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49THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN
LANGUAGE TEACHING
Zhalilova Lola Zhalilovna
Bukhara State University, Senior teacher of the department of
"English language and literature"
Abstract. The given article deals with the implementation of digital technologies in language teaching, advantages and disadvantages of digital technology are identified and analyzed.
Keywords: digital technologies, e-mail, e-book, virtual classroom, motivation, advantages, disadvantages, distance learning.
Education system began its new life and modern technologies became the reason of this evolution.
All foreign language teachers are trying to use the achievements of modern technologies for improving the effect of their lessons and making them more essential than before.
The twenty-first century is the age of globalization and information technology as Harry Samuels argues that much more recent developments in social media and information technology are taking foreign-language education in new directions. English is one of the important mediums of communication in the world, so it is important to learn the language. As a result, English language teaching has been one of the important subjects in education. In fact, there are more non-native than native speakers of the language. There is also the diversity of context in terms of learner's age, nationality, and learning background that has become an important feature of English language teaching today.
As the multimedia technology becomes more readily available to all of us, it seems appropriate that the language teachers should integrate it into their lesson and assessment planning in the same way they have been doing with video, film and computer-assisted learning strategies. The students are surrounded by technology and this technology can provide interesting and new approaches to language teaching because the use of technology for teaching and learning is moving their institution in the right direction. In this way, the teachers of English can take full advantage of technology to teach English in the non-native speaking countries. "Computers are important in education because they force us to reconsider how people learn, how they are empowered, and what the nature of learning and useful information is." We cannot avoid the presence of computers in our schools because they are forcing educators to re-evaluate the very nature of what and how we teach. In 1998, the Office of Technology Assessment reported there were approximately 5.8 million computers in schools across United States or approximately one machine for every nine students.
An advantage of having computer-assisted instruction in the classroom is that the computer can serve as a tutor. Teachers can only aid students in the learning process so far. Computers can assist teachers and act as a tutor for the students who are falling behind. A report entitled Computer Advantages: Tutoring Individuals, states with computers as tutors, no student will be overwhelmed because he or she is missing fundamentals the computer will repeat material until each lesson has been sufficiently mastered. Teachers do not have the time to repeat lessons over and over again. The writer believes it is important to give all students in the classroom the opportunity to adequately learn the lessons, and with computers acting as tutors they can.
Kathleen Patrice Gulley believes that the advantages discussed concerning computer technology in the classroom outweigh the disadvantages. Computer technology is a positive supplement to bridge the gap between education and the technological world in which we live. Computer-assisted technologies in schools offer students greater access to information, an eager motivation to learn, a jump-start on marketable job skills and an enhanced quality of class work. [1.20]
The use of the Internet in education is a topic that has received extensive attention. There are some obvious advantages when compared to traditional in-class education. The advantages affect the students and teachers in different ways. The students are the people enrolled in the learning course. The teacher/instructor is the person who will be in charge of teaching the class. The teacher will send out materials, e-mails, etc, instructing the students of what they need to be doing. The discussion that follows lists some of the advantages that have been found in previous research.
Several advantages for using the Internet have been found. One significant advantage is that the virtual classroom can help with instructor organization. Areas for course documents, assignments, class notes and other information can be readily categorized. The creation of a "virtual notebook" can make locating documents easier for both instructor and student. Having this information on the Internet can provide faculty with a method for quickly updating and revising course content.
A case study was done in order to evaluate the use of virtual classroom in 2001. According to Jason, students view the use of the virtual classroom as an ease of accessibility. It is much easier with the information posted on the Web because it is available 24 hours a day. Distance learning courses can be done anywhere and at any time. Students can view this information without having to contact the instructor.
Of the educational advantages of the virtual classroom, the notion of distance acting as an actual aid to the teaching and learning is central and perhaps surprising. Instead of the technology solely acting as a barrier, it simultaneously seemed to force the users to be pragmatic in their actions and alter their behaviour accordingly. Teachers and pupils who normally had difficulties in controlling their teaching and studying acts gradually found that the new learning environment required them to develop novel ways of teaching and learning. They found that they patiently had to wait their turn, speak more clearly, moderate their accents and plan more carefully what they were going to present. Both teachers and pupils had to adapt to the mediated interactions that required everyone to present their points quickly, precisely and audibly for the benefit of everyone and not just for the local classroom.
"Cost is also considered to be an advantage. Students save money by not having to commute to class thus saving time, gasoline, child care and travel expenses. Another advantage of the virtual classroom is time. Students who are motivated and/or quick learners may be permitted to move ahead at a faster rate than in a normal in-class setting. Communication is considered a benefit because most contact with instructors will be done via email, messages can be sent at any time day or night.
To the teacher the fact of everything being digital is an advantage. Since all work is sent over e-mail, instructions are able to deal with students work in an easy manner. Since everything is typed the teacher no longer is faced with the challenge of deciphering handwriting. Another advantage found to be considered by teachers is reusability. Teachers can reuse their own material or easily get material from others." [2.12]
Distance learning on the Internet has its advantages however unfortunately it also has some disadvantages. One of the most persistent problems has been the factor of time. Professors have expressed their disgust about not having too much demand on their time. The use of the Internet causes many professors to step out of their comfort zones because; Internet teaching goes against the traditional method of teaching. In order to capitalize on the benefits of the Internet, the professors must first structure their material to fit the layout of the Internet. This process does not occur overnight, it requires time, dedication, and some patience. They are required to adjust their curriculum to meet the standard requirement for providing the right resources for the users (students). It can require more time than teachers want exert or afford to give up. According to Robert Tinker, many teachers who have tried online classes were overcome by the enrolment of ten to twelve students. An email account had to be formed for each individual student, which was ultimately the responsibility of the professor. One teacher stated that it is like having unlimited office hours. Traditionally, professors have the flexibility of making their own office hours to fit their schedule. Online courses cause professors to be on call twenty-four hours a day because students expect a prompt response or feedback when they send email.
The lack of face-to-face interactions with other peers and the instructor can be a disadvantage for the students and professors. For instance, some students desire the immediate feedback from the professor, which they do not get online. When in class a simple homework problem can be resolved one-on-one easily with the professor, however online that option is not available. Mail and bulletin boards can also cause confusion to Internet learners. Some students often create the problem because they do not read emails and class bulletins. An abundance of emails can cause students to get behind in their course work.
"Internet students are put at a disadvantage when it comes to networking and forming new relationships. Students can get to know each other over the net however it does not replace the bond that is formed from face-to-face meetings. Ambiguous instructions are also a fallacy of Internet based learning. These issues are often easier to resolve in person rather than over the Internet. Procrastination is another problem that occurs with Internet based learning because the individual is not forced to stick with a set schedule. Therefore a routine is often not developed and work is not completed in a timely manner." [3.16]
"Education serves as a window through which our imagination and curiosity can take flight into the unknown and enhance our creativity, and the use of computer technology in education plays an enormous role in helping students to achieve their full development potential. Given the role that
WORLD SCIENCE
№ 10(14), Vol.5, October 2016 43
education plays in preparing students to go into the world, it seems clear that there should be a connection between the world and the classroom. Unless education reflects the world in which it exists, it has no relevance for the students." [4.23]
As the popularity of English is expanding day by day and worldwide, the teachers of English feel the need of change in their language teaching methods. Digital technologies can be very essential and flexible helpers of foreign language teachers. Above we analysed the researchers of Min Pun, Kathleen Patrice Gulley and others who investigated several advantages of digital technology in language teaching. According to our consideration, foreign language teachers should use these advantages for improving learners' language skills and managing classes effectively.
REFERENCES
1. Gulley K. Pros and Cons of Computer Technology in the Classroom.- California State University, 2003. - P. 20-21.
2. Guy Posey. The advantages and disadvantages of the virtual classroom and the role of the teacher. - Alabama University, 2005. - P. 12-13.
3. Guy Posey. The advantages and disadvantages of the virtual classroom and the role of the teacher. - Alabama University, 2005. - P. 16 - 17.
4. Gulley K. Pros and Cons of Computer Technology in the Classroom.- California State University, 2003. - P. 23- 24.
A CASE STUDY ON INFANT INTENTIONAL BILINGUAL ACQUISITION1
Anna Hurajova Denisa KraVovicova
Slovak Republic, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Faculty of Mass Media Communication
1. Introduction
In today's society, bilingualism, polylingualism and multilingualism play an important social and cultural role, and in theory, are accessible to the vast majority of population. When taking account that there currently exist about 200 countries in the world and the total number of languages is about five thousand, it is obvious that the number of languages significantly exceeds the number of countries and thus bilingualism or multilingualism is considerably more wide-spread than monolingualism. Therefore, the majority of the world's population is bilingual or multilingual, with monolingual speaker in the minority. In view of how common bilingualism is worldwide, it is important to understand bilingual people and bilingualism.
What has engaged researchers and linguists for a long time, is the question of how to define bilingualism or multilingualism. There is no agreed, common definition of these terms but only many possible definitions, depending mostly on the view of the researchers on types of bilingualism and an ability of an individual to function, at different levels, in more than one language.
Weinreich (1968) in his book Languages in Contact offered probably the most famous definition: "The practice of alternately using two languages will be called bilingualism, and the person involved, bilingual". Bloomfield (1933) added a notion of a certain 'degree of perfection' in bilingualism, characterisig bilingualism as "... native-like control of two languages". Slovak linguist Jozef Stefanik (2000) defines bilingualism as „ an ability of alternative use of two (or more) languages when communicating with others, and depending on a situation and environment in which this communication is taking place, thus characterizing language consciousness of an individual ".
2. Previous work on bilingualism
Most studies on bilingualism are relatively recent considering that the phenomenon of bilingualism is as old as language itself. The first study on the issue of bilingual upbringing was carried out by Ronjat (1913) on his French/German bilingual son Louis. Ronjat concluded that his son's
1 Faculty of Mass Media Communication, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, The Slovak Republic, ahurajova@yahoo.com, denisa.kralovicova@ucm.sk
