it in foreign language teaching – comparing pedagogical options

However, it may be interesting to note that rudiments of the old, so-called traditional teaching
approach, were still visible, as on each desk there were (and still are, although they are no longer
really used in teaching) headphones for the students to listen to the lesson input under the best possible
technical circumstances. That nobody actually makes use of them during the language classes
nowadays is obvious, as the main focus of the language course is to develop the communicative
competence of the students by exposing them to authentic input, in authentic conditions, which quite
often means background noise, instability of the source etc. (that is why listening to the loud speakers
mounted in the classroom walls is preferred) and to expose them to authentic tasks simulating as
closely as possible the real world in which they are expected to perform.
It is interesting to note that, with the emergence of the new IT technologies, like most teachers
of foreign languages, those of us who have embarked upon integrating these new means into the
language class actually passed through the three stages mentioned by [3], i.e. acceptance, then
frustration and finally the honey moon phase.
These stages are, we believe, inherent to a teacher who first discovers a multitude of
possibilities in the newly emerged technical tools, then they notice that perhaps this new world is a
touch too vast to be easily grasped – mostly from the technical point of view, at that stage – to finally
enthusiastically accepting it, once the technical difficulties encountered in handling them have been
resolved.
The stage we are at present goes one step beyond the honey moon of the beginnings – as, in
time, we have noticed that, as with so many interesting tools (of the type of games, music, video etc.)
there is a major risk that their introduction and permanent use in class can be conducive to a decrease
of the quality of the teaching–learning process, for various reasons that will be discussed in this study.
What we maintain here is that in using IT in class, foreign language teachers should start by
adopting a reflexive attitude. They should analyze the repertoire of tools available and choose only
those ones that would really help their students, whose needs, profile and level must be taken into
account.
They should integrate the new technologies into the traditional class in a well justified manner
from the pedagogical point of view, without exaggerations, viz. without turning the use into abuse, as
such an option would certainly endanger the quality and efficiency of the language class. Basing one’s
using of IT means on a sound pedagogical rationale, as well as making the right options in deciding
upon the weighting and variety of IT tools, is what we are mainly trying to advocate in this study.
The literature available on the relationship between the teaching of foreign languages and the
implementation of IT means in the didactic process is mainly focused on displaying the vast
possibilities which have been created lately. Thus, there are numerous sites for this purpose, as well as
online journals - see, for example [1, 2, 3, 9, 13]. Unfortunately, very few actually warn the language
teachers about the possible risks they might run in using such implements without deep consideration
of the lesson aims focused on the learners’ needs.
That there are numerous advantages in using the Internet, for instance, is also a matter of
common knowledge. There are authors who stress on the various benefits of using the net in the
language class. Fidelman [9] shows some of the most relevant, as follows:
- the World Wide Web is a good source of visually rich, interactive and instantaneous
information to people all over the globe;
- links to (isolated) people are provided, as well as ideas of other cultures;
- even people in the language teaching and research fields who are not very skilled
technically can get information via it, as it is very user-friendly.
At the same time, the author underlines that this is also a challenge to educational
professionals, who should try to understand how their field can be improved qualitatively by what she
calls the wise use of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Another author [3] also refers to the pluses she envisages in using the WWW in the language
class, which are:
- providing the students with authentic language,
- ensuring up-to-the-minute information,
- creating the opportunity for real communication to take place,
- enhancing students’ motivation,
- being relevant to content-based instruction.