CC BY
1PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
USING CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT UNIVERSITY
Titova N.
National Transport University, Kyiv, Department of Information systems and technologies, Cand.Sc.(Eng.), Assist.Prof.
Zemlianska N.
Kyiv municipal academy of circus and variety of arts,
Cand.Sc., Assist.Prof.
Abstract
The system of education requires the use of groundbreaking methods, not only pedagogical ones. The application of information technologies, especially with regard to the teaching foreign languages, is of utter importance nowadays. The article analyzes the accessible cloud services and the methods of using cloud technologies in education to ensure interactive and distant learning and facilitate the process of foreign language acquisition.
Keywords: cloud technologies, cloud computing, joint work, e-Learning, higher education,
In the modern world information technology in education is a prerequisite for the progressive development of society. Computerization and improvement of learning technologies is one of the main tasks of higher educational institutions. The relevance of the application of new information technologies in the learning environment is that they not only perform the functions of the tools used to solve certain pedagogical tasks, but also give qualitatively new learning opportunities, develop the skills of independent learning, stimulate the development of didactics and methods, contribute to the creation of new forms of education. With the development of computer tools and their introduction into the educational process, it has become possible to implement new approaches in delivering knowledge at universities. One of such computer technologies which are being introduced today are cloud technologies (cloud computing), which help to realize the learning goals, expand the boundaries of information, contribute to the development of both communication and foreign language competencies. In addition, cloud technologies can serve as an indispensable tool for the teacher who seeks to ensure effective independent learning and student collaboration.
Understanding the importance of this direction in the development of higher education, a lot of scholars have devoted their research to the problem of methods of application of cloud computing in the learning process. Such scholars as Shishkina M., Stein S., Schubert H. have singled out the main advantageous characteristics of cloud computing like availability to all participants of the educational process, interactive and more effective communication between teachers and students, huge didactic opportunities, high productivity, etc., and proved the effectiveness of their implementation in the higher educational institutions. [4,5,6] Some authors, for instance, Alabbadi and Ghazal have proved that cloud computing has a potential of building the flexible infrastructure of learning environment. [1,2] In terms of teaching foreign languages with the help of public and private clouds, there have been several articles by Stein which were devoted to analyzing the indisputable advantages of this technology.
This research is aimed at discovering useful features which cloud computing provides and analyzing the possibility of their usage in language learning environment.
By the mid-2000s, the largest IT companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, etc.) had accumulated a significant computer fleet, which, on the one hand, led to a high concentration of computing resources in corporate data centers, and on the other hand, to an excess of computing power, much of which was not used by these companies. In 2006, Amazon introduced the Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) services to the IT services market. These services are one of the first practical implementations of the new business model of providing distributed computing resources on demand, known as "cloud computing". [1].
Cloud technologies provide convenient network access to a common pool of distributed configurable computing and software resources and storage devices that can be promptly provided and released with minimal operating costs. The users of cloud computing can significantly reduce the cost of maintaining their own information technology infrastructure, as well as dynamically respond to changes in computing needs at peak times, using the cloud computing elasticity property, in other words, Elastic computing.
Among the various forms of organization and provision of such services, which include Saas (Software as a Service), Paas (Platform as a Service) and Iaas (Infrastructure as a Service), the latter is the most flexible solution that allows to deploy distributed "virtual offices" and create a software environment similar to the one installed on a personal computer or local server.
In the context of the evolution of computing technology, the concept of Cloud Computing is a new stage in the development of multiuser terminal systems.
This has led to the rapid growth, introduction and use of applications operating on the basis of the cloud computing model in various fields of human activity: from research and media to email services, corporate computer systems, e-commerce systems and informational web resources.
Cloud technologies are changing the capabilities of tools and systems, are used in the educational process, research and communication.
The following models can be distinguished:
• Private cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is intended for use exclusively by one organization that includes several users (for example, a university). A private cloud can be owned, managed and operated by the organization itself and by a third party (or some combination of them). Such a cloud can be physically located both in and outside the jurisdiction of the owner. There are a lot of universities, which have created a private cloud and provide both teachers and students with unlimited access to the resources at the same time ensuring complete security. Private cloud is without a doubt the most suitable tool for educational institutions, since all the information data is located in one place which makes it easy and less time-consuming to navigate and ensures the delivery of this data to the target audience. However, it takes certain efforts and specific knowledge to manage this virtual tool. Those universities, which can afford it, are taking full advantage of private cloud usage.
• Public cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is designed for free use by the general public. The public cloud may be owned, managed and operated by commercial, academic (educational and scientific) or government organizations. Public cloud is in the jurisdiction of the cloud service provider. This model is very widespread within the university community.
• Community cloud is a cloud infrastructure is designed to be used by specific user communities from organizations that have common goals. The community cloud can be shared, managed and operated by one or more community or third party organizations (or some combination of them). Such a cloud can be physically located both in and outside the jurisdiction of the owner.
• Hybrid cloud is a cloud infrastructure consisting of two or more different clouds (private, public or public) that remain unique entities but are interconnected by standardized or private technologies. [4]
Many foreign educational institutions, both American and European ones, are actively using the cloud technologies provided by Google Apps, Microsoft Live, Microsoft Office 365, etc. Those universities, which are seeking to expand the possibilities of distance learning, have already introduced the cloud office suite. It goes without saying that cloud computing provides countless opportunities for the teachers of many subjects, whether it is management or engineering. As for foreign languages, this subject has its specific features, which are necessary to take into account. [6]
In most cases, foreign languages are quite difficult to learn for beginners. Even if a student possesses an intermediate level of language competence, they face the problem of learning specific vocabulary during the course of ESP. Teachers of foreign languages are constantly trying to find innovative and effective teaching methods, which is why modern cloud technologies are becoming an inevitable trend, as they create an environment that allows students to immerse in the atmosphere
of the target language more effectively than any traditional classroom learning environment [2]. Moreover, cloud technologies enable the teachers to provide their students with more materials for their independent learning. Moodle is an excellent tool for creating a virtual classroom, managing the learning activity and monitoring the progress of the students. Moodlecloud.com is designed for educational purposes only and offers a full range of features for structuring materials as well as assessment possibilities. In addition, it is possible to download Moodle mobile application, which ensures the mobility of students, in other words, it is possible to learn foreign language on the go, which facilitates the process of learning.
One of the popular activities, which is aimed at developing student's communicative competence is project work which implies working in a team. A lot of students find it difficult to achieve certain outcome due to lack of time and necessary resources at hand. However, it is possible to solve this problem with the help of Google Docs and other similar programs, which significantly facilitate collaborative project work because they serve as a common working platform for a group of people. They are accessible via the Internet and thus can be used regardless of the location of the user. Students quickly learn to use this software, primarily because of their similarity to Microsoft Office.
The main indisputable advantage of these Google online services is that they are provided free of charge. The following features can be outlined, which makes these services suitable for educational purposes:
- interactivity - cloud technologies allow creating interaction between all participants of the educational process;
- complementarity - cloud technologies penetrate into all spheres of the educational process and are used both in foreign language classes and distance learning;
- visibility - online services enable both students and teachers to get instant access to the results of joint or individual work, which contributes to the effectiveness;
- lack of boundaries - joint work on projects, distance learning, setting and performing tasks - all this becomes possible even if students do not have special equipment with pre-installed software. All that is needed to access cloud technologies is a computer or mobile device and Internet access. [3]
By providing a common working and personalized learning environment, Google Docs effectively combines opposing learning approaches. This is especially useful for teachers interested in differentiating their assignments. For example, thanks to the dualism offered by Google Docs, students oriented to succeed in group work can achieve what they want by sharing their working space. In addition, the flexibility that Google Docs offers to students makes it a good tool for personal study space or electronic portfolio.
The advantages of using Google Docs for mastering a foreign language mainly consist of the broad and flexible gnoseological opportunities that this service provides for students, namely the opportunity to individually and jointly receive knowledge. Working towards improving accuracy, consistency, scope, and a
common understanding of a foreign language, students using Google Docs begin to be sensitive to other people's ideas. Proponents of this methodology argue that knowledge is created as a result of the interaction between experience and ideas.
Observations and a comparative analysis of learning outcomes in classes where cloud technologies are applied systematically have shown that students demonstrate a higher degree of involvement in the learning process, motivation and cognitive activity. The use of communication services contributes to the effectiveness of mastering a foreign language. Such an organization of work significantly contributes to improving performance. The teacher manages to get students to reproduce information not on a reproductive, but on a meaningful and creative level. In these conditions, the growing needs of students require a revision of pedagogical approaches, the relationship between participants in the educational process. The combination of traditional education, class-less system, communication applications and distance learning technologies is a new pedagogical task. This is a new approach to the diversified development, the acquisition of not only new knowledge, but also new experience.
Having analyzed major cloud models and experience of their application in foreign countries, it is possible to draw a conclusion that most educational institutions use the software as a service (SaaS) cloud model. The advantages of using this model include the following factors: it does not require the educational institution to create its own data center and its services, it allows reducing financial and organizational costs, and also makes it possible to install your own applications on the provider's platform.
It is possible to formulate the didactic capabilities of cloud technologies, which prove their effectiveness when used in the educational process:
• organization of joint work for a large team of teachers and students;
• the opportunity for both students and teachers to share and edit documents of various kinds;
• instant inclusion of the achieved outcome in the educational process due to the lack of a territorial linking of the service user to the place of its provision;
• organization of interactive classes and collective teaching;
• students performing independent work, including collective projects, without being confined to the classroom and restricted by time frameworks;
• interaction and joint work with peers regardless of their location;
• organization of various forms of control;
• transfer of the learning management systems (LMS) to the cloud used;
• new opportunities for researchers to organize access, development and distribution of applied models.
Thus, the main didactic advantage of using cloud technologies in the educational process in general and teaching foreign languages in particular, is the organization of collaborative work between students and teachers, ensuring instant feedback and facilitating outcome.
References
1. Alabbadi M. Cloud computing for education and learning: Education and learning as a service (ELaaS) / M.Alabbadi// 14th Int. Conf. on interactive Colloborative Learning. - Piestany, 2011. - P. 589-594.
2. Cloud Ready Data Center - Network DESIGN GUIDE. - Juniper Networks, Inc. - Nov. - 2012. - 45 p.
3. Ghazal R. E-learning Systems Based on Cloud Computing: A Review/ Riahli Ghazal//Procedia Computer Science. - 2015.-Vol.62. - P. 352-359.
4. Schubert H., Jeffery K. / H. Schubert, K. Jef-fery./ The Future for Cloud Computing: Opportunities for European Cloud Computing Beyond // Journal of IT, Vol.5, - 2014. - P. 25-32
5. Shishkina M., Nosenko, J.: Recent Areas of Cloud-based Educational and Scientific Environment Education System./ M. Shishkina, J. Nosenko// Scientific Journal of NPU of M.P. Dragomanov, 16(23), -Kyiv, 2015. - P. 153-158.
6. Stein S., Improving K-12 Pedagogy Via a Cloud Designed for Education. in Society. / S. Stein // Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference. - ACCE, - 2015. - P. 41-49
