APPLICATION OF ICT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE

OBJECTIVE:
At the end of this Module participants will be: (i)

Able to employ the use of basic computer application skills (ii)

Exposed to the gains of deploying ICT in the teaching of English Languages

CONTENT INTRODUCTION
Information and Communication Technology (ICT for short) is being used in almost all field of
life, including in education. In education computer technology has become so essential that the
government put ICT as one of the curriculum in Nigeria. ELT - English Language Teaching ICT
- Information and Commission Technology TELL - Teaching English Language and Literature CALL-
Computer Assisted Language Learning CELL - Computer Enhanced Language Learning The use of
ICT has had wider reception and use in the class of commerce and Business management. Here
ICT is of great use. However, ICT can also be of great use in the teaching of English Language
and Literature.
You can use Google image search to get sketches that depicts scenes in a novel your student is
reading. This can make the text more interesting to the visual learners.
Today’s teachers should not
just be up-to-date, but up-to-the moment because things are changing fast. You can create an e-
Group for all your students and use Yahoo Groups to organize your e-Group. Through this e-
Group, you can circulate reports, suggestions, write ups etc. Power-Point presentation with audio
and video clips of important scenes in plays and discussion in classroom.
ICTs in English (Overview)
Literacy in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is fundamental to life in our
modern technology society. To equip students to be literate lifelong learners and global citizens
of the first 21st Century, we must successfully integrate ICT into both the English curriculum
and English pedagogical practices. ICT is a valuable tool to enhance teaching and learning. For
teachers ICT is a professional resources, a model of classroom delivery, and a source of valid
and valuable text types. For students, ICT provide opportunities to communicate more
effectively and to develop literacy skills including skills in critical literacy. It is a valuable tool
for researching, composing and responding and viewing and representing English. However, if
all students are to have the opportunities the develop ICT skills and achieve English Syllabus
outcomes, issues of equity and access to technology (digital divide) must be addressed
Students encounter ICT in many areas of their lives and it is essential that we provide them with
the opportunities to explore the technology and encourage them to use it as a learning tool. A lot
of students now spend time on their computers, laptop, tablets and phones. Using ICT enables
English teachers to tap into the learning style and the dominant youth culture. Many modern ICT
texts can also be used as a starting point for the exploration of traditional texts. For example, an
interactive site such as the virtual tour of the Globe Theatre Site allows us to bring Shakespeare
world to life. Using ICT as a classroom tool has many other benefits because ICT:

Provide highly motivational activities for students

–
 initially computer-based activities can provide stimulus to undertake tasks that students may
otherwise avoid.

Links to other learning and to real world situation and experiences.

Increases opportunity for student’s

interaction and decision making
–
This interactive process has the potential to cater for individual learning styles.

Illustrate complex processes or concepts.

Provide access to resources. ICT also enable a representation of language as a symbolic system.
Furthermore, the use of well-designed ICT environments can help pupils grasp abstract concepts
such as imagery, literacy relations, and morphology.
The Teacher as Facilitor
ICT has many benefits for the classroom teacher. Using presentation software enables teachers to
show ideas dynamically. For example: CD-ROMS

4
make vivid multimedia worlds available and store large amount of information
–
which teachers suddenly have at their fingertips. Most importantly however, the use of ICTs in
the classroom signals a shifts from the conventional position of power held by the teachers to a
more collaborative approach to learning. Generally computer based activities allow the teacher to
assume the role of facilitator whilst the students take on an increasing responsibilities for their
own learning. The use of computer-based technologies can shifts the emphasis of activities away
from teacher and towards the students, enhance social interaction and be empowering especially
for students with low traditional literacy skills. Teachers can use a range of teaching tools such
as discussion boards, forums, email, raps, web guests, video and digital photography, e-movies,
and even mobile phones as tools for delivery of classroom program. This opens reciprocal
dialogue between members of the class community and may be extended to the school
community at large through activities such as blogs and wikis.
ICTs and the English Classroom
The use of ICT in the English classrooms extend beyond its motivational value to address the
outcomes of the syllabus, and allow students to become competent users as well as consumers in
English.
Incorporating ICT into the English curriculum can:
Improve writing and reading skills.

Develop speaking and listening skills.

Support collaboration, sensitivity, independent learning and reflection.

ICT can enable students to:

Access information and respond to a widening range of texts.

Organize and present information in a varieties of forms

Broaden the range of audiences for their work

Compose a widening range of texts for a broad range of purposes

Compose for real audiences

Develop understanding of language and critical literacy.

ICT and the issues of access and equity
There can be no doubt as to the importance of ICT to English. However, the following problems
need to be tackled:

Access to ICT within and amongst schools.

Access to ICT in students own homes.

Access to effective models of ICT teaching and learning.

Skilling teachers in ICT. There is still much work to be done to skill teachers in the new
technology. Teachers need to have adequate ICT skills, regular use of ICT equipment, and access
to reliable technical support if they are to use ICT effectively in English classroom. Until
concerns about equity and access are addressed and more is done to skill teachers in technology,
the mandatory inclusion of ICT in the curriculum remains a contentious issue and will be
meaningless for the great majority of students who do not have access to even basic technology
on an ongoing daily basis.
Threats to the application of ICT in teaching and learning English Language.
First and foremost, the teacher should not be technophobic. He/she should be well versed in the
art of using techno-gadgets, interest, e-resources etc. A teacher
who is adamant ‘not
to c
hange’ is one of the biggest hud
dles in this type of system. Secondly, the place where he wishes should have proper
infrastructure. The world still have places where a constant supply of electricity is a dream
(surely and

6
understatement in Nigeria) Even in the most advanced part of the world, hi-speed internet
connectivity is not possible.
Third, students’ eagerness and willingness to be a part of this system
; if they are ready to learn a little bit of internet surfing and emailing, it can come as an added
advantages to the success of the ICT enabled teaching system. The students therefore should be
more adopted and responsive to this method. Lastly, ICT can never replace a teacher. A man is a
better teacher than a machine, neither text nor technology can replace a teacher, a good teacher
will always be good whether he uses ICT or not. But if he uses it, it could improve the
proficiency level of his students and empower them with better understanding of language and
literature.
For further reading:
Application of ICTs in Teaching and Learning English in Large classes
–
Emmanuel C. Shamdam
–
Federal University Wakari, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Success,
Department of English and Literacy Students, Taraba State Nigeria