International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
brought about by more scientific attention span studies on the effects of digital technology, there is also room for
the proper integration of teaching sources in a more blended approach to learning. Language learning textbooks
now have references to different digital links to be used to enhance lessons. Being able to record a presentation
on You Tube or being able to compose an essay using cited Internet sources may be ways of making these types
of activities more attractive and a novel way of introducing digital media into the classroom. It is just up the
teacher to know when and how to use these sources, and to try to keep students more active in the learning
process. It is likewise up to the students to know how and when to use devices like smartphones for looking up
unknown words or concepts and not for checking and sending text messages.
After all, the concept of learning through game-like activities, and not just dry rote learning is more fun and
well-known in the Czech Republic. Native son Jan Amos Comenius, one of the first theorists to write
systematically on language learning, believed that the best learning must be accompanied by sensation and
experience. Losing “money” on a bad bet on whether the target grammar of an English sentence is correct or
winning a sweet or accumulating points for active participation during a game of bingo is one possibility.
Another possibility is to watch a short scientific experiment online to help clarify something in the course
curriculum. The question is if one method is more effective than the other, and if a teacher can find the time and
effort to make lessons more attractive.
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