ICT language teaching

How do we move from learning from technology to learning with it to learning in it in English language teaching and learning?

Undoubtedly, every successive government had worked hard to bring up our literacy rate. We have consistently allocated resources to reach these levels. However, the age of literacy improvement is now no more relevant as we want to be reckoned with other developed countries.

We can easily understand why normal literacy is important. Similarly, we should be able to comprehend why ICT is important to us as a developing nation. Computers or other IT related equipment have invaded our busy lives in all aspects.

Whether it is television, telephone, refrigerators, or any other household equipment, operation of some of these requires some kind of understanding of the operational procedure. Some of these have ICT components. It is obvious that we have to intergrate ICT and teaching Language arts in classroom. We can never move away from technology in language teaching but instead we have integrate so that we are able to gain from it. The word is intergral.

In some private and international schools, kids at pre-grade I and grade I levels are exposed to playing with computers thus allowing small children to acquaint themselves with IT equipment. Children are gradually introduced to ICT and its innumerable marvels.
These children who are fortunate enough to be exposed to IT obviously will have a great advantage over some of the government run schools most of which would not have enough computers in their premises.

Quite contrary to the situation above, of the schools, may be having 5-10 computers in an ICT laboratory or an IT room. However, even in these schools IT is not a part of the normal curriculum, and children would be lucky if there is a teacher who could impart the skills at least as a benevolent act.

If we are to increase IT literacy of the population, the school system is the best lace, because there are many children in it. During the years a child spends in this system, surely there are many opportunities that the system can grab to impart IT skills to children.

If children are introduced to computing at early or late primary levels, then it is very likely that these children will develop an interest to further their IT skills. Then, there is the possibility of introducing computing at grade 6.

MOE has a mandate to check on the standards of any categorised courses offered by institutions be it public and private. As outlined above, the road to ICT literacy is already carved out.

Pedegogy of ICT in Language teaching

New technologies of information and communication are providing greatly increased access to material in all languages.

In the ‘knowledge society’ language competence is becoming a key factor in social inclusion and indeed, exclusion. Education is deeply rooted in the social and political context, responding to the changes taking place and also helping to shape the pattern of change. The training of teachers has therefore a strategic role in preparing education systems to meet the challenges of change, and to equip students to respond effectively to those challenges.

Language teachers have the particular task of developing their students’ knowledge and skills in the domain of languages and cultures. Their aim is to enable their students to understand the world around them, to communicate across linguistic and cultural boundaries, and to play an active role at many levels in the world.

This is a complex and challenging task, which requires teachers to be trained in a wide range of methods and approaches, to keep abreast of effective practices developed elsewhere, and to share their own ideas and practices with others. Teacher trainers, educationalists and decision makers must in their turn identify the wider needs of society, and establish institutional and organizational frameworks that will improve the way the needs of teachers and students can be met.