Integrating ICT Tools for English Language Acquisition
Challenges in ICT Integration for English Learning
Both digital divide and generation divide are difficulties encountered when using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in English learning.
Digital Divide
The digital divide refers to the lack of necessary technological infrastructure, such as:
- Computers
- Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs)
- Proper Internet connection in classrooms
- Dedicated computer rooms
Generation Divide
The generation divide refers to the gap between digital natives (students) and non-digital natives (teachers and parents). Reasons for this divide include:
- Late incorporation of technology into teaching practice.
- Lack of facilities and training.
ICT Tools for Language Skills Development
Authoring and Content Creation Tools
Storybird (Reading Skills)
Storybird is a tool focused on reading skills. It contains short, art-inspired stories that are curiously fun to make, share, and read. Users can choose from hundreds of drawings and images and then write a story to accompany them. The website is free to sign up, and class accounts are possible. Finished storybooks can be embedded into blogs or read via the website. It is a fantastic way to show parents what their children are reading in class.
Hot Potatoes (Exercise Generator)
Hot Potatoes is a simple exercise generator and is considered an authoring tool. It includes six specific authoring tools:
- JQuiz: To create question exercises (multiple answers, short answers, hybrids, and multi-selection).
- JCloze: Fill-in-the-space exercises.
- JMatch: Matching/relation exercises.
- JMix: Exercises to sort elements (letters, sentences, etc.).
- JCross: Crossword exercises.
- The Masher: Used to create complete units of Hot Potatoes exercises.
Social Software (Collaboration)
Social Software tools allow people to connect, communicate, and collaborate online. Examples include:
- Blog: A web page featuring regular online diary entries.
- Wiki: A collaborative web space consisting of a number of pages that can be edited by any user.
- Podcast: An audio/video file that is broadcast via the Internet and can be downloaded.
Developing Specific Language Skills
Oral Skills Activity (Skype)
Skype, founded in 2003, allows users to make phone calls through the internet using Voice over IP (VoIP) technology. It offers a wide variety of services, including calls to fixed-lines or mobile phones, fax, and video calling.
Proposed Activity: Students contact students from a school in England for one hour to discuss their families, interests, hobbies, etc. This activity provides students with the opportunity to:
- Practice vocabulary.
- Improvise.
- Engage in real communication in English.
- Increase motivation by meeting new friends.
Assessment: Will be based on pronunciation and fluency, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and interaction. The activity will be carried out in a fifth grade class of 28 students, aged 10 to 11 years old.
Listening Skills Activity (Voki)
Voki is a great way for students to share their knowledge of a topic in 60 seconds or less. Users can customize the avatar’s:
- Character Style
- Look, clothing, and accessories
- Voice
- Background
Proposed Activity: Groups of four students will create their own avatar and record a 60-second audio telling a story. At the end, they will ask two questions. The other groups will try to answer them. The objectives of this activity are to motivate students to participate, improve message comprehension, and introduce technology in a fun way.
Assessment: Will be based on understanding common phrases and vocabulary, as well as understanding the main theme of the topic.
Writing Skills Activity (Dvolver Moviemaker)
Dvolver Moviemaker is a tool for creating short movies. The movie maker makes it easy to create and share short online movies, pairing cartoon-like backgrounds and characters with the user’s ideas and text.
Reading skills (Storybird) are supported by the tool described previously.