APPLIED LINGUISTICS for BA Students in English
VISUAL, AUDIO, AUDIO-VISUAL AND DIGITAL AIDS
Information and communication technologies
Contemporary digital, i.e. computer-operated information and communication technologies offer an unlimited chance for self-directed learning. Thus the principles of learner autonomy have to be followed when creating a fruitful learning environment based on ICT.
One can use software targeted at language teaching and learning; resources such as databases, dictionaries and encyclopedia; tools for productive use like word processing and data processing programs. (Legenhausen, 1996)
The most frequently occurring forms of ICT-based language learning activities use multimedia, electronic dictionaries and web-pages. Various international projects inspire students communicate to each other by sending e-mail messages.
As soon as students are able to express their thoughts on a one-to-one basis by e-mail, there is a realistic chance for encouraging them to enter on-line discussion forums, such as chat-rooms.
Topical chat-rooms that is MOOs offer a lot of perspectives for language educators where a theme can be initiated for discussion among language learners. As soon as a story can be outlined and a problem can be spotted, a simulation can be initiated, that is students carry on with the story in order to negotiate the solution. This chat-room-specific application leads us to the world of virtual reality. This form of application is called VRML and it offers the visualization of fictive participants and venues.
Various multimedia programs offer chance for self-correction and self-evaluation. They can be sources for diagnostic or attainment tests. With the help of built-in microphones and web cameras on the computer, some multimedia integrates the practicing of pronunciation and elementary units for interaction in a comparative way that resembles language lab applications to some extent.
Internet-based digital technology offers the chance for on-line audio communication and video-interaction with the help of Skype, ICQ, MSN and other kinds of applications. The majority of the previously named software mainly offers the chance for communication between two parties.
Should teachers want to involve more learner-communities in real-time communication, video-conferencing can be the mode of creating real situations for language learning. The exploitation of the benefits of Internet-based on-line communication adds new values to education, as the limits of the classrooms are extended and other student-communities can be invited. Thus, the term of ‘virtual classroom’ has also appeared in the profession. ‘Virtual classrooms’ do not only provide new information gained from set sources and peers in other classes, schools, towns, countries and even continents, but create a firm basis for creative types of learning such as project work.
As project work has developed, new technologies give us the opportunity to involve our students in designing and producing multimedia and/or web pages. Activities of this kind offer language learning opportunity while creating the programs that often act as source of learning for other people. This latter can be the case in numerous European projects for school-to-school co-operation.
