This week our task was to create a Delicious page. I have already been using this service for several years, but during this week I have found and added a lot of new links there. I'd like to thank Deborah, Courtney and my classmates for that as visiting your pages was worthwhile. And, of course, I have found a great deal of useful information, articles, resources, links on our course site.
As for reading materials, everything was extremely interesting, informative, thought-provoking and useful for me. The article I liked very much is New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation by Maria Grazia Busa as it is connected with a research I conducted a couple of years ago.Nowadays we (teachers, students, parents) are technology addicts (I am as well), but I have a strong believe that "there is no substitute for actual human-to-human contact in learning a language". In my opinion, to make using of CALL correct and effective every teacher nowadays while deciding "to use or not to use" this or that tool in the classroom should take into consideration one and the same principle. I call this principle "necessity and justification". It means that technology should be used if it's not possible or very difficult to get the lesson objectives or a certain teaching effect without them.
Our course objectives are extremely close to it, as while solving our weekly tasks we should be very selective (to choose the articles, projects, useful links). In addition, we can't just publish a couple of links to share with our classmates, but every time we should justify the necessity of using it in the classroom. I think there appears a new philosophy, based on a collective wisdom.
Hi Nataliia.
ReplyDeleteI really like your comments and there is one that got my attention and that is when you say "there is no substitute for actual human-to-human contact in learning a language." Precisely yesterday, I was talking about that with my students of English. I think that for courses on grammar, literature, linguistics, etc., it is possible to have virtual or online teaching; However, when it comes to learning pronunciation, the actual sounds, intonation, and rhythm, there is no element like a face-to-face educational interaction.
Do you think, though, that with time and technology, would the human interaction completely be replaced when it comes to learning?
Regards from paradise,
Hector.
Dear Nataliia,
ReplyDeleteWarm greeting!
I have gone through your blog post. I am really excited to learn new things in web skills which I have not learnt in the other online course. I am agree with you that technology may not replace the human beings but it may assist us in many ways in every field.
Similarly, it can be helpful tools if we take it positively in the EFL/ESL classroom too,can't it?
Thanking you.
With Best Regards,
Mukti