Radon.
It is noticeable that, computer technology and its derivation — the internet has played an increasingly indispensable role in language teaching and learning (Mike, 1996). Before, they were more often regarded as supplementary tools to classroom teaching. Whereas, no one would have foreseen that, the unexpected covid-19 pandemic has catapulted the online platform and the other digital resources into the primary media for education. People use technology and the internet more than ever in educational activities at this particular moment and I am no exception. In the past few months, I have personally experienced a lot with teaching and also being taught through this virtual world, which provokes me to reconsider the impacts exerted by these online tools, specifically on language learning.
I believe that most of us have in a sense benefited from internet recources while learning a language. In the midst of the pandemic, internet and technology enables us to continue acquiring the knowledge that we need in a safer way and guarantees a certain intake of social interaction, despite that it takes some time to familiarize ourselves with multifarious functions. During quarantine, I appreciated that I registered in an online French course, which empowered me to learn French and converse with others. In doing so, I made good use of my time without going out. Furthermore, the internet in general is not only informative (Koua, 2013) but also quite up to date. Notably, the internet is in fact changing the way people speak and even creating new words. For instance, it has contributed to the prosperity of English Text Speak characteristics of abbreviations or acronyms and even non-standard grammar. ASAP (as soon as possible), OMG (oh my God), BTW (by the way) are some telling examples. Besides, myriads of popular words in fact originated from the internet, such as selfie, tweet, hashtags, etc. The traditional textbooks, conversely, fail to provide all these present-day and practical usages of language.
Nevertheless, the internet and technology do not solely generate positive effects. My deepest impression so far is that the cyber world is also undermining the way we internalize knowledge. Take spelling as an example: in July and August of this year, I voluntarily taught English in the House of Friendship (HoF), a charitable organization in Montreal. Again, due to the pandemic, everything had to be performed online. I observed the high accuracy of spelling in the students’ e-version assignments in Word, whereas many more spelling mistakes were discovered in their final exam on Google Forms. My assumption was that the keyboard didn’t correct their spelling automatically in Google Forms, so that students’ actual mastery of spelling was exposed. Actually, it is not merely happening to these beginner-level language learners. The proficient ones and even native speakers are also experiencing the same. Think it over: Do you turn on the “auto-correction” function in your smartphone or use any grammar-check software like “Grammarly” on your computer? Have you ever been in a dilemma where you forgot the correct spelling of a frequently used vocabulary item when you try to write it down? If yes, you might be undergoing something similar to “character amnesia” in China. Unfortunately, the overdependence of technology and internet make us so stuck in the illusion of convenience that we are unaware that our actual knowledge is “getting stolen”.
The pandemic situation gives us no choice but to teach and learn primarily through online platforms and it is admittedly the most opportune solution for now. But when it is over, will computer technology and internet remain the core educational methods? We might reconsider it.
Questions for further discussion:
Based on your experience, what’s the biggest drawback/benefit of online language learning and teaching?
As a language teacher, can you share your example of how to use the internet and computer technology to supplement your teaching in the off-line classroom?
What do you think language teaching and learning will be like when the pandemic is over?
References:
Koua, V. (2013). The internet in french language teaching and learning: positive and negative impacts. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(4), 564–571. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.4.564-571
Mike, D. (1996). Internet in the schools: A literacy perspective. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 40(1), 1-13.
