Pedagogical sciences/5. Modern methods of teaching

Dikhanbek A.T.

Supervisor – Ibragimova K.E.

Philological faculty of Eurasian National University by L.N.Gumilyov, Astana

USING NEW INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN SENIOR CLASSES

 “Video transmitting mobile application Periscope, testing system Socrative and WhatsApp Messenger”

Abstract

Information and Communication technologies have nowadays been scrutinized as the most convenient and improved method of teaching English as a foreign language.  The paper examines the experience of the application of ICT in the classroom of English in senior classes using the electronic textbooks and Internet resources, possible problems and their solutions, reveals opportunities to improve the quality of education by wise using of mobile devices on the lessons of English, the raise of motivation in the classrooms with use of ICT. M-learning as one of the beat ways of teaching English: using the applications and widely spread chatting systems Periscope, Socrative and WhatsApp Messenger. [1]

Key words: information and communication technologies, teaching English, senior classes, mobile learning, Periscope, Socrative, WhatsApp Messenger.

1.    Introduction

The use of Information and Communication technologies can significantly improve the perception of language by pupils and enhance their motivation to learn English.  Technical devices allow students to train and acquire all skills necessary for fluent language use such as listening comprehension, reading, development of speech activities, writing, students vocabulary,  the ability to sort out an exploring accounting system, critical thinking and an intensification of independent work of a student. [2]

The following research represents the main types of the latest technical inventions that can be used during the lessons of English in senior classes; their advantages and expected improvements of students’ knowledge after the systematic ICT usage.

2.  The model of work with the modern video transmitting mobile application Periscope, testing system Socrative and WhatsApp Messenger in teaching English in senior classes

Mobile learning if following the necessary pedagogical conditions can provide a high degree of interactivity between teacher and a learner; create an effective feedback via mobile devices; increase the share of cooperative learning and learning in the working groups. The applications we decided to use are WhatsApp Messenger, Socrative testing system and Periscope. [3]

a.  Description of the mobile applications WhatsApp, Socrative and Periscope.

WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary instant messenger for smartphones. It uses the Internet to send text messages, documents, images, video, user location and audio media messages to other users using standard cellular mobile numbers. [4]

Socrative is a free web application that offers an easy and friendly experience to teachers to engage and assess their students. It is a full-featured application that can be used on Android and iOS devices. Socrative is an easy to use tool that is used for creating formative assessments and getting result in the actual-time. Socrative’s student response system authorizes educators by engaging their class with a number of educational games and exercises. There is simple procedure to login this wonderful app that can be run on laptops, smartphones and tablets. 

All you need is to register and then log-in yourself in order to use this app. Teacher log in earlier and receive a number of cabinet which will be common to the whole class. The advantage of Socrative testing system is that teacher is able to choose the most suitable form of test, download the appropriate quiz by himself/herself. There is also teacher’s dashboard that monitors all students’ activities, so student’s replies are visually presented. That makes the assessment easier and allows giving a personal feedback to each of the students. On the dashboard, you can do various activities such as: Start Quiz, Quick Questions or Space Race. [5]

Periscope is the invention of 2016; it is a live video streaming application for smartphones. Assemblers can also choose whether to make their video public or viewable to only certain users or not. Scopes can be LBB (Limited by Broadcaster) which disallows comments.

Periscope allows viewers to send "hearts" to the broadcaster by tapping on the mobile screen as a form of appreciation or as a sign of understanding the theme.

b.  Experiment

This research has been done during our two-month long pedagogical practice in Karaganda. We have had the 10th and the 11th grades. Since we have decided to input this experiment all children were told to download and save applications as WhatsApp, Socrative and Periscope.

Periscope has been chosen as the most convenient to use when explain new themes especially introduced by a native speaker that would cause students’ curiosity and motivation. Teacher opens a new account and the link will be sent to students with the WhatsApp Messenger. The lesson begins as soon as all of the students have joined it. The maximum amount of audience is 8000 people and Periscope users have the option to tweet out a link to their Live Stream (here is a teacher or invited guest) or ask a question according to a subject.

The broadcast lasts not more than 25 minutes because the full time given is 45 minutes and we still have to pass a test connected to a new assimilated topic. The test will be given through the Socrative system. Periscope entirely improves the listening skills, speaking skills, vocabulary, word spelling and writing skills.

Socrative is the best way to check the knowledge of students without remaining any of them. The monitoring service allows checking whether the topic was clear or not and analyzing the main problems of each student. The average time needed is about 15 minutes for a quiz. Socrative influences mostly on grammar, student’s reading comprehension, writing abilities and keyboard recognition.  As a teacher prepares the quiz beforehand it will contain only main aspects and will be directed to reveal main difficulties that students face.

WhatsApp Messenger doesn’t need a definite amount of time, it is used in order to control all the work that has been done during the lesson. All announcements and extra tasks, home tasks, links and additional information were sent through this program. Of course, during the lesson the “Don’t disturb” mode was on, so nobody except teacher and classmates disturb the student. Teacher creates a conference with all students as participants and sends all of the information they have to survey. During the lesson, nobody distracts on different things, and in avetage 5 more minutes per a lesson is enough to keep being in touch with the class. The usage of one of the most wide-spread applications WhatsApp Messenger during the lesson brought to colossal time saving. Children were sent an appropriate task, audio files, texts and the topic of essays they have to write. Children explored mobile phones as a new device with absolutely other functions.

We have been working that way for two months and here are some possible problems any teachers can face and few variants of their solution.

Table 1. Problems of using new Information and Communication technologies and their solutions

Possible problems

Solutions

Physiological:

1. Possible risk of harm to the eye during prolonged work at the device

2. If impaired vision (nearsightedness, farsightedness) mobile devices can cause a further fall of view.

1. Enter a time limit to work with devices (10-15 minutes)

2. Plan the job so that students will not always work with the mobile device, but from time to time.

3. Organize a group work where students with low vision will not be in direct contact with the mobile device, or be far enough from it.

4. To protect the vision pupils can work in specialized glasses with anti-reflective coating.

5. Install the device for students with vision problems: a larger font size., Higher levels of brightness.

6. Conduct physical minutes for vision when working with mobile devices. High school students can perform special exercises for eyes.

Social:

1. Not all children have smartphones,

2. Not all parents agree with this type of activity

1. If not all students have personal mobile devices, it is better to think of a team version of the work, so that everyone can do something on mobile device.

2. Parents are generally interested in the fact that the child wisely uses mobile devices. At the parents' meeting the teacher can tell about the alleged method of operation, tell about the time limit of work, advise parents to teach the application. That is, the teacher may interest parents and involve them as allies.

Pedagogical:

1. The possibility of students when using the device is not to carry out the task of teaching, but just have fun.

1. Organize the work in such a way that the students had no time for distraction. The same effect is achieved by teamwork.

2. Unavailability of teachers to look at mobile devices not as a replacement of textbooks and e-book, but as a full-featured mobile computer

 

. Before implementing of technology BYOD, the teacher himself should have a good understanding of the features of the mobile devices, which he intends to use. It is also worth to pick up pre-application for all operating systems, similar in functionality, and check their work before the lesson.

As a teacher you need to be at least a reader of the Networking Community (in Google+, Galaxy, Intel and others.), which publishes examples of such equipment.

3.  Conclusion

The process of formation of mobile learning is a natural and objective process, typical for the world educational space. At the present stage of mobile learning technologies are being introduced and test results of numerous studies. It becomes obvious that the prospect of Use mobile learning technologies represented in the form of the optimal combination of traditional and innovative ways to implement the learning process. [7]

The use of mobile learning in today's educational environments allows to provide a high level of adaptability, interactive learning; remove the space-time constraints in the various information; implement the didactic system of interactive self-study.

It should also propose a system of introduction of mobile learning in the educational process of high school, to develop and test course "The use of mobile learning technologies in educational process of high school" that can be applied in system of improvement of professional skills, design technology to create "mobile textbook", which can be successfully applied the faculty of the university. [8]

References

1. D. Sapargaliyev, A.B. Abibulayeva “Few aspects of organization of M-learning education”

2. O.N.Masleninkova “Mobile education”

3. A.A. Kosov “Control of knowledge with the mobile devices”

4. Wikipedia – free encyclopedia URL: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

5. http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights

6.  V.A. Kuklev “Modeling of courses of telecommunication professions”

7. E.S.Polat “New pedagogical and informational technologies in education system”

8. A. Fedoseyev, A.V,Timofeyev “Mobile technologies in education”