ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
SALATIGA
2018
INTRODUCTION
In a recent discussion of teaching
English using technology for young learners, a controversial issue has been
whether or not teachers should use technology in the classrooms. English language teaching has been one of the
important subjects in education. On the one hand, Haelry (2008, as cited in
Pun, 2013, p. 3 - 4) argues that “the use of technology for teaching and
learning is moving their institution in the right direction and the teachers'
instructions lead to the students' thought patterns and motivate the students'
emotions”. According to this view, the use of technology will likely give a
better improvement and raise student’s enthusiasm in learning through the
instruction that is given by the teachers. Naido (2003, as cited in Pramela
Krish & Noraza Ahmad Zabidi, 2007,p. 5)
suggests that “ICT can also
be used to support teachers who lack adequate skills and content
knowledge, thus contributing to improving the quality of learning”. From this perspective, teachers
also can learn how to use technology to teach their students and get various
ideas to make a better learning process.
On the other hand, "students
need to be given maximum opportunity for authentic social interaction"
(Warschauer, 2000, as cited in Pun, 2013, p. 34). According to this view, the
students do not want to be exploring their childhood and they only focus on the
internet. Pun (2013) argues that “the teachers have to encourage the students
to use their own mind and speak more” (p. 36). From this perspective, students
should develop their creative thinking and interaction among other students.
I have experience when I was a senior
high school in Medan which has similar issues in the case of teaching English
with technology. In senior high school teachers usually, use technology to make
the students are motivated. They use power point and some video when they want
to show us about a material. In fact, technology can help the process of
learning at school. Considering the fact that technology is useful for the
students it makes technology could not be avoided by the teachers in the
process of teaching English. I still maintain that teachers’ use of technology
in the teaching English classroom is necessary to make the students are
motivated. Therefore, my own view is that teachers still need to use technology
to teach students because of several
Encourage Students for Learning
Technology is help people especially
students to increase knowledge and make learning easier. In the new day,
technology is a key to make students more creative and active when process
learning. Technology also develops the understanding about language for the
students and creating a positive impact in learning and make successful
teaching. Most of all school use technology as their media to teach their students
in a class. However, there is someone who disagrees with using technology in a
learning process. Here, Ara (2009, as cited in Maria Diakou, 2015 p.285)
“because of their short attention spans, children cannot concentrate on tedious
activities for long durations”. She thinks that students do not have enough
time to doing long activities when process learning. Besides from it, in Medan
technology is also the one of an important thing to encourage students more
enthusiasm and active when learning the English language. The use of technology
encourages students more active, and interested in learning English. According
to Chris Pim (2013), technology can encourage students for learning the English
language with utilization songs, video clips, podcasts and etc. Therefore
teachers should use much application to make students interested in the English
language. Here, Scott and Ytreberg (1990) suggest that “teachers encourage
their students and make them more interested when teachers using some
applications in learning the English language”. For examples, teachers can use
games, songs, stories, and etc. When teachers use games, songs, and stories in
teaching English, students will be more excited about learning. They will be
respected and listen to the teacher's explanations for what they should do
next. The teachers can sing a song and students can follow the instruction from
the teachers. When the students and teachers sing a song, students can remember
a “word by word” and teachers can explain the meaning of the song or the words.
In my opinion, this way can help students more active because they will sing
together and also remember the words. According to Ningrum (2012), students are
more enthusiastic when they have an activity in the learning process. The
activities can develop creativities of the students, therefore students more
challenging when teachers give an activity rather than just listen and
answering the questions from a book. Ilter (2015) also says that technology
internet and some computer games could promote language learning positively if
they are used correctly (p.312). Almost all application use English language
and it will improve students language if they always using technology in
learning.
Technology Build Interaction in a Class
Teachers and students should have an
interaction to make the process learning better. Interaction can be found when
teachers and students give a response in the process learning. The interaction
will be seen when both of them give a response with each other. Pun (2013) suggests
that “The students will have a very limited time for speaking communication.
The sound and image of multimedia technology affect the students' initiative to
think and speak” (p.34). Related with this point, he thinks that if the
students always using multimedia technology it will make a limited time for the
students. Teachers do not need to talk or explain more to the students because
it's already delivered by videos, pictures, audio and etc. Teachers can make an
online class to make process learning more easily, but on the other hand, it
cannot be a good choice for learning. It will be better if the teachers meet
with the students and have a real process teaching “face to face”. In the other
hand, using technology in a classroom develops interaction among teachers and
students as long as they are in class.
Related with Krish (2006) emphasizes
the importance of feedback in teaching and learning in the electronic media
because helpful feedback given to learners means creating social presence which
is crucial in the virtual mode of learning. When the teachers start to teach
students, they usually explain about the material. Therefore teachers need to give a feedback
for the students, and it will develop their interaction among teachers and
students. (Meyer, 2002 as
cited in Aksal,
2009; as cited in Melor) a statement that the process of online
communication enables the learners to actively
construct their own
perspectives which they can communicate to a
small group. Learners engage in active,
constructive, intentional, authentic and collaborative learning. Enabling the groups to socially construct
knowledge through communicating and collaborating with others is an important
element of constructivist-based online learning and teaching. Related with this
point, students can improve their ability to speak or communicate with others.
They can share their knowledge with each other and also can be easy to
socialization in the class.
Krish (2006, as cited in Pramela
Krish & Noraza Ahmad Zabidi, 2007 p. 7)
Explains that both learners and instructors need appropriate computer
skills and knowledge to experience meaningful learning. Teachers can make a
quiz for the students by using multimedia technology to make them more active
and dare to speak with teachers. The quiz can build an interaction also improve
the students in the class. Even so, multimedia technology has been helping the
teachers to make an interaction with the students. At this point, Pun (2013)
multimedia technology in teaching focuses on the active participation of
students and enhances the importance of interaction among students and between
teachers and students (p. 32). According to this view, teachers should make
students become an active participant by using games. The teachers can use
games and material for learning in the class. Students will be interested in
the game and it can make the interaction between the teachers too. Usually,
students will be an active participant when they feel the activity that the
teachers give is interesting.
Technology Makes Process Learning Easier.
Technology helps teachers to teach
their students to be easier and better. The teachers will be easy to explain
materials to the students. Related with Shin (2015, as cited in Maria Diakou
p.289) “If online materials are used without critical review of their
suitability, there is a risk that teachers will present inaccurate,
inappropriate, or even dangerous content to learners”. According to with this
point, teachers should be careful when they teach the students because when the
teachers use technology for process learning it will have much negative
content. In my opinion, the teachers should be a guide for students to use
technology appropriately. The negative content does not seem if the teachers
become a guide for the students. Because by using technology the teachers can
teach the students easily.
Pun (2013) ITC can help teachers
easier to teach the students because it creates more real life environment for
English teaching. The ICT also make a process learning more economizer to the
students (p.32). In addition, the teachers should not bring a lot of books to
teach the students. They can bring a laptop in a class as their alternate
books. Krish & Zabidi (2007) Technology enables the teacher to transmit
more information to a larger number of students in a shorter time (p.4). The
teacher can be easy teach and give knowledge for the students. They can use
technology to convey knowledge or information and more quickly also better for
the students. Furthermore, students can also follow the teachers in a better
way.
Kennedy (cited in Peggy and Anne,
2010 p.272) noted that the most important feature of a professional development
program is a strong focus on helping teachers understand how students learn
specific content, and how specific instructional practices and tools can
support student learning outcomes. Thus, when teachers teach students, they
should teach a specific content to the students. It helps the students too easy
to understand the material.
CONCLUSION
The use of technology in learning English for young learners
are effective to make them more excited. Teachers use technology to learning
English in Medan to encourages students more active and also develop
interaction among teachers and students. Teachers can also use technology to
help them in learning English easier. In brief, because of its reasons,
teachers need to realize the importance of technology in teaching English, so
they should not abandon and ignore the role of technology in school especially
in Medan.
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