PhD Lyudmila Toryanik

National University of Pharmacy (Ukraine)

SKYPE AS THE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract: At present our country has experienced rather a big growth in the educational process to raise the language skills an European standards in education. The main roll of the Ukrainian university education is to create good conditions for students in their personal development and self-realization bringing them as the new intelligent citizens into “global citizens” with high level of language knowledge and communicative skills to influence the global society.

Keywords: Skype online teaching, creative learning, communicative skills, technology, communicate, comprehend.

I. Introduction. The actuality of the article lies in the idea of the educational process to prepare students to self-education and use their knowledge in the real life is based on the implementary new media to develop creative abilities and communicative skills of the students. Skype technologies give teachers an opportunity to fulfill all the educational tasks.

II. Formulation of the problem. The task of the paper is to reveal how Skype can be used as the effective technology for language learning.

III. Results. The analysis of the investigation has shown that Skype is considered to be the most effective and popular method of teaching and learning English, which offers extensive ways of education in the world. Using Skype at the academic lessons one can immediately notice a good connection between academic classroom and students. This is naturally true for ELT who are interested in having cross-cultural exchanges with students using Skype.

Language is a means and the purpose of training. The students can learn the easiest language means possession of different types of speech activity, which to a certain point, are the purpose of training, and then use them for the development of more complex language actions. For the formation of students’ ability to communicate the special role is played by situational tasks that contribute to the development of students’ ability to engage in dialogue, to roll it and resume. Pursuing its strategic line of communication, it should be implemented in the tactics of conduct to other strategies of communication. It is also taken into account whenever new voice partners changing roles of partners and predict the behavior of speech partners.

Using Skype in the classroom the students a given the possibility to have presentations, where their spoken English is developing better and allows them to communicate and mutually comprehend each other in all spheres of real life. Online lessons in English help students to break and overcome the language barriers while communicating with foreigners whose native language is English.

It is necessary to keep in mind that Skype works computer-to-computer, not necessarily person-to-person. Skype is communication tool that allows to make free audio and video calls over the internet to people through the computer using webcams. Skype like an incorporating technology is an effective way to ESL/EFL teachers to update their teaching techniques at their own pace, as they make progress.

The analyses of the methodological resources shows that modern Skype technologies help teachers to build technology skills. Is happens to be a progressive tool to teach languages, as it incorporates high levels of verbal interaction between teachers and students. This can lead them to be open for trying more sophisticated technologies in the future.

The analyses of the articles devoted to the Skype online training video showed that teachers are now using the videoconferencing tool in other to connect foreign-language students to native speakers hold virtual host conversations with scientists and other experts.

The teachers of our foreign languages department conduct video-courses of the English language lessons for the students and the teaching stuff of our university using Skype technologies. It gives the students a wonderful chance to hear the native speakers, the real English speech, to have practice and develop their communicative, grammar, reading, writing skills and pronunciation. Using Skype technologies at our lessons have reason the results of students’ knowledge in foreign languages, their motivation of studies, their creativity and activate their classroom self-dependent work.

IV. Conclusion. So, as we see, using Skype technology is an effective method of language learning for ESL/EFL teachers who are using more sophisticated learning technologies. This method of teaching is very actual nowadays. Skype can be used to provide a variety of authentic learning experience to students.

References:

1. Davis V.A. Using Skype in the classroom (or just learning how to use it!) 2006, August.

2. Eaton S.A. Global trends in language learning in the twenty-first century. Calgary: Onata Press, 2010.

3. Smith K. From the Coal Face-Skype in the classroom, August 6, 2009.

4. Teacher Training Videos. Skype Online Training Videos. Retrieved. August 6, 2010.