Using ICT in the English classroom

There is no doubt that almost everything we do nowadays is somehow connected with technology. Without technology, life would be more difficult than it already is, knowledge would be limited and more difficult to achieve. The incorporation of ICTat schools has changed the education a lot. Computers represent an inexhaustible source of material for teachers and pupils.

Teachers, for example, can find all kind of valuable, beautiful and incredible material (flashcards, crosswords, pictures, bingos …) if they surf the Internet. This can help them to prepare the lessons better and to save time to devote to doing other things.

Our pupils like working with ICT, because it is very motivating and enjoyable; we all know computers are a very useful support for teaching the curriculum, and the students also perceive this idea.

In my opinion, those teachers involved in the innovative practices in both primary and secondary schools can see how their classroom practice had become less didactic and their role within the classroom had become more that of a guide or facilitator, able to offer one-to-one support to individual students as required, achieving so a  number of positive impacts on the students.

So,  not only students but also most of the teachers have a positive attitude about ICT. The students perceive ICT as an interesting and motivating learning environment because interacting through blogs helps with the critical thinking and peer feedback facets of their writing projects. We also find that social interaction helps students improve their writing skills, such as:

• Improvements in the  students’ motivation.
• Students’ presentation of work also improves, as a result of using ICT
• Their ability to work independently also increases, as well as their ability to organise their own work (i.e. prioritise) .
• Their Social skills,  self-esteem, self-discipline and confidence  in communicating with others outside their school and family circles  enhance too.
• ICT improve group working and cooperative skillsndance at school
• They also increase  responsibility for their own learning, changing interactions within the classroom and  involving others outside the physical classroom in learning/social activities.

In conclusion, we can see that integrating ICT into the curriculum means more than teaching basic computer skills and using software programs. It must support the main key components of learning, that is:  active engagement,  participation in groups,  frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world.

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