I think that technology can be very helpful towards language
learning, however it can also be detrimental. The great thing about using
technology to learn a language is that you can go at your own speed and learn
in an environment that is both comfortable and is geared towards your own
learning needs. One of my favorite projects for Japanese was a language blog
that we shared with a University in Japan. We would write entries in Japanese
and they would type us messages in English. Using this blog, not only were we
able to have pen pals of a sort, but we were able to learn more casual speech
and cultural customs.
Some
of the disadvantages that can come from it though is learning grammatical or
writing mistakes. Some software programs are better than others, however,
sometimes through learning languages over technology based programs, you may
learn something wrong and there is no one to correct you. It is also hard to
have language taught in a meaningful context. I also feel that oral skills
would be lower due to less face to face interaction on a daily schedule.
For
some very motivated people, learning a language may be a great way to develop
language skills. However, for me, I need that extra push that comes from being
within a classroom. It brings a competitive edge when being in a class that I
think would be hard to replicate through applications and websites. A virtual
classroom might be close.
The
Second Life ‘English City’ was intriguing. I thought that Second Life was a
dating site, so the video definitely confused me at first. I think it’s a
interesting concept, however I think it may be important that you have a consistency
of teachers, since there are minor differences between English dialects. The
Second Life city allowed language to be taught in a more meaningful context and
definitely allowed for learners to speak with each other and enhance their own
oral skills.
I really like your point about the likelihood of lower oral performance. I hadn't even thought about that in my blog post. I think it is true that a lot of technology works with the written word and not so much with the students producing their own speech. There are some exceptions, like AudioBoo or Skype, but at the same time, it's not quite the same as interacting in person with a teacher or a classroom of peers.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about meaningful context and I also feel that Second Life does offer that. I was impressed by how teaching was being done at the "airport" and in a "restaurant," which brings a whole new meaning to a virtual classroom. It is also nice that unlike encounters in real-life, in the language lab English school students do not have to worry about being judged, since everyone is there to learn English. I think this is a positive way for highly motivated non-traditional learners to practice and learn English, but I still believe that in classroom instruction is vital for L2 learners.
ReplyDeleteI agree that some people may learn better through technology however, some students benefit more from a classroom experience. I do agree that the grammar and writing mistakes will most likely be bigger because of the lack of formal teaching. I feel that when learning a language that we should incorporate old methods along with the newer ones.
ReplyDeleteI like that you mentioned that some programs are better than others and that errors are made and learned from lack of correction. No program is perfect. Even Microsoft Word isn't perfect when writing papers in English. There are some instances when it tells you something is grammatically incorrect when it isn't or sometimes it misses spelling or grammatical errors. I am with you, I need that extra push that one gets in a classroom. If the only resource you have comes from technology it is easy to just do the basic amount of work to get a good grade - you don't have to actually learn the language.
ReplyDelete