Педагогические  науки/ Современные методы преподавания

Nurlanbekova Y.K.

Kazakh state women’s teacher training university, Kazakhstan, Almaty

Using Information and communication technologies in the educational process

The problem of learning languages is very important today. Kazakhstan is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today. To know English is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist. Learning an English language is not an easy thing. Different methods appeared. Information technology benefits both traditional education institutions and online educational models in fundamental ways. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is known to be a great source to any conventional classroom, especially when used properly and could be an asset to the foreign language classroom. Using technology in education can be a great benefit for teachers. Whether it be through email or on message boards, teachers now have the ability to work together to create more meaningful, engaging instruction for all students without having to schedule common planning time. Teachers can use websites to post class schedules, assignment requirements and even samples for student and parent use.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. It is similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This includes the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums. In the past few decades, information and communication technologies have provided society with a vast array of new communication capabilities. For example, people can communicate in real-time with others in different countries using technologies such as instant messaging, voice over IP (VoIP), and video-conferencing. Social networking websites like Facebook allow users from all over the world to remain in contact and communicate on a regular basis. Modern information and communication technologies have created a "global village," in which people can communicate with others across the world as if they were living next door. For this reason, ICT is often studied in the context of how modern communication technologies affect society [1].

Needless to say, "The Internet is a tool which has great potential in the language classroom, but its effectiveness in practice depends to a large extent on the way it is exploited by teachers and students. Your general methodology is also important" [2] . Lanni, Daniela listed some skills and strategies involved in ICT based language activities:

Technology skills in the use of hardware and software.

· Navigation skills (search, discrimination, skimming, scanning, evaluation of sources, material, types of texts, style, information).

· Choice of suitable paths inside the hypertext/hypermedia in order to find the desired results.

· Definition of the characteristics of the information (origin, quality, relevance, reliability).

· Use of search engines (planning the search, devising the possible key words, choosing different types of search engines according to the purpose of the search).

· Use of the information according the pre-determined objectives and tasks.

· Use of the written language as a means of communication (formal/ informal) in email and chat exchange as well as blogs.

· Use of the oral language as a means of communication in video conferencing.

· Use of the oral language as a means of communication while discussing, reporting, negotiating and mediating inside the class with the teacher and the other students [3].

Using ICT might be very beneficial to both learner-centered and teacher-centered education. Many learners can adapt to new technology and using ICT in school more rapidly today on account of their environment. However it is not the same case for teachers. They find it hard to adapt this new system because they have a social background distant from ICT and they have taught for years with traditional methods and deprived of technology. Yet, ICT might be shown as a support to the traditional academic methods, especially problem based view. For example; for a teacher who has a homepage, the tools that are on his web page are excellent tools for maintaining lesson-based teaching tradition [4].

By using information and communication technology in all areas of education, teachers can encourage a more constructive classroom environment.
Computers can handle a range of activities and carry out programmed functions at amazing speed. They can check exercises after they are done, move students gradually from easier to more difficult exercises according to their levels and abilities. When students fail to answer questions correctly or perform activities, the computer can simulate, drill, or explain the phenomenon in a way that makes it easier for the learner to understand.

Here are some activities which I use of ICT in language teaching.

The regular lesson

It is possible to hold a regular lesson in a computer class with internet access. A teacher may download the necessary material beforehand, and have students work through it, helping out when needed. There are many sites that provide learning materials on the internet. The World Wide Web (WWW) can be thought of as the largest library in the world, with Web sites the equivalents of books, full of information in English on almost any topic that can be imagined  making it a vast storehouse of free and authentic materials for the ESL teacher to use. The Web pages contain not only text and pictures but also sounds, music, animation and movies and are linked together differently to the linear method of books and page numbers through the use of hyperlinks whereby clicking on a textual or graphic link transports you directly to a different page in a different book.

Using the net as a research resource

We decide to search the Web for some data. Every student gets an address, or a name, or some words, which they find through a search engine. They take notes while working, so that next day, we can have feedback. Such lessons are extremely motivational, since the students enjoy using the Web, and they have an additional motivation because they know that they have to report to their peers during the next lesson.

Web site project

We are engaged in a project which is related to one of our topics. Students may write their essays in class, then the teacher checks them, then we have a lesson in the computer lab where they type their works and e-mail them to a project site, or post them if possible.

Real communication

Students love to e-mail what they call their 'key pals'. Instead of the former write a letter to your imaginary friend in another country and tell them about your country, they have real virtual friends, to use a funny modern word combination, with whom they exchange information, photos etc. It is also useful to decide if this task requires one person per computer or if it is possible to set the tasks up for pairs or even three people per computer.

There are a few students who wish to do more, they are the ones who choose a theme and make a report, get published in various student publications around the world, take part in competitions and conferences. While doing all these kinds of work within the framework of the curriculum, they learn many more new words, they also acquire inter-cultural and interactive skills.

The site The Internet Movie Database at http://us.imdb.com/ are very comprehensive and will provide more than enough information for class use. This site claims to have information on more than 160,000 titles and this includes video clips and reviews where available. Prior to viewing, a movie either at the theatre or on video, students can use the web to thoroughly research the movie reading reviews, movie synopsis and even viewing preview video clips. Various activities can be built around these materials found on the Internet including reading and vocabulary building exercises as well as listening exercises from the video clips. It’s better to concentrate on reviews of the movie and have the students write their own review after they have viewed the movie. The genre of movie reviews is analyzed and compared in several reviews of the movie and used by the students to write their own review after they view the movie. Also after the movie discussion can ensue on which reviews the students agreed and disagreed with. Specific objectives relevant to particular follow up activities will apply according to the activity and these include improving students' reading skills, listening skills, vocabulary and confidence and ability to express their own opinions. Finally researching the movie, doing the follow up activities thereby knowing about the story and what to expect can help in improving the students understanding of the movie when they view it.

Information technologies will be able to locate students within the frame work of the project and consider what actions might be appropriate within the context and how it can contribute to the development of their education and the application of the English in different sectors of economic and social life in their future. One can see possibilities of using Information Technologies in teaching English and their advantages in comparison with the traditional methods. Computer is really considered to be a tool for stimulating motivation, forming firm language skills and improving knowledge of English. But in conclusion I’d like to say that harmonious combination of traditional and new methods on all levels of teaching and learning will lead to the best results.

Used literature:

1. (www.techterms.com/definition/ict).

2. Windeatt Scott, Hardisty David. The Internet (Resource Books for Teachers)

3. Lanni, Daniela (2001) The Rationale: ICT in language teaching in 6 Points [online] available from http://www.itiacannizzaro.net.lanni/articles/rationale.htm.

4. Notland M., Johannesen J. & Vavik L. (2001). A case study of ICT and school improvement at Ringstabekk Lower Lover Secondary School, Baerum. OECD/CERI ICT Programme.Norway.

5. http://www.ehow.com/about_6373172_information-communication-technology-education.html#ixzz2kNSMQ77a