TOPIC 24. TECHNOLO TOPIC TECHNOLOGICA GICAL L AND PEDAGOG PEDAGOGICAL ICAL ASPECTS ASPECTS IN USING USING AUDIO AUDIO-VI -VISUA SUAL L MATER MATERIAL IALS S (NEWP (NEWPAPE APERS, RS, TV, TV, TAPE RECOR RECORDER DERS, S, VIDE VIDEO O, ET ETC. C.). ). COMP COMPUT UTER ERS S AS AN AUXI AUXILI LIAR ARY Y RESO RESOUR URCE CE FOR FOR LEARNING AND IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
INDEX 0. INTRO NTROD DUCT UCTION ION 1. AUDIOV AUDIOVISU ISUAL AL MATER MATERIAL IALS S 2. COMPUT COMPUTERS ERS AS AN AUXILI AUXILIAR ARY Y RESOURC RESOURCE E FOR FOR LEARNI LEARNING NG AND IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
0. INTRO NTROD DUCT UCTION ION
A number number of new techniques techniques for teaching teaching English have been developed developed during during the last ten years thanks to the fast development of new technologies and the decrease in price of appliances such as TV sets, video machines, camcorders or computers. Besides, the educational authorities have tried to develop their use, lately the use of computers in particular with programmes such as Aldea as Aldea Global, Info XXI, Educared Educared , etc. Thes Thesee mach machin ines es have have not not only only made made our our live livess easier easier but but have have also also great greatly ly contributed to the diversification of teaching activities when teaching a foreign language. onsequently, new products have been launched. !ew video methods, new computer programs, make the learning more en"oyable and enable the teacher to widen current classroom class room teaching techniques. #e #e could say that these audiovisual technologies started to e$pand in the late %&'(s or early %&)(s and are getting more and more widely used. *owever there are other techniques based on technological development which are still used in the classroom and which date back a little farther. These techniques are not really really +audio +audiovis visual ual, , but we will will study study themthem- newspa newspaper pers, s, radio, radio, cassette cassette recorder, etc. #hen #hen talki talking ng abou aboutt the the use use of tech techno nolo logy gy in the the class classro room om adva advant ntag ages es and and disadvantages should be taken into account. Advantages lang langua uage ge is taug taught ht in its its con conte te$t $t high motivation it prov provid ides es creat creativ ivee oppo opport rtun unit ities ies it bro broad aden enss hori/ hori/on onss and and e$t e$ten ends ds con conta tacts cts it mean meanss a great great pote potenti ntial al for for a wide wide variet variety y of activit activities ies it provid provides es fle$ fle$ibl iblee respo responses nses to learnin learning g prob problem lemss 0isadvantages ephemerality
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difficulties in comprehension 1language and structural2 it requires a lot of commitment on behalf of the teacher, who has to think that technology must serve him3her, but will never replace him3her.
1. USING AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS
%.%. V456A7 8ATE94A75 The student belongs to the +image and sound generation. Therefore, the learning process must include visual and audiovisual materia ls which are so familiar to them. These images will encourage the student to communicate, as they are natural and motivating stimuli for them. They make the language used in the classroom look more real. The main functions of the image in the English classroom are motivating function- the students becomes active. it replaces reality- the image is used in substitution of reality. it creates situations- the student gets involved with it. it suggests e$periences- the student is suggested interpretations or e$periences that will lead him3her to real communication situations informative function- it transmits cultural aspects 1customs, landscape, art, politics, celebrations: of the country2 checking function- the image is used for checking the students; understanding of the verbal message. concentration function- it focuses attention on something. reinforcing function- the image supports understanding and memorising. #e will talk about the !"#$%$!& because it is an essential visual material used in the English classroom. Englishlanguage newspapers are available worldwide on a daily basis. 5ome originate from Englishspeaking countries, others are locally produced. They are cheap and plentiful so newspapers can be useful in the classroom 1the same happens with maga/ines2. !ewspapers contain a very wide variety of te$t types and an immense range of information. They are therefore a natural source of many of the varieties of written English that become increasingly important as learners progress. 9eading newspapers is a way to transfer latent skills from the mother tongue to the language learning classroom. Those pupils who normally read newspapers in 5panish will be receptive to the use of English newspapers in the classroom. 9eading newspapers we e$ercise skimming and scanning skills. These skills are very useful for our pupils. !ewspapers are about the outside world so using them in the classroom is an interesting way to bring the real world into the learning situation. 6sing newspapers is also useful to integrate skills. The reading material leads easily into discussions and writing activities. This integration of skills is also authentic as the response to what we read in newspapers is likely to be authentic and personal. Topicality is both an advantage and a disadvantage. ontemporary stories are motivating, but also date quickly.
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interest stories which do not date over a long period of time. ther visual materials are photographs, the overhead pro"ector, realia, flashcards or drawings on the blackboard, rods, wall pictures, slides, etc. %.=. A69A7 8ATE94A75 *ere we can include the radio, the cassette recorder, the laboratory. The radio is not very common in the English class. Though it is a very useful way to develop listening skills, our students do not have the necessary linguistic abilities to cope with radio programmes. The foreign language lab is hardly used now and it can be replaced by a computer lab. #e will speak more about the '%##!! &!'&*!& . Though much can be done by simply speaking while all the children follow what we say, it is clear that the development of listening skills in our classroom situation relies heavily on the universal availability of a cassette of prerecorded material. All new ?rimary English coursebooks have a teacher;s cassette with the corresponding te$ts and songs. These cassettes provide a good model of spoken English and real language. #e can accustom our pupils to listen to recordings of simple stories or fairy tales with activities to follow if we set up a listening corner in our classroom where we can have two or three cassettes and the activity books. The children will of course
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need to be trained in how to use a cassette player on their own, but they probably know how to play it already. 4t is a good reinforcing material for slower students, who can work autonomously. 4f we use the cassette player to introduce new language we can always give our pupils the possibility of listening to the recording more than once. 7istening materials suitable for our levels are very simple and the range of activities they include are somehow limited. #e must try to widen the range of activities including pre, while and post listening activities which will improve the listening skills of our pupils. 9ecording devices can also be used to improve our pupils; oral skills. They can record themselves noticing differences between their own pronunciations and the pronunciations of the cassette. This is also motivating for our pupils. >ne activity which promotes oral skills and motivates our pupils is recording their own songs in a tape. =.@. A604>V456A7 8ATE94A75 Audiovisual materials proper include both sound and pictures. #e ne$t study how to use the television, the video and the camcorder in the classroom. Television 4n relation to television, we can say that it is inherently a medium that has a great potential for motivating learners. 4t provides a wide variety of situations, accents, topics and presentation techniques. The real situations provide a conte$t for language e$ploitation. The language used offers the necessary authenticity. 4t offers the possibility of e$ploiting students; current interests. Television provides a wide range of paralinguistic clues facial e$pressions, body movements, etc. that are very useful for comprehension. Television can introduce the culture of the country food, clothes, buildings, etc. . A ma"or advantage is that the same programme can adapted to different levels, depending on the task students are asked to do. The role of the teacher becomes crucial to take the decision as to how to work the programmes. As one of the ma"or problems of using television and video in the classroom is the ephemerality of the medium, our task as teachers is to confront the pupils with activities that build and reinforce the viewing e$perience. hildren may not understand a real TV programme, but that is not a problem. #atching regularly TV programmes especially made for native children is very beneficial. But we cannot e$pect children to answer questions or reproduce what they hear, even if they spend hours watching programmes in English. TV programmes, such as cartoons, do not teach the language, but help internalise it. This kind of material must be authentic and interesting. The problem of using TV is that we cannot stop it. Although TV is an important aid for study, it fulfils its real importance in the classroom on videocassette. Video
As an addition to the teacher;s resources, video offers an interesting and motivating aid to learning. 4t brings the outside world into the classroom, it offers e$amples of new language and is a stimulus to the classroom communication. Video materials used in language teaching come from a wide range of sources video recordings of languageteaching broadcasts and films video recording of domestic television broadcasts, such as comedy and news programmes video recordings of specialists films and television programmes such as documentaries produced by industry, or educational programmes video languageteaching materials made for the classroom rather than for public transmission or broadcasts selfmade video films, involving the teachers and learners. The combination of sound and vision is dynamic, immediate, and accessible. This means that communication can be shown in a conte$tC it is what we could call language in action. #e find out straight away about the speakers in dialogues since they can be seen and heard. This way, we find out about their ages, their se$, whether they are related or not to each other, the place where the situation is taking place, etc. #ith all this information the learner can clarify whether the situation is formal or informal, etc. 9egister is the way in which we say things depending on the people we are talking to and our relationship with them. The learner can see why things are said in a different way. #atching the video, s3he can "udge relationships and feelings from the speaker;s gestures, facial e$pressions, posture, distance from each other, dress and surroundings. All these factors influence or reflect what people say and how they say it, and only video can show them fully. 7ike any feature film or TV programme, a video will use closeups of people, places and things to emphasise or e$plain what it is going on. The camera technique helps learners to understand the narrative and the character;s behaviour and motivation. >ne more important aspect to think of is that learning a language is not only a matter of structures and words. ultural factors are a very important part of language learning. Video allows the learner to see the target language at work. Although the audiovisual features of video films are found in cinema films and television broadcasts too, they do not offer the same facilities for classroom e$ploitation. >n top of that we must not forget the electronic tricks to create special effects and images. All these previous aspects make the video material interesting. At their best, video presentations will be intrinsically interesting to language learners, and they will want to watch more, even if comprehension is limited, and should ask questions and followup ideas and suggestions. By generating interest and motivation, the video films can create a climate for successful learning. #e have to make it clear that the video recorder cannot and does not replace the teacher. 4t changes his or her role so that teachers become more facilitators adapting
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the materials to the needs of individual classes or pupils. 7earners should not be e$posed to long e$cerpts whose body of te$ts would be so demanding that could create more frustration than encouragement. As a general rule, it is much better to choose a short e$cerpt and to work thoroughly on it. An adequate approach could consist of three phases in the first phase the video is "ust being played so that pupils become familiar with the materials they are going to watch before the second phase takes place, some vocabulary might be taught but it is not necessary. 4n this phase the video is paused frequently so that attention can be focused on specific items of vocabulary and the actual teaching and learning activities can be initiated. phase three is aimed to reinforce the work that has been done. 0epending on how challenging the materials have been, the video can be played through or paused at different stages for pupils to process what is being said. 5ome techniques for the use of video are% 5ilent viewing- playing the video with the sound turned down for no more than two minutes. The learners watch it and decide what is happening and what the speakers are saying. =
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identifying things or people from their description and following an oral description of something. #atchers and listeners- half the class watch the screen and the other half listen. Then the watchers e$plain to the listeners what they have seen. This provides practice in speaking, observation and accurate reporting.
Video improves both listening and speaking skills, but it can also be used to improve writing ones, with e$ercises and activities, "umbles, word soups, etc. Even at higher levels learners can be asked to complete a script, to take short notes about what is being said, or produce short summaries. The video camera At a certain stage 1after rehearsal, but at any level2 students can be invited to produce their own material and record it in video. 4t is a high motivating task, but it requires time and technical mastery. The teacher and3or the learners should operate the video camera and equipment competently. Then a wide variety of stimulating pro"ects can be undertaken. 5peaking abilities are developed, but also selfconfidence, work in groups, organisation and order, care for the class materials, etc.
Although they have been used for teaching since the %&(s, computers only became practical and affordable for language learning in the early %&)(s, when relatively ine$pensive personal computers first became available. The first omputerAssisted 7anguage 7earning 1A772 programs were mainly used for manipulating words
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and sentences, playing games with students, testing them, and giving them feedback on their performance. 6sed in this way the computer has often been described as the +medium of the second chance 1because the activities usually let you try more than once to get the answer right2 and of risktaking 1because you can make mistakes in your answers without other students knowing2. As computers became more powerful, and multimedia software became practical, the early %&&(s saw the emergence of 09>8s, storing complete encyclopaedias or language courses with te$t, graphics, and audio or video. ommercial products of this sort, which are professionally produced, reliable, and straightforward to use, have a place in many classrooms. >f course, the teacher must know how to work the computer and the program. The students have the mastery already. Every school has now its computer room and each learner can sit down and work. The use of a computer is an e$cellent way to set remedial work. !ot only does the learner have access to it at any time 1with a computer at home2, but has a reliable source if the program has been properly developed, and, what is more, the computer never gets tired, irritable or impatient. 4t is particularly good for learners who cannot cope with a more traditional teaching approach. As in video learning, computer learning makes use of a series of techniques that eases the task and makes it more en"oyable and entertaining. And pupils find that using computers is highly motivating. The number of interactive programs on the market has increased a lot, but not all of them are useful for the class. 8any are for adults and are still focused on the language, not on the content, as the machine cannot grasp meaning. They work on pronunciation, repetition, grammar and vocabulary e$ercises. The communication is still something that has to do with human beings. ?rograms that children can use are made specially for them, some are for the learning of English but do not focus on grammar, but on concentration games, memory games, tales, cookery recipes, numbers and letters, paintings, etc. >thers are not specially sold for learning English, but has the option of using it in this language. They are very motivating for our students and they learn the language unconsciously and in a playful way. 4n many ways, however, the challenges presented to both students and teachers by +! I!&! can provide a more interesting, rewarding e$perience. The !et is a huge, rich resource. 4ts main distinguishing feature is that it is a medium of e$ploration, which releases creativity and imagination. The 4nternet is beginning to transform language learning first of all by making available to teachers and students an enormous range of information and resources as a means of communication not only in writing, but it is beginning to allow audio and video communication it leads to more crosscurricular work
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for their potential to motivate.
The students, once they are working on the computer, unless they need help, take the attention away from the teacher, though the teacher must coordinate and assess. This allows more fle$ibility in managing the lesson, and in particular there is often more time to work with individuals and groups than in a n ordinary class. 8ost of the activities with the 4nternet require small groups, they are not usually done individually. 8aterials from the 4nternet can be used with a variety of levels by allowing students themselves to choose the kind of material they work with, and by varying the kind of task they are asked to perform. ne drawback of the 4nternet is that it is a huge, rich resource, much of it yet unplanned. The variety of resources is so great that deciding how to e$ploit resources once you find them can be a challenge in itself. Gou have to plan the lessons very well in order to ensure your students; 4nternet time is productive in terms of language learning.
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