Technology in the Second Language Classroom

Should teachers implement technology such as the computer network in the second language classroom? Taking into account several aspects that allow the enhancement of the teaching and learning process of a second language, this question should be answered affirmatively.
The first aspect concerns the needs of the students of the Twenty-first century. In order not to be technologically illiterate, not only do learners need to know how to write e-mails, to chat and to play with the computer, but also to surf the web to carry out some research and to master the different options the computer network offers such as audio and video conferencing, blogs, wikis and searchers groups. Moreover, they need to learn to be critical towards the material they find in the web. Most learners will acquire this critical view at school.
The second argument in favour of implementing technology in the second language classroom is related to the new approach to language teaching, the Communicative Language Teaching, which highlights the environment, the involvement of learners in the learning process, communication through interaction and collaboration, and authentic materials. E-mails and some games such as “Second Life” offer learners an authentic environment to learn the language while using it. Learners can interact and collaborate meaningfully by exchanging messages with their classmates, teachers and native speakers of the target language. The material available at Internet includes an endless quantity of sites with activities, stories, games and other resources such as online dictionaries.
Finally, there are several software programs which allow learners to improve their reading, listening, speaking skills and grammar knowledge. It has been proved that students who use these programs are more motivitated to read and listen in the target language. By using these programs, they also show more fluidity of conversation, they use more complex sentences and improve their pronunciation notoriously.
There are also some arguments against implementing technology in the second language classroom based on financial and technological difficulties. In fact, the cost of setting up a network at schools and the investment in training teachers can be expensive, so the equity of education will be harmed causing unfair educational conditions for poor school and students. Moreover, teachers and learners are required to have a certain level of technological knowledge and computer skills. Teachers should be trained to know how to make use of Internet- based materials and learners should be taught to perform guided tasks such as webquests to explore these materials and to achieve the expected outcomes. These problems are not so difficult to be solved if the government implement right policies on investment and training.
In short, computer technology is a valuable tool that should be integrated into the second language class to improve the teaching and learning process providing learners with tasks and materials relevant to their needs and interests.

Cheeps