquisition, Instructional Technology, and the

Constructivist Framework
As far as new technologies and their use in language learning are concerned, language theory has should
change its perspective of the way we are teaching and learning. Currently, a learner centered view for
learning through using technology has been established. If we use information and communications
technology (ICT) as tools for our teaching in the classroom, students can learn, construct knowledge for
themselves. Then, we also must to shift the way we teach. We cannot continue teaching through a
traditional, behaviorists and instructional methodology. The potential of implementing new technologies
in the classroom make learning and activity more flexible, so it is an innovating way for learning and
acquisition to take place. But for doing that shift, we need to be concern about the field of instructional
technology that can help us to make our technology practices more constructivists, more productive.
Using technology for Foreign Language Instruction: Creative Innovations, Research, and
Applications
The potential of technology in the empowerment of foreign language teaching and learning process has
been acknowledge by many researchers. With the implementation of technology in the classroom there
are several language tasks that can be improved according to the needs of our students. However, we
have to be aware of some disadvantages this can have as it was about the implementation of a new
methodology or method. Keeping in mind that we as language teachers are going to teach students who
have grown up using technology, that for them computers, smartphones, the internet, iPods, tablets are
part of their lives, there should be a kind of reflection regarding our profession to reshape, replace our
beliefs about what are the best practices for leaning.