Friday, May 22, 2009

The Advantages of Using Technology in Second Language Education

Wang, Li (2005/May). The Advantages of Using Technology in Second Language Education. T.H.E. Journal, Retrieved 05/20/2009, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17296

The author of this paper talked about the advert of computer technology as a big change that made gathering information easier around the world. Regardless of the disadvantages of technology in terms of expenses, researches are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using technology in the classroom. The author mentioned the study of Al-Jarf (2004) as a prove that teaching second language with technology is more effective than teaching with dependent on text book and students are able to post their own threads, short paragraphs, locating information from the internet and checking their spelling mistakes using Microsoft Word. In another study in 2003, the study proved that the internet exposes students to other cultures and enable students to understand language within culture. The author mentioned another study in 2004 and the data analysis indicated that students, administrators and instructors benefit from the online placement testing.
In teaching a foreign language I found that the use of computer technology in the class made the learning process easier. I saved a lot of time in looking for materials from the internet, using Goodle images for vocabulary and speaking, and expose students to the culture of the target language. The students are able to use the features of the smart board and Microsoft office for their projects; the curriculum offered a lot of easy ways to help the students explore in the supplementary materials and shared folders.

Learning and Teaching Information Technology

Eisenberg, B. Michael Retrieved May 22, 2009, from Learning and Teaching Information Technology Web site: http://www.libraryinstruction.com/info-tech.html

According to the author, there is a wide agreement among educators that students need to be proficient in using computers considering many questions about the ability of using computers to met the needs of communication and learning, he think that the productivity is neglecting the curriculum needs. Learners should use technology as a tool of organization, communication, research and problem solving instead of just operating the computer system. The author said that during the past 25 years library media professional worked hard to directly relate the content of technology to the curriculum and tied the skills together in information process model. The author’s final thoughts were about conducting a curriculum in a way that help the students to understand not only how to use it but also when and why.
As a teacher of foreign language I agree that student recently are able use computer technology but I have to be aware of directing my students to how, why and when do they have to use it; and this will be by relating and tying the lessons to use of technology. The students will use technology to explore in the webs looking for beneficial topics to read or listen to also for communication and gathering cultural information.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Advantages of Using Technology in Second Language Education

Wang, Li (2005/May). The Advantages of Using Technology in Second Language Education. T.H.E. Journal, Retrieved 05/20/2009, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17296

The author of this paper talked about the advert of computer technology as a big change that made gathering information easier around the world. Regardless of the disadvantages of technology in terms of expenses, researches are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using technology in the classroom. The author mentioned the study of Al-Jarf (2004) as a prove that teaching second language with technology is more effective than teaching with dependent on text book and students are able to post their own threads, short paragraphs, locating information from the internet and checking their spelling mistakes using Microsoft Word. In another study in 2003, the study proved that the internet exposes students to other cultures and enable students to understand language within culture.
As a teacher of foreign language I am sure that using in technology in teaching is making a big difference in the outcome of the learning process in terms of mastering the language and exposing students to the culture of the target language. Internet is an important tool of communication that gives students a wide field of knowledge about the language and culture.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Teaching foreign language with technology

Julie, (09,04,13). Teaching foreign language with technology . distance learning home schools, Retrieved 05,07,2009, from http://www.distance-learning-home-school.com/2009/04/teaching-foreign-language-with-technology/

In this topic the author emphasized that all high schools or colleges are enrolling students to foreign languages, so teaching foreign languages is needed in both schools and house schooling, the house schooled students will need to be exposed to technology especially when the parents are not experts or native speakers of the required language. Technology offers a solid approach to teaching and learning a second language. Students are able to communicate through the different tools of technology video lessons, music-based instruction, games, cultural video designed to help students their understanding of the culture as well as language and virtual interaction. The author thinks that parents are able to find the tools of technology that will enable their kids to interact using through the target language with native speakers.
As a teacher of a foreign language I believe that the use of technology will make it easy for students to communicate through the authentic materials using the TV channels, TL websites magazines etc... And also it will be easy for teachers to facilitate effective sessions in the classrooms. Communication in the world of today is a basic characteristic and this happened because of the wide use of technology and students do not find any difficulties to develop using a foreign language.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The use of Computer Technology in Teaching Critical Reading

Rings, Sally (1994, 02, 25). The Role of Computer Technology in Teaching Critical Reading. MCLI, Retrieved 05,03,2009, from http://zircon.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/critR/

The author thinks that the use of computer in reading is to rise up the critical thinking however the software advertized has failed to emphasize this function. Three characteristics are revealed when applying the pedagogical approaches to the computer technology to foster critical reading; the first characteristic is the high level of interacting that makes learners involved in the instructional process. Second characteristic that the software has been used to promote reading to help the students to modify their strategies and provide a prompt pertaining to strategy use; the prompt asks the students to write what they know about the topic, video can help the students to fill the gab of the prior knowledge. Third characteristic of soft ware that promotes critical reading is to approximate real context by making topic available on the screen. The author thinks that computer technology can support the following processes, comprehension, idea generation, analysis, reflection and composition.
As a teacher of foreign language I believe that using computer soft ware to enhance reading skill is essential and beneficial and I am depending a lot on the computer to look for the appropriate topics from different websites, using the word document software and encourage the students to rise up their communications with each other by looking for passages from the websites and exchange information.