SHOULD TEACHERS USE TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH ENGLISH FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

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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