Technology in language teaching and learning

Knowledge and information today have become some of the most important key factors to a nation’s success in terms of productivity, competitiveness and

economic prosperity. In order for nations to be prepared for the knowledge-based and information-based economy, governments almost all over the world are now developing and modifying strategies to increase access to, and quality of,

education. Education must keep pace with the rapidly changing world if nations wish to remain competitive in the global context.

In the past decade, the ongoing, fast-growing technological advancements, especially in information and communications technology (ICT), have brought significant improvements to numerous areas, including and not limited to, business, manufacturing, medical, military, research and education. ICT has now become an integral part of people’s lives and is no longer a luxurious item, but a necessity. ICT components, which include the Internet, wireless communications technology, multimedia and computers, can provide users worldwide with almost unlimited access to all kinds of information.

Similarly, rapid evolution of communication technologies has changed language pedagogy and language use, enabling new forms of discourse, new forms of authorship, and new ways to create and participate in communities (Richards, 2006). The Internet, particularly, has become a useful tool for communication, and an important venue for experiencing different cultures (Park & Son, 2009). Along with the impact of the Internet worldwide, the extensive use of computers and the adoption of more sophisticated computer-based technologies in language learning at universities, have had a critical influence on educational environments. Today this includes Internet-based technologies including email, chat rooms,

online dictionaries, language websites, blogs and wikis, and interactive virtual reality (Morgan & Throssell, 2012). Especially, it is the Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, wikis, social networking sites and virtual reality environments, which have the most influence in language learning today and into the future (Harrison & Thoma, 2009). Motteram and Sharma (2009) point out that the production of information via Web 2.0 technologies links tool developers with the users who create the content, and that this communication makes the prospect of language acquisition more successful, as language can then be tried out in meaningful ways.

Specifically speaking, there are various computer technologies used within the field of education in order to improve teachers’ productivity and students’ learning outcomes. Some of the commonly used technological approaches in language teaching and learning are mentioned in this section, including computer assisted language learning (CALL); technology-enhanced language learning (TELL); computer-mediated communication (CMC); mobile-assisted language learning (MALL); language learning in virtual worlds, such as the 3D world of Second Life; and social media language learning. In particular, blogs, wikis and 3D virtual worlds provide opportunities for students to participate in an

“international language community that resembles real world experiences without leaving [their] own home or classroom” (Motteram & Sharma, 2009, p. 85). According to Jung (2002), interactive virtual reality offers the learner further opportunities to practise language skills in realistic communication settings. For instance, activities such as visiting a restaurant or attending a job interview could involve students interacting with each other and learning the language in an autonomous way through which they can have control over the experience and receive instant feedback (Jung, 2002). However, Morgan and Throssell (2012) suggest that learning outcomes attributed to a range of Internet-based language learning technologies still need to be examined.

Over the years, the Australian government has provided every school with multimedia computers, software programs and high-speed broadband Internet connections (via the National Broadband Network) to cope with an information technology society and to integrate ICT into everyday educational practices. New

technologies, especially in ICT, have brought significant improvements to economic productivity in countries all around the world. Further research

indicates that ICT might provide similar productive contributions to the education sector, such as increasing teacher’s productivity and most importantly, improving students’ learning outcomes (Pacific Policy Research Center, 2010). However, some studies have shown that ICT does not actually improve students’ learning and the effectiveness of ICT in education still remains debatable (Houcine, 2011). Technology offers us a means by which to make the unfamiliar familiar, to

reframe and rethink out conceptions of language, communication, and society. It is through this process of analysis and reflection that we can best decide how we can and should use technology in language teaching and learning (Richards, 2006). There is consensus in research that it is not technology per se that affects the learning of language and culture but the particular uses of technology (Richards, 2006). The use of technology depends on language teachers’ attitudes and

interpretation of technology as well as their knowledge background.According to Redmond, Albion and Maroulis (2005), teachers’ personal backgrounds such as personal confidence, interests in using ICT and willingness to try something different are significant factors that might promote ICT integration in the classroom.

In this global context, the Internet combined with a variety of technological programs, is on its way to restructuring the concept of the language classroom and the roles of the learner and the teacher in foreign language learning and teaching around the world. As a result, digital media literacy continues its rise in

importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession (The New Media Consortium & Griffith University, 2012).While computers and the Internet provide new possibilities to explore language teaching and learning methods, the appropriate integration of Internet-connected computers into the language

curriculum is a key issue to consider when examining the effective use of computer technologies for educational purposes in Australia.

However, most language learners have difficulty developing their communicative competence beyond the classroom, mainly because they do not have a supportive learning environment within which they can hear and speak for communicative

purposes. Therefore, some special efforts are needed to help students expand their language learning experiences and practise the target language outside the

classroom. Previous research indicates that computer mediated language learning can facilitate communication, enhance students’ motivation, facilitate cross- cultural awareness, and improve writing skills (Yang & Chen, 2006). The design of technology-enhanced language materials generally takes into consideration principles of language pedagogy and methodology, which may be derived from different learning theories, such as the aforementioned behaviourist and cognitive theories. Issues like the adoption of authentic teaching materials, web-based activities, blended learning, as well as the challenges of teaching the digital generation (digital natives and digital immigrants) (Prensky, 2001) will be

explored in more detail with regard to the current research study in the discussion and conclusion chapters.