Technoloogy_Enhancing_English

, podcasts and other media give students the option to rewind and review material over and over again. Mobile apps such as FlashCardz for iPhone allow students to become more autonomous learners outside the classroom and to capitalize on individual learning styles. Indeed, technology creates opportunities to spend increased amounts of time on language learning tasks. 2. Contextualization Today’s technologies – by imitating and constructing associations, sounds, sights and social settings – also provide L2 learners with language in context. When we are able to link a language to a context (to an experience), we have a better chance of recalling the linguistic information to which we were exposed. To this extent, multimedia serves the important purpose of combining everything from audio and video to static pictures and texts to create contextualized learning environments. E-mails, spreadsheets, and word processing are other examples of “contexts” that can and should be applied to language teaching because they help students form associations. 3. Authentic Chunks According to many experts, the best way to retain vocabulary in one’s L2 is to learn the small phrases, or chunks, in which native speakers often use the lexical item(s) of interest. Many classrooms focus too heavily on individual parts that ultimately become isolated from real speech. Technology, however, is able to compensate by making learners aware of the ways in which certain lexical and grammatical elements are grouped together. At Voxy, we try to draw learners’ attention to such chunks and collocations by highlighting them in our online texts. 4. Additional Input and Intake Researchers have started to indicate that input – the exposure to both spoken and written samples of a language, whether comprehended or not – is no longer enough for students. This input, they say, must be converted into intake: the comprehended input that helps to further develop students’ linguistic systems. Technology provides a way not only to increase language input but also to enhance the process of converting input into intake. Imagine the process of gathering online information for an upcoming presentation. This process requires that one access, read and sift through large amounts of information (input) in order to choose what is most important. For language learners, it is precisely this process of consciously and purposefully filtering through large amounts of input that ensures the input-to-intake conversion. A simple worksheet assignment hardly has the same effect. They defined digital tools to include a wide range of media forms: images, video and audio clips, hypertext, hypermedia, and Web pages. The majority of studies they found dealt with reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Pearson et al. concluded that a wide range of digital tools enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary development by providing students access to word pronunciation, word meaning, contextual information, and comprehension scaffolds to guide an individual’s reading. Thus, a strong research base supports the conclusion that technology can enhance all aspects of literacy development. * Enhancing access efficiency through digital multimedia. Multimedia presentations (video, images, sound, text) can create stronger memory links than text alone. In addition, digital technologies allow instant playbacks, which provide the learner with quick and easy access to different sections of instructional materials than when they are using a textbook. * Enhancing authenticity using video and the Internet. The Internet provides learners with access to authentic materials, like news and literature, while video can offer context-rich linguistic and culturally relevant materials to learners. * Enhancing comprehensibility through learner control and multimedia annotations. Video materials online can be enhanced with full captions, key-word captions, and speech slowdown, allowing the reader to more easily digest the information. Digital reading materials can be hyperlinked to different media, which students can choose to help their comprehension of the material. * Providing meaningful and authentic communication opportunities. Students can engage in authentic types of communication through e-mail, chat rooms, and other digital means. (p. 16) Knobel, 2006; Lewis & Finders, 2002). They build on foundational literacies and skills, such as comprehension, phonics, vocabulary knowledge, phonemic awareness, writing, and spelling. Learners need to continue to build on these foundational literacy and skills in order to adopt and adjust to literacies of the future. If the research evidence supports these claims that technology is this damaging, it would suggest that some children’s language skills may become impaired and literacy levels may fall. At a clinical level, the impact of impaired language is widely known: Language difficulties affect social and emotional development and functioning and have important implications for long-term outcomes and general well-being Overall, the study concluded that verbal interaction and the use of a variety of language functions by English language learners can be facilitated by the use of the computer. The group's computer book reading environment fostered language development by providing an opportunity for verbal interaction Vocabulary development   In the end, the contextual approach proved to be much more effective in promoting long-term recall of vocabulary.  This learning process was made possible and more effective by the use of computers. Reading Computer software and games provide many fun opportunities for students to practice literacy skills. There are numerous software packages for improving spelling, phonics skills, grammar and sight word vocabulary. When English Language Learners are learning their second language, any and all language experiences are valuable to assist in reading ability. WRITING As demonstrated, computers and software can help English language learners develop vocabulary skills and knowledge. Computers can also help ELL students develop their writing skills. Using a computer as a medium for studying grammar is much more motivating for a student as opposed to writing with a pencil. DAMAGE The claim that abbreviations and acronyms used in communication technologies like text messaging are spilling over to damage formal communication (such as essays) is one that requires attention. Older generations, including some educators, fear that computer spelling checks may be stunting young people’s spelling and grammar skills. There is concern that many young people struggle with spelling and grammar when they are forced to write something by hand, having grown reliant on spelling checks. While it is debatable that the new technologies are negatively impacting literacy standards, one thing is for sure: they are definitely shaping our written language, communication and expression. Technology has done more than extend our vocabulary; it has changed the way we use language, communicate and express ourselves. It is the younger generations who are at the forefront of this language revolution. The slang used in text messaging would not be a problem if only it was used for its intended purpose, unfortunately, it has become merged with formal English by many of its users. Those who text message tend to use a shortened word, abbreviation, or a single letter to represent an entire thought. The word you is usually replaced with the letter u. Their, there, and they're are usually written simply as there, in all three cases. Your and you're are usually simplified to ur or the exclusive usage of your in both occurrences. Thought's such as I don't know and laugh-out-loud have been replaced with IDK and LOL. These expressions were invented to reduce the number of keystrokes required to convey a message. They serve their purpose well, if both parties can read them. However, some people who use this slang language cannot use proper spelling and grammar when formal writing is required. They've become so used to this informal language, that they cannot write formally when they need to. Along with formal spellings of words, grammar rules, including capitalization and punctuation, have been forsaken. Shortened expressions lead to ambiguity in writing and, no matter what the skills of the reader, some sentences without proper grammar can be interpreted multiple ways. Spelling presents another problem; some people who text message rely on their phones to spell out words. They may know the first few letters, but the phone does the rest. When these users are presented with a computer, or even a pencil and paper, they have difficulty correctly spelling and may use the wrong word because it looks similar, or has the same first few letters. A possible reason why some other informal languages have never become a problem is that their users could understand the difference between informal and formal English. The reason words like thou and thee fell out of the English language is probably because of lack of use. The same could happen for their, there, and they're, as well as many other subtle spelling differences if we're not careful. Determining the difference between formal and slang English presents a problem for people who use slang 90% of the time; they don't use the formal language, so they forget it. Of course, there will always be people who understand and can write formal English, just as there are people who still understand the correct usage of thou, but if the general population continues to use informal slang more than formal English, it will slowly become the standard