RESUMEN DEL TEMA 24 DE LA ESPECIALIDAD DE MAESTROS DE INGLÉS DE PRIMARIA
Contents:
1. Introduction.
2. Audio visual resources: technological and educational features
2.1. Audio resources.
2.1.1. CD/tape player
2.1.2. Radio
2.1.3. Language laboratory
2.2. Visual resources
2.2.1. Boards
2.2.2. Flash cards
2.2.3. Realia
2.2.4. Wallcharts
2.2.5. Projectors
2.2.6. Textbooks and newspapers
2.3. Audio visual resources
2.3.1. Television
2.3.2. Video and DVD
3. The use of computers in the English class.
3.1. Using ICT efficiently
3.2. Methodological considerations
3.3. Different ways of using ICT in class.
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography.
1. Introduction.
We are teaching in the XXI century and our students need to be ready to face a modern society that is changing at a very fast pace. One of the reasons for these quick changes is the use of new technologies. These technologies occupy an important space in our everyday lives: use of mobile phones, television, computers, internet, etc. Most of our students are already familiar with these technologies and they feel great interest towards them. But they also need to be trained in order to be skilful in the use of computers and different programmes.
On the other hand, new technologies provide a great source of information and an excellent tool to create our own resources. They also give us the opportunity to communicate with people in different places and countries. These are also powerful reasons for the use of new technologies in our class, moreover, in the English class. And this is why our current law LOMCE, following European regulations, makes a great emphasis on the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)
This emphasis is reflected in the information management and digital Competence. This Competence consists of developing the skills to search, find, process and communicate information and to transform it into knowledge. It includes different skills such as how to access information or how to process it and transmit it in different formats. It implies the use of information and communication technologies as an essential tool to obtain information, learn and communicate.
2. Audio visual resources: technological and educational features
Audio resources are any kind of aural input that our students can listen to. They can vary from just noises, to songs, poems, dialogues, drills, etc. They can be found in radio programmes, CDs, TV…. In the English class they are essential resources for our students to face the foreign language, with different voices and accents.
Visual resources are any visual aid used in the English class to convey meaning. Together with English words, visual aids help children to understand. They are also used to elicit language, words, sentences, conversations, etc. Visual aids can be Flash Cards, realia, photographs, wallcharts, etc.
2.1. Audio resources.
2.1.1. CD player
2.1.2. Radio
2.1.3. Language laboratory
2.2. Visual resources
The wonderful thing about visual resources is that even imperfect pictures, once assigned a meaning, have great power to elicit that same meaning again and again.
Many media and many styles of visual presentation are useful to the language learner. There is no general rule to indicate which visual style is appropriate at any time. The choice is affected by:
a) the age, interests, and experience of the student;
b) the physical circumstances of the classroom or laboratory; and
c) the cost and convenience of the materials available.
2.2.1. Boards
2.2.1.1 The blackboard
2.2.1.2. The magneto board and the flannel graph.
2.2.2. Flash cards
2.2.3. Realia
2.2.4. Wall charts
2.2.5. Projectors
2.2.6. Textbooks and newspapers
2.3. Audio visual resources
2.3.1. Television
2.3.2. Video and DVD
3. THE USE OF COMPUTERS IN THE ENGLISH CLASS.
The European Commission for Education has adopted the «e Learning» initiative to adapt the EU’s education and training systems to the knowledge and use of the digital culture. This initiative has four components:
– to equip schools with multimedia computers
– to train European teachers in digital technologies
– to develop European educational services and software
– to speed up the networking of schools and teachers.
3.1 Using ICT efficiently
The use of ICT by itself does not necessarily mean a more efficient learning. As any other educational resource, it will depend on how we use that tool. According to scientific research and based on the current social needs, the use of ICT must cover five minimum requirements to help learning in an efficient way:
1. Universal access: all students must have access to ICT no matter their personal circumstances, social background, disabilities, country of origin, etc.
2. Strategic and creative use of resources: the use of ICT does not only refer to a basic knowledge. It also means using these resources in a strategic and creative way so students can get a benefit out of them for every context in their lives.
3.2 Methodological considerations
The use of ICT implies a specific methodology. This methodology is suitable for the main learning process’ principles:
- Students take an active role in their learning process using meaningful and functional contents. Computers, just like video or audio tapes, provide the student the opportunity to work on their own and to progress at their own pace. They can provide immediate feedback on the progress of the student, allowing only correct answers and giving help when necessary.
- Teachers’ role is not so much to transmit knowledge but to guide their students learning process.
- A cooperative work is often needed to fulfil a task and to creatively construct knowledge. Communicative skills and organizational skills will be developed when working in groups.
- A network can be constructed within the class, the school, the educational community or even other schools to share knowledge, information and experiences.
3.3. Different ways of using ICT in class
I will explain now the most common ways of using ICT in class and their advantages.
1. Teacher lectures supported with ICT: Teachers can support their lectures with presentations using a computer and a projector. These presentations may be prepared by the teacher him/herself or by publishing companies. Many programmes are useful for teachers to create their own materials: word processors, excel, power point, audio programmes. Digital cameras and digital videos also offer the opportunity to snap different moments of school life and then use them to elicit linguistic production (displays with pictures and commentaries, newspapers, magazines….). This is highly motivating since children can watch themselves as the main characters of displays and projects.
4. CONCLUSION
Aural and visual aids have been traditionally used in the English class to offer varied linguistic inputs, to convey meaning and to create communicative situations. Resources as simple as the blackboard or flash cards, realia or CDs can be a great help to increase our students communicative competence. More sophisticated resources add the value of motivation. Television, video, projectors… will offer the possibility of maintaining our students interest and teach English in a motivating way.
For the last few years and especially following LOE/LOMCE commands – to develop the digital competence – new technologies should also been included in the English class, not only because of their great potential to teach and learn English but also because they are definitely a tool our students use and will use along their lives. They are also a great way to communicate with other people abroad and develop tolerant attitudes. For these reasons the European Commission and the Ministry of Education put a great emphasis on the use of ICT in schools and local governments invest in schools to provide and impulse the use of computers in schools.
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
- Beauchamp, G. (2012). ICT in the Primary School: From Pedagogy to Practice. Routledge.
- Dakin, J. (1985). The Language Laboratory and Language Learning. Longman.
- Harmer, J. (1987). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Longman.
- Harrison, B. (1990). English as a Second and Foreign Language. Longman.
- Haycraft, J. (1978). An Introduction to English Language Teaching. Longman Handbooks for Language Teachers. Longman. Harlow.
- Wright, A. (1997). Visual Materials for the Language Teacher. Longman.
