- Computer aided language learning (CALL) software
- Office applications (Word, PowerPoint etc)
- The Internet
- CD-ROMs that come with course books
- Interactive whiteboards
- DVD players
- Mobile phones
- Basically, anything electronic that can help someone learn.
Advantages and
disadvantages of learning technologies
The following is a
list of just some of the advantages and disadvantages of using learning
technologies in class.
Advantages
Interactive – it can
give feedback and evaluation and, unlike the teacher, never tires of giving
feedback repeatedly
Multimedia – it
provides a combination of media (text, graphics, sound, and video) in one place
IT skills acquired –
students learn IT skills
Student paced –
students can work through the material at their own speed
Variety = Fun! – novel
and entertaining, and can add variety to courses
Presentation quality –
work on the computer is often neat
Authentic – content of
CD-ROMs and the Internet is often written by native speakers
Real communication –
lots of ‘community’ functions on the Internet such as forums, email etc.
Storage – you can save
work for future access and sharing
Promotes independent
learning – many Web-based activities can be done at home
Disadvantages
Technical issues – if
technical support is not easily available, teachers may need more training, or
be confident enough to ask their learners if they know how to solve the problem
IT skills required –
for software and the Internet
Mixed ability and
degrees of comfort with technology – both learners and teachers
Student objections –
students may have had bad learning experiences in the past, they may use
computers too much in other subjects
Can seduce teachers –
“I’ll get a coffee while they get on with it”, “I haven’t had time to plan a
lesson – I’ll take them into the computer room” etc. Need to be careful about
technology leading pedagogy, and using technology as an easy option
Integration problems –
teachers don’t use the equipment and software available
Classroom management –
teachers may have to change their classroom management techniques
Accuracy of language
and appropriacy of content on the Internet may not always be suitable
Distraction – many
Internet sites have a lot of distracting advertisements, and it’s easy for
learners to get lost
Tiredness - remember
students may access the Internet considerably at home and if you’re teaching
adult students, they may use computers all day at work.
