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ICTs in English Learning and Teaching

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 PAPER
ICTS IN ENGLISH LEARNING AND TEACHING

ICTs in English Learning and Teaching

http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4016

Athanasios Drigas, Fani Charami,

N.C.S.R. ‘Demokritos’, Athens, Greece

Abstract—A great number of articles have been written resources where learning can be generated interactively
about English language teaching and the use of ICTs (In- through real world situations, student learning possibilities
formation and Communication Technologies) during the have been found to be increased along with student com-
last decade, achieving a laudable outcome. Recent literature puter skills and student views that their learning can be
has shown that the use of ICTs in the language classroom promoted and enhanced through communication tools
has a lot to offer to both learners and teachers, with learners towards autonomy. Along these lines, student learning
enhancing their vocabulary, improving their reading and possibilities are further enhanced when the employment of
speaking skills, and with teachers having to hold a double an ICT tool such as a DVD or an e-mail is a daily compo-
role; the role of the educator and that of the facilitator, nent of their lesson. ICT tools should be reinforcing the
while having to cope with complex situations which include coursebook, which is the ‘main medium’ teachers have, in
lack of training or lack of equipment in the language class- order to bring together a well-found syllabus that will
room. In this paper we shall review and present some repre- cover all of their students’ needs. It is nevertheless the
sentative studies on this field during the last decade. teacher’s responsibility once again to make an effort and
get liberated from the fear of ICT use in order to achieve a
Index terms—ICTs, English language learning and teaching, thriving and praiseworthy outcome for foreign language
vocabulary, pedagogy, motivation, teacher perspectives. learning [4][5].
I. INTRODUCTION Beauchamp et al. discuss that while ICTs have offered
teachers and their classrooms new pathways towards lan-
Teaching itself is an art. An art which, according to guage learning, they have also given students the liberty to
many teachers and researchers, is constantly changing orchestrate resources, thus, move towards autonomy and
depending on the era we live and teach in. Today, teach- be able to devise more dialogic and synergistic approaches
ing stands before a milestone, a major shift. A shift to- in the future, transforming their learning whether that is
wards teaching through technology, where, trying to fol- individual or group work [6].
low our times, we strive to prepare our students to em-
brace the new world that lies ahead them. II. ICTS AND THE FOUR SKILLS
As Ibrahim discusses, Information and Communication A. Listening
Technologies (ICTs) have altered the way we teach and
learn, taking education to another level, where a previous Nachoua reports that the skill of listening is of key sig-
teacher centered approach has today become a student nificance for English language learners to acquire. It is
centered one. It is a breakthrough by all means which has also a very intricate skill to teach. The concept of pronun-
revolutionized the learning process allowing knowledge to ciation, whether that is to understand or produce language,
be effortlessly distributed and be able to take place any- also raises problems for non-native speakers. Using CALL
where since according to the ‘‘…Distribution of the (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is a way to moti-
knowledge and learning’ … ‘Any space is a learning vate language learners to take a dynamic role in their
space’’ [1]. Dina et al. discuss that, since our world is learning instead of acting as passive listeners [7].
constantly changing, so should educational aims and pur- Helping learners develop listening skills can be
poses. Computer Assisted Language Learning is today achieved through a variety of multimedia instruments such
regarded as a critical element that has shifted educational as digital stories, Mp3 recordings or podcasts.
goals from knowledge acquisition to aspects and ways that In Verdugo et al., Digital stories are embraced by chil-
produce the development of attitudes and intellectual dren dearly as they combine interactivity, visual aids and
capabilities as well as of further assimilation of repetition, while they enthuse them through their topics.
knowledge [2]. As listening comprehension is difficult to be taught, these
As Hashemi et al. argue, it is however the responsibility stories help children develop this skill effortlessly, through
of teachers to ensure that they are first and foremost famil- a fun and motivational activity while developing linguistic
iar with the ICT use that is about to take place in their structure, literacy, vocabulary, sound patterns and prosody
classroom for such assimilation of knowledge to take which can ultimately lead them to learn the language.
place on secure grounds. Consequently, the learners’ Additionally, children are familiarized with the ways one
computer skills are to be evaluated along with their web may employ to convey meaning to others using non-
navigation skills and language level. Adding to the above, verbal communication such as gestures, facial expres-
computer room availability as well as computer per num- sions, pitch of voice etc. It is vital to point out that this
ber of students availability will successfully cover the social experience, as Verdugo et al. characterize it, takes
current needs of a teacher’s classroom [3]. place at the children’s own pace as they are allowed to
As Ching Yang et al. and Hismanoglou observe, Inter- proceed that way. It is also crucial to mention that, not-
net technology provides teachers and learners with ample withstanding the fascinating resources a teacher may find
on the Internet, what is brought in class should not exceed

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ICTS IN ENGLISH LEARNING AND TEACHING

the children’s linguistic level and technological abilities. film production through the use of WMM (Windows
Furthermore, teachers have to ensure that the Internet Media Player) which is a very basic programme, proved to
environment in which the children learn is secure [8]. enhance creative thinking, flexibility, originality, and
In Roussel et al., older learners use Mp3 recordings to elaboration along with inspiration, motivation and confi-
increase their understanding on what they listen, with the dence to primary school students to use the English lan-
recordings enabling them to pause and replay the parts guage. Additional motivation also emerged from the con-
they have inadequately understood, regulating their learn- stant enjoyment students found in producing the film,
ing, while taking control over their self-regulation strate- while improving their technological skills [13]. Gromik
gies which enable learners ‘to better handle incoming discusses that mobile phones are also favouring language
spoken discourse’ [9]. learning. Using their video recording feature, students in
Japan created 30 second weekly video productions which
As Rahimi et al. argues, listening provides learners with
large amounts of language input. Thus helping students have been found to increase the amount of words they
learn the ways through which their mind functions when spoke in a monologue. Thus, allowing learners use their
mobile phones for learning purposes serves two goals;
learning through technology is crucial, as they discover
producing more creative thinkers, as students experiment
how to control their learning. ‘Planning and consciously
with audio and video captures and photos as well as famil-
executing appropriate actions to achieve a particular goal’
iarizing students with the use of MALL (Mobile Assisted
as Sheorey and Mokhtari (2001) in Rahimi and Katal
Language Learning) [14]. Mercer et al. discuss on slightly
(2012, p. 1155) state, is what learners need to master in
different tone the fact that computer-based literacy activi-
order to acquire language in technology-based environ-
ties can also enhance children’s speaking skills by engag-
ments. Metacognitive strategies will direct each learner to
improve himself/herself in the areas they need improve- ing children into the discussion of the topic, allowing
them to share their thoughts and interact with their peers,
ment, in our case, listening. Podcasts are a means through
along with making decisions and learning to justify them
which the listening skill may be simplified and become
to their group. That however is a result that requires inte-
available to larger groups of population. Through pod-
gration of the literacy activities with the teaching of the
casts, the learning outcome can be influenced along with
speaking and the listening skill [15].
student motivation since they provide students with a self-
regulating input flow, respecting each student’s pace, C. Reading
helping them surmount any obstacles they feel they have
Online reading is a task that appears to be necessary for
in that area. What is more, students can listen to the input
the 21st century students. Therefore, the creation of a
repeatedly if they wish, anytime, anywhere, mastering its Web-based reading program called ‘English Reading
content, which could also be authentic input, free of Online’ was created to narrow the gap between reading
charge, in their own time [10]. and comprehension using online reading strategies. The
B. Speaking effective use of reading strategies is known to amplify a
reader’s understanding. As technology has penetrated our
As English today is regarded as a lingua franca, the skill
of speaking has become a skill of paramount significance lives, the perception of reading for comprehension
through technology has to turn into a forward-thinking
to acquire.
way of doing so. As Harrison and Singhal argue in Huang,
Güngor et al. present that in an Online Foreign Lan- Chern and Lin, ‘‘the ultimate goal is to enable students
guage Speaking Class, virtual classes are designed having use strategies spontaneously’’ thus gain a better under-
in mind principles of ELT and e-learning along with tech- standing of what is being read. Notwithstanding reading
niques that raise interaction, integrating vocabulary and strategies having several benefits, there are several limita-
use of English, while providing a stress-free environment tions such as the level of the participants, the classroom
in order to motivate even taciturn learners participate and settings and the categorization of strategies which have to
produce spoken language. In order for such an outcome to be taken into consideration before engaging into practice
be achieved though, learners must among other character- [16].
istics, be open-minded, motivate themselves and have
Strategic reading instruction benefits all students even
basic technical knowledge. However, while learners are
those of academic level.
only required to have basic computer skills, on a tutor’s
level, that proves to be inadequate. The tutor’s role, apart Dreyer et al., in their article argue that even university
from being a transmitter of knowledge and a guide to the students come unaware that they should use reading strat-
whole class, is also that of the facilitator; a multidimen- egies in order to comprehend texts better; unaware of what
sional role including technological and administrative is expected of them. This perhaps is a result of insufficient
skills in order to avoid problematic situations [11]. As high school preparation or little preparation during their
Hashemi explains, the use of Oovoo and Skype apart from time as students. As students gain a lot from reading
enabling users to interact with pre-recorded messages, through strategies which improve their academic perfor-
also provide learners with the option of synchronous chat, mance, having it offered through a technology-enhanced
allowing the creation of a virtual class of three to six us- environment multiplies its effect on comprehension while
ers, depending on the kind of subscription – free or paid it allows them to learn how to use technology. According
respectively. Another benefit provided by these two tools to the article, the resources offered to the students through
is that learners can benefit from authentic learning experi- a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) called
ences rather than their usual routine, which will in turn ‘‘Varsite’’ allowed them instant access to a larger variety
motivate them to ask for more real communication hence, of texts of those found in the University library. This sig-
more chances to internalise language [12]. nificantly provides each student with the autonomy to
access these resources according to their schedule, ena-
Waddel suggests another method to enhance students’
bling them to monitor their learning even better [17].
speaking skill, through the use of digital video. A short

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Castek et al report that the development of literacy based teaching were employed and the third type was the
skills is a matter that stresses students a lot. Online adven- ‘web-based way’ where the only kind of teaching and
ture reading is a way to take all that stress away and turn it materials were web-based What they found was that the
into enjoyment. Students today have this magic tool - the integrated way proved to be the most beneficial for the
Internet, which can motivate them and help them improve learners, as well as that gender plays a non-significant role
their literacy skills. Also, encouraging students to visit since the results were not dissimilar. It was also found that
online book clubs and interact with other readers enhances the level of the students changed towards improvement
their critical thinking and provides them with skills and after the use of the integrated method, thus results of the
strategies which will enable them to make the most of the post-test significantly differed from the results of the pre-
ICTs available to them. It is of course important to feel test. This study allows us to see that educators should use
relaxed when doing so, hence to know how to use this web-based material as they do improve their students’
new tool, not to see this as a convoluted experience, to level using a free and easy to use tool [21].In their articles,
enjoy collaboration and problem solving and to have posi- Arslan et al, Lomicka et al. and Miyazoe et al. discuss the
tive prior experience on these topics. Students with nega- use of blog software and Tweeter are tools that can help
tive experiences are more likely to gain less from this students practice written language, engage with the lan-
process. Developing positive disposition in the direction guage they wish to learn and of course to share their
of technology will build a relationship between the learn- thoughts or feelings and reflect on them. Promoting writ-
ers and reading and writing which will allow them to ing instruction through such an entertaining way enables
increase their opportunities on every aspect of their lives more production of written language which might not
in our world today which is an ‘information-centered’ have been produced otherwise. Students who also blogged
one[18]. rather than merely attending an in-class session showed
Larson suggests that e-books are an appealing and in- better results from those who only received in-class writ-
triguing method to introduce reading to students in a class- ing instruction. Teachers should make use of this tool as it
room. Since today’s classrooms are constantly changing enhances writing performance while it is not limited with-
through the use of technology, e-book reading could assist in school walls as it can take place anywhere. The result
comprehension of texts through the potential they can the students who blogged seem to have was an improve-
offer, introducing students to a wide variety of reading ment over those who did not, which indicates the value of
material. As Kindle is the tool used in this study, it was the integration of this tool. Tweeting also seems to be a
found that it endorsed the integration of traditional and valuable tool to initiate the creation of community bonds,
modern literacy skills significantly. As discussed in the hence allowing the learners find out more about each other
article, the two participating students showed different and build community bonds. In addition, when imple-
needs, fully met through a different individualized ap- menting forums, blogs and wikis at the same time, this
proach. One student showed ‘‘deep transactions with the seems to have positive results on students’ learning pro-
text’’ while the other ‘‘struggled to understand the emerg- gress since this blended approach allows them to study the
ing plot or specific text features’’. For the second student, differences which may occur in ways of expressing in
the use of tools such as the dictionary available enabled English when using written language [22][23][24].
her to better understand bigger or unknown words, while Van Leeuwen et al. observed that word processors are
changing to bigger fonts also facilitated her effort. Digital another way to help learners use the target language as it
readers support both struggling and non struggling readers motivates them to do so. As ICTs enter our classrooms in
as this article finally argues [19]. the form of tools, they can facilitate this procedure to a
Struggling readers face difficulty in the area of reading great extend. Educators embrace this new tool as it allows
comprehension while graduating school for many of them students to share and construct knowledge in a place such
seems unattainable. Sternberg et al. discuss about the as a primary school, where even the role of the teacher per
action that policymakers could take into consideration in se is converted to that of a guide or even a participant. It is
order to help today’s adolescents achieve higher goals however clear that this way of teaching cannot be holisti-
regarding their education through the use of technology. cally expected to bear fruit when the student level is that
This action can be translated into seven areas which are a) of a beginner, neither that a word processor can replace
state-offered virtual courses and delivery systems, b) the teacher when, if anything, it complements it [25]. In
communication tools, c) artificial intelligence, d) word spite of their various benefits, as stated in many articles by
processors, e) new literacies practices, f) professional many researchers, the effectiveness of ICTs in the teach-
development and g) technology for parents. The article ing of writing to learners aged five to sixteen years of age
concludes stating that professionals in the educational is not saluted by everyone., (Andrews et al. in their article
field should commit to research so as to minimize the state that there is still room for research to indicate the
crisis that has surrounded adolescent literacy today [20]. benefits of the use of ICTs in assisting written composi-
tion. It is stated that further research in the form of a ‘‘new
D. Writing kind of research… at the cutting edge of interface design
Writing can be perplexing for many students since it in the service of learning’ is needed [26].
requires correct use of grammar. Unlike spoken language,
written language cannot use gestures or body language to III. VOCABULARY
explain what it is that needs to be understood or conveyed. Mustafa et al. discusses that learning vocabulary has of-
Yusof et al. performed a study where they tried to identify ten been accused to be the last care of teachers as it is
the best way a teacher can use to teach the Passive Voice thought to be taught through reading and listening and
phenomenon. They used three types of classes. The first perceived as ‘incidental learning’. It is profound though
was ‘the traditional-face to face way’, the second was the that without vocabulary knowledge, learners feel that their
‘integrative way’ where both traditional teaching and web- understanding of language, whether that is written or spo-

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ICTS IN ENGLISH LEARNING AND TEACHING

ken, is inadequate. Trying to alter the direction things 5. Take advantage of online word reference tools that
have had until now, using online reading tasks to teach are also teaching tools.
vocabulary appears to be of help. Through the use of 6. Support reading and word learning with just-in-time
computers, learners show signs of advancement, building vocabulary reference support.
their vocabulary and experiencing learning in different 7. Use language translators to provide just-in-time help
ways, through different methods than the ones they were for ELs.
used to. Moreover, they become motivated; hence their
attitude towards learning is positive with the use of com- 8. Increase reading volume by reading digital text.
puter playing an important role. Adding to that, the Inter- 9. Increase reading volume by listening to digital text
net which has nowadays become part of our lives can add with a text-to-speech tool and audio books.
to vocabulary acquisition since its incorporation in the 10. Combine language learning and social service.
second language classroom will prove to be a prolific
source of new vocabulary, given that the learners are These strategies will not only help students understand
trained and know how to use the Internet for this purpose the texts they read or perceive their concepts, they will
[27]. also serve as metacognitive knowledge on how to apply
what they have read and learnt to texts yet to come [29].
In addition, vocabulary learning is also thought to be a
boring task to complete by learners as vocabulary building Loucky reports that in an effort to help students maxim-
can be a very long process, particularly for learners who ize their vocabulary learning, the use of CBDs (Computer-
have been brought up in today’s digitalized world. ised Bilingual Dictionaries) was examined at Japanese
college students learning English as a foreign language. It
Yip et al., conducted research on the matter and showed appears that CBDs offer prompt access to the learner’s
that between the two groups used for the needs of the unknown words assisting lexical processing. Between
research with one being the group that would learn vocab- English major students and Engineering major students,
ulary through game playing and the other, the group that the later seem to learn the CBDs use easier. Finally, it was
would learn vocabulary using the traditional face to face found that the students with more advanced level of Eng-
learning method, the first showed that playing online vo- lish could use the CBDs easier that those with a lower
cabulary games allows learners to learn better and be able level [30].
to remember what they have learnt for longer as well as be
able to recall more words than the second group that had Similarly, learners use CALL (Computer Assisted
no interaction with such games. It is possible that the Language Learning), their performance is of great interest,
justification for the first group showing more vocabulary as is the outcome of their performance, their positive atti-
acquisition is that learners are keen on being autonomous, tude towards language learning. Mahmoudi et al per-
something that the online games provide. Another reason formed a study which showed that there is a positive con-
can be the fact that these games are motivating and boost nection between the students’ viewpoint and the outcome
learners’ confidence building in them a need for further of what they have achieved regarding CALL and learning
development, while they provide learners with a less English vocabulary [31].
stressful feeling of learning. It is however discussed that Utami similarly studied whether CALL is a construc-
adopting such a game for long-term learning needs moni- tive way to enhance vocabulary acquisition. The study
toring from teachers ensuring that learning progress con- included text, picture and video modalities which were
tinues to takes place. Thus, the role of teachers is to facili- combined with exercises and tests showing that the stu-
tate as well as to research on the matter, considering ex- dents who used CALL had a ‘significantly high benefit on
tending the impact game playing has today into a more vocabulary acquisition’ without which, language input
cognitive building issues in order to promote and encour- cannot be understood by language learners hence reading
age active learning [28]. a text and understanding it becomes a very difficult task to
According to Dalton et al., vocabulary is the area where complete. Furthermore, it is discussed that along with
instructors seem to be at most in need of assistance. In other factors that make the use of CALL such a productive
order to help their students’ acquisition of vocabulary, way to enrich students’ vocabulary is the presentation of
teachers require strategy use and resources as well as tools materials which facilitate ‘student active learning’ and
which will be available to them at any time and will allow vocabulary recall [32].
their students transform their knowledge into production IV. PEDAGOGY
of written and spoken language, which is not feasible
without vocabulary development. In order to achieve this, In order to comprehend the changes that technological-
moving from the old, traditional ways to a digital learning ly integrated classrooms have brought to today’s ways of
can be of great assistance. The use of technology in learn- teaching and learning, a variety of sources have been
ing supports learners, transforming them to strategic employed, such as digital game production, digital story-
learners through its use. Hence, Dalton et al. refer to ten telling, digital moviemaking, classroom observation, and
strategies for vocabulary learning through technology teacher lesson plans.
instruction. These are as follows. As we stand on the milestone of ICTs in the language
1. Learn from visual displays of word relationships classroom, it seems that a communicative approach should
within text. be preferred to a teacher-centered model since it will ena-
2. Take a digital vocabulary field trip. ble learners move towards autonomy.
3. Connect vocabulary and learning with online vocab- As Zhong et al. state, integrating ICTs into the class-
ulary games. room will result to a technology-induced pedagogy that is
consistent with a learner centered approach teachers strive
4. Have students use media to express vocabulary for, hence more interactive classrooms will finally arise
knowledge.
[33].

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Benmayor argues that towards such an interactive the use of ICTs with the teaching of English promoted the
classroom, digital storytelling aims to use a culture and construction of knowledge, lifelong learning, different
experience friendly pedagogy to embrace student technol- styles and strategies to students, while supplying students
ogy skills and allow students to share personal experienc- with different needs what they required in order to achieve
es by sharing their cultural perceptions, become acquaint- their goals. Additionally, using ICTs created a motivating
ed with new ways of thinking and express themselves environment for students while teachers were able to cre-
through it [34]. Willett, on the other hand suggests that ate new materials for teaching. Finally the article con-
Digital Production aims to bridge leisure and learning cludes with the fact that ‘…technology on its own is not a
experiences of young people through a pedagogy that “magical wand” or “a silver bullet.” [39].
includes constructivism, constructionism and situated Gallardo del Puerto et al. discuss that the implementa-
learning, allowing students to express the knowledge they tion of ICTs into a language classroom as well the extent
have gained through the perspective of the producer rather of the implementation is quite related to the knowledge or
than the one of the consumer. Thus, game designing and training or attitude teachers have towards their use. It
game playing can turn into scaffolding, knowledge acqui- could be therefore suggested that further CALL training
sition and ‘informal learning’ [35]. could increase ICTs use in classrooms. Instructors do not
Hofer et al. discuss that digital Moviemaking aims to seem to use computers in order to enhance interaction and
induce PCTK (Pedagogical Content Technology communication in their classes even though they believe
Knowledge) along with powerful and at the same time in these two elements for language acquisition considering
accessible technology integration. In addition while ensur- them particularly important. However, many teachers
ing the application of academic disciplines and balancing would incorporate ICTs more into their lessons presuming
the use of technology with a student-centered pedagogy, it that they have received training acquiring technological
considers the teaching of technology as a process that and administrative skills which will allow them to imple-
needs careful handling and requires to be introduced using ment new technologies into their classes and help avoid
the appropriate scaffolding [36]. puzzling situations. Furthermore, it is hoped that proper
Finally, on a teacher’s note, and before discussing interactive functionalities will be developed in the future.
Teacher perspectives on the use of ICTs we should look at Finally, the study concludes that technological develop-
what Law discusses. ments and teacher training in CALL should go ‘hand –in-
hand’ and that only when combining technology with
Law suggests that there still is a great distance to be
pedagogy we can expect successful results [40].
covered before claiming that we can provide our students
with fully ICT-integrated classrooms. Notwithstanding In Joseph and Pramela et al. it is discussed that it is the
PCTK becoming TPCTK (Technological Pedagogical responsibility of teachers to use all the means in their
Content Technology Knowledge) in a small period of power to transmit knowledge to their students by using
time, it still does not cover what teachers need in order to each and every tool appropriately as their role in education
incorporate ICTs in pedagogical innovations; cognitive, is crucial. It is teachers who influence and establish the
metacognitive, social and socio-metacognitive capacities. quality of learning that takes place in a classroom. In
Teacher learning as professional development, needs to order for the teachers to achieve a good quality of teach-
embrace the orientation and motivation that will enable ing -as perceived today- they try to implement new tech-
educators enter a professional network of innovators and nologies into their classrooms, accepting the challenge of
produce pedagogical innovation supporting their original improving their teaching. For this reason, the educational
goal, to educate in the 21st century [37]. institutes must have first supplied them with the technolo-
gy required for such advancement. In addition, teachers
V. TEACHER PERSPECTIVES should be aware of the goals and the objectives of their
Hu et al. performed a study at an English teaching Col- lesson as well as their students’ needs in order to reach
lege in China, where the incorporation of ICTs into their efficacious learning outcomes. It is however vital to con-
classes was initially greeted by most teachers positively. It sider questions such as ‘what skills do learners need’,
was discussed that guiding students towards autonomy ‘how should students be taught in relation to ICTs’ and
would be achieved through the use of new technologies as ‘how should teachers teach’ in order to provide the best
well as to a more student-centered approach. However, a outcome. In an effort to answer the last question, we
combination of inadequate ICT skills along with a same should give thought to the fact that the implementation of
wave length pedagogical expertise proved to be a hin- ICTs in a classroom depends on the teachers’ positive
drance to this effort, while the enthusiasm the teachers attitude towards them. We should moreover consider that
expressed at the beginning decreased due to shortcomings teachers are not always familiar with the resources availa-
such as support and training shortage. Other than that, lack ble and that they do not always receive training on the
of investment also augmented the fact that this transfor- tools they will be expected to use in their classes. The
findings of the study conducted by Joseph (2013) in Eng-
mation was discontinued [38].
lish language classrooms in UAE (United Arab Emirates)
As Saglam et al. discuss, in another school in Turkey, showed that both IAT (Institutes of Applied Technology)
nine ELT experienced teachers with MA TEFL titles were and SIT (Sharjah Institute of Technology) teachers had a
expected to manage the demand for incorporation of ICTs positive attitude towards the use of ICTs in their classes as
into their instruction while they had had no formal rele- they appreciated the motivation they offered to their stu-
vant training in the past. Notwithstanding the many ob- dents. It should however be mentioned that while IAT
stacles faced by the teachers, the results were positive teachers received training on ICTs, SIT teachers did not,
concerning educational technology and its function in with the later having to provide training for themselves.
enriching language teaching while accepting that apart On the same wavelength, in-service teachers from the
from teachers, students also had training needs. Blending Bachelor of Education TESL Programme Kebangsaan in

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ICTS IN ENGLISH LEARNING AND TEACHING

Malaysia shared their thoughts on ICTs and their imple- constantly changing and that they shall have to gain
mentation in their lesson. Most views were positive, high- knowledge of how to use all these new tools. In order for
lighting the motivational value of ICTs for students while that to be accomplished though, there shall have to be
there were complaints for classrooms not connected to the gestures both by schools and governments to offer teach-
Internet or even insufficient labs leading to teaching using ers the opportunities to gain this knowledge and motivate
the traditional classroom method [41][42]. them to do so through the acquisition of certificates, offi-
Hashemi finally reports that although many schools cially proving this newly gained knowledge. It is im-
around the world are equipped with computers with Inter- portant that teachers know how to use ICTs in their clas-
net access in every classroom, multimedia labs, projectors ses in order to incorporate them into their way of teaching
and everything a teacher would need to transform a lesson on a regular basis. Allowing our teachers to feel threat-
into a learning experience for their students through mul- ened by ICTs will result in the discontinuance of their use.
timedia, it is the teachers who lack guidance as to how to Consequently, perceiving ICTs as an aid, rather than a
use this equipment and how to implement it into every- peril, teachers shall not feel intimidated by their presence
day’s lesson. Also, the recent advancement of technology in their classrooms, which in every case, is not to make
has made it even more difficult for teachers to adopt and the notion of the ‘teacher’ an obsolete term in some dic-
integrate ICTs in their classrooms. This is translated into tionary in the future. Finally, we shall always regard ICTs
an impediment since teachers do not accept or use what as a means through which our students shall become ac-
they do not know; consequently this is where their nega- quainted with the world ‘out there’, broadening their hori-
tive attitude towards ICTs ensues from. In order for teach- zons and realizing that since English is today regarded as
ers to trust this new current they will first have to under- a lingua franca, it is not merely the people from English
stand it, be familiar with it and know how to use it. In the speaking countries they can communicate with; it’s rather
case of India, schools are equipped with technology while a medium through which they may communicate with the
teachers have not received equivalent background whole world.
knowledge to support all the technology they have in their
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iJES ‒ Volume 2, Issue 4, 2014 9

 PAPER
ICTS IN ENGLISH LEARNING AND TEACHING

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Reading Teacher Vol. 60, No. 5pp. 420–429, (2007).
[26] R., Andrews, A., Freeman, D., Hou, N., McGuinn, A., Robinson Athanasios Drigas is a Senior Researcher at N.C.S.R.
& J., Zhu ‘The effectiveness of information and communication Demokritos. He is the Coordinator of Telecoms Lab and
technology on the learning of written English for 5- to 16-year- founder of Net Media Lab since 1996. From 1985 to 1999
olds.’ British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol 38 No 2, he was the Operational manager of the Greek Academic
pp.325–336 (2007). http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.
00628.x
network. He has been the Coordinator of Several Interna-
tional Projects, in the fields of ICTs, and e-services (e-
[27] H. R., Mustafa, N., Sain, & N. Z. A., Razak, ‘Using Internet for
Learning Vocabulary among Second Language Learners in a Sub- learning, e-psychology, e-government, e-inclusion, e-
urban School.’ Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 66, 425- culture etc). He has published more than 240 articles, 7
431 (2012). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.286 books, 25 educational CD-ROMs and several patents. He
[28] F. W., Yip, & A. C., Kwan, ‘Online vocabulary games as a tool has been a member of several International committees for
for teaching and learning English vocabulary.’ Educational media the design and coordination of Network and ICT activities
international, 43(3), 233-249 (2006). http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/ and of international conferences and journals. (e-mail:
09523980600641445
[email protected])
[29] B., Dalton, & D. L., Grisham, ‘eVoc Strategies: 10 ways to use
technology to build vocabulary.’ The Reading Teacher, 64 (5), Fani Charami is an English language teacher, current-
pp. 306–317. International Reading Association (2011). ly with N.C.S.R. ‘Demokritos’, Institute of Informatics
[30] P. J., Loucky, ‘Using computerized bilingual dictionaries to max- and Telecommunications, Telecoms Lab - Net Media Lab,
imize English Vocabulary learning at Japanese Colleges’. Agia Paraskevi, 153 10, Athens, Greece (e-mail:
CALICO Journal, 21 (1), pp. 105-129 (2003). [email protected])
[31] E., Mahmoudi, A., Abdul Samad, Zainab & A., N. Razak, ‘Atti-
tude and students’ performance in Computer Assisted English Submitted 08 July 2014. Published as resubmitted by the authors 25
October 2014.
Language Learning (CAELL) for learning vocabulary.’ The 8th
International Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) Seminar -

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