Creating Technology-Enhanced, Student-Centered Classroom - Dissertation Example

? Creating Technology-Enhanced, Centered room Chapter Introduction The implementation of technology in classes teaching English as a second language is a solution that provides for the digital computerization, recording, and maintenance of information to be studied by the students. It deals the need to set up excellence in the tasks needed for the accomplishment of effective learning in their respective intuitions of learning (Ali, 2012). This integration can be said to be among the main tools currently being used to fix the education system in the developed world using such technology for monitoring. This will enable students to shift from only attending classes for the need to have an education, but will also encourage them to develop an interest in English as a language they can use for their daily interactions. One of the main goals for using this system is to increase efficiency within the English learning system to the point of significantly reducing the amount of effort needed by instructors. Over the past several years, educational institutions and research institutes have been encouraged to initiate a massive transformation in their education systems. A transformation from a paper-based education system to one that increasingly relies on technology is already witnessed in developed countries; the same cannot be said concerning developing countries, especially those in Africa and Asia. The increasing number of regular users of the technology based system for the purpose of studying English has been touted as one of the reasons why digitizing the classrooms is very important. It also helps in managing the already burdened education system which needs further improvements if concrete development is to be achieved (Farooq, Al Asmari and Javid, 2012). Putting the information students need to conduct their studies in databases will not only reduce redundancies but is already shifting the way these students receive and seek information so that it can be said to have added efficiency in the learning process. With better contact to an individualized educational record, whether it is through an official electronic record by an instructor is good for academic development. A private record created by an individual student, or a fast instant messaging contact with an instructor and the use of technology has ensured that the customary roles of instructors and students are experiencing swift changes required in education system. It is expected that in the future, because of the use of technology in student centered classrooms, students will only need to show up for appointments with their instructors after the latter have gone through their educational records and have formulated recommendations on how their students can improve. Therefore, technology enhanced classroom is essential for future development and increased standards of education to the required standards. Statement of the Problem One of the greatest ideals that have come to be widely appreciated in the world today is to create a technology-enhanced children classroom that unites students from diverse cultures. It has also come to be recognized that English is a most influential international language that should be used to encourage uniform communication and understanding in classrooms lest the growth of technology is slowed. Research Questions It can be said that technology and English language education are related to each other and during the twentieth century, especially in the sixties and seventies, English language learning laboratories were already being used in various educational institutions. The traditional language laboratory included a number of little cabinets, provided with a microphone, cassette-deck, and a headset for each one and teachers used a central control panel to monitor the interactions of their students (Narciss and Koerndle 2008). One of the main advantages of the use of this technology was that student’s verbal conduct would help them to learn the second language quickly. In addition to this, it was found that the skills of the students could further be enhanced through their coming across more hands-on drill problems. Despite the fact that the language laboratory was a constructive step in connecting technology and language education, this technique was found to be tedious and boring for learners while it also minimized the interactions between the instructors and their students (Nomass, 2013). The development of computer-assisted language learning software has provided another teaching tool for second language education since the use of computers in English language classroom is useful for both teachers and learners (Hu and Mcgrath, 2012). In relation to this, it has become pertinent that the following questions concerning technology in the English classroom be asked: 1 Does involvement in the development of technology-enhanced learning have an effect on the performance of students? 2 Is the engagement with students better enhanced using technology and if so, what are the positive effects of its use? 3 Do the students like to have technology centered classrooms? 4 Should the use of English be encouraged in classrooms? Key Terms Second language – this language is acquired long after an individual has learned another which serves as a primary language. If, for example, one’s primary language is Arabic, then English, which he learns later, will be a second language Student-centered classroom – is a system of learning which focuses on the needs of the students rather than on the education process itself Technology – technology in this case means the various devices used to ensure that the learning process is made easier Technology enhancement – there is improvement of teaching and learning using of technology through this process Limitations and Delimitations The survey approach in this case study tries to emphasize qualitative analysis and data from various institutions of education that was collected using questionnaires and interviews, the data were analyzed using various statistical techniques. Besides this, there are variables of interest to the researcher, which are not measureable when using this method and these include cross-sectional studies, which offer weak evidence of causes and effects. The use of surveys documents the norm in an accurate manner and defines relationships between variables present in a sample and in identification of extreme results. For the outcome of the survey to be successful in elucidating how these students take to technology in their classes, it has to have the right questions that are asked in a right way (Mishan and Strunz, 2003). Honesty of the respondents can also be a major hurdle if they fail to provide correct and reliable answers to the questionnaire thus negatively affecting the outcome of research. The fact that there is a limited amount of literature on the subject means that one will have to seek out both former and current students, to interview. This might be a fruitless task especially if a majority of potential interviewees, especially the former, refuses to talk. While this may be the case, it is most likely that future research will make more revelations concerning the various aspects of the integration of technology to teach English as a second language. This, will further the understanding of this subject in the modern context which is vital for educational prosperity (Language learning, 2002). The study is also delimited to the students in school hence narrowing the scope of the study therefore, the extent of external forces cannot be determined fully in this research. Chapter 3 Methods Introduction This research will adopt a design that will explore the various aspects of the integration of technology in the teaching of English as a second language and the design will be based on a qualitative analysis of the available material. The decision to adopt this approach when carrying out the research was made mainly because it is the best option through which to explore the effect of technology in the classroom and how it comes to affect not only the students, but also the role of the instructors. In this way, the research will be able to obtain the most relevant information that could be used to develop qualitative studies on the subject matter. The findings of the case study will be complimented by a survey of a range of related literature while a preference will be given to the most recent literature. This is necessary to align the substance of the study to the prevailing challenges of the subject as understood together with the objectives of the study. The information will be organized according to the themes that relate to the specific objectives of the subject so that a proper and accurate conclusion can be made. Participants and Sampling Strategy A sample population of students from various institutions of learning will be invited to participate in the study of how the introduction of technology in the classroom is able to impact on student engagement. The total period of the survey is expected to be thirty days and a reminder email will be sent to the participants when the survey had been underway for two weeks. Therefore, each student or instructor who participates in the survey is expected to take approximately fifteen minutes, and participants from various institutions are expected to take part in the survey. Online questionnaire will be sent to respondents after referring them to the research website to enable them understand our aims and objectives. The respondents will be required to send the feedback before the end of the third week to give enough time for other logistics. A total of 1000 students will be surveyed during the exercise during the entire research period. Data Collection and Analytical Procedures The research will be conducted using qualitative methods, mainly the grounded theory, and this will involve the collection of data mainly through surveys that will help determine the conclusions that the researcher will come up with after analysis. When collecting data, among students, the most important aspects that will be considered are the various observations that will be made concerning the subject matter. Not forgotten will be the personal perspectives of those individuals who are currently a part of the technology enhanced learning environment so that a balanced conclusion can be made. This will ensure that the research puts into perspective the various issues, which help in the determination of the reasons why the inclusion of technology in the teaching of English as a second language is the best option available (Yi, Young and Jang, 2013). In addition to this, the research methods adopted will allow the researcher to get close to the people who have the information that he wishes to gain concerning technology in class. This will ensure that he does not end up relying on generalized information, instead creating the opportunity to gain an insight concerning the unique circumstances that led to the information concerning the research subject. It is a fact that in qualitative research, the researcher’s personal experiences and insights when conducting it are some of the most important aspects of his inquiry because it allows him to be able to understand better the diverse phenomena concerning the subject of the research. Research Ethics Ethics play a great role in influencing the process of the research and its success will depend on how strict the researcher is concerning the implementation of these ethics. The collection of the information that is needed for the research will be done ethically because such information will mostly deal with material that is of a sensitive nature and which is intended to have an impact on the future of the use of technology in education. It is therefore the responsibility of the researcher to censor whatever information; he considers being of potential harm. However, the information that has been proven to have been wrongfully repressed should be, due to consideration of ethics, deregulated because not doing otherwise would be a breach in the ethical values of the research being conducted. Validity was used to determine the accuracy and precision of the measuring instrument while specialists did critical evaluation of the research project. This ensured that the conclusions drawn are accurate and precise hence conforming to academically accepted research standards necessary in research. The necessary adjustments were done accordingly before the items are used in the research and the reliability of the measuring instrument was done through pilot-test. The respondents will be told that the questionnaires will be used solely for purposes of research and thus will not be availed anywhere and they will be anonymous. Role of the Researcher It is well known that life in the current age is highly affected by the era of information technology, and technology has come to play an important role in today's human social development. Based on this fact, it has become obligatory to take advantage of the modern technological facilities in aiding the task of English language education because not to do so would mean that there would be a considerable loss in the productivity of English classes, especially among second language students (Lin and Yang, 2011). It should be recognized that students trying to learn English as a second language need further language support and because of this, they need to practice in hearing language, reading language, speaking language, and writing language in order to develop their experience and skills. In order to be able to perform such tasks, these students need to use various tools that can help them to learn the English language easily and effectively. The term technology enhanced includes communication techniques for language teaching in which the personal computer plays a central role; however, other technological tools can be utilized in language learning besides computers (Foulger and Jimenez-Silva, 2007). Each technological tool has its specific benefits and application with one of the four language parts namely speaking, listening, reading, and writing, but while this may be the case, in order to use these techniques successfully, the English language student should be familiar with using computers and internet, and capable of interacting with the techniques needed for their use. The effect of technology has become most influential in teaching and learning the language in addition to the role of the instructor, so that in other words, the role of the instructor together with the role of the technology can lead to highly developed learning results. When conducting the research on technology in the classroom, a neutral stance will be adopted by the researcher because to do otherwise would be to display bias, a factor that may compromise the conclusions of the research. The main source of the data to be analyzed will be acquired from surveys, which will be conducted by the researcher among students who English is not their first language. In addition, it is expected that the researcher will also rely on the information from other literature written on the subject so that the research can be augmented with comparisons and contrasts from other authors. Since in this type of research, the researcher conducting it is not allowed to make judgments on the people he or she is interviewing, a thorough study shall be made to ensure that only the most accurate information concerning the integration of technology in the classroom should be collected. The researcher will be aware of the sensitivity of the issue and because of this awareness, the observations made when conducting the research will add to its quality since the information received will be accurate. During the process of making the research findings the researcher will make sure that, he includes himself and his informants so that the credibility of the research can be advanced through the researcher’s personal experience. This format will work towards making the research process more visible and alive to those with no prior knowledge concerning the research and it will eventually enable the researchers and participants to be viewed as real people. Since change is a process that is ongoing, it will be necessary for the researcher to make frequent adjustments so that there is no loss of focus during the research. Potential Contributions of the Research Second language students need to have English language skills, and this means that they have to develop their capability in the main parts or elements of the language, which include speaking, listening, reading, and writing (Conole, 2008). Each language subject or area has different educational tools that are likely suited with it and the use of several technical tools has a significant effect on the learning process of each area of the language. Listening can be defined as the process of identifying and understanding the speech of the native speakers and it involves understanding the speaker's accent or pronunciation, speaker's grammar and vocabulary, and comprehension of meaning. In order to achieve all this, the student, who is also the listener, should be capable of doing these four things at the same time, so that listening can be said to be very important in the process of second language education. Listening is considered as a principal language skill because it is through listening that people are able to acquire a large part of their instruction, their information, their thoughts, and their understanding of the world (Li and Lu, 2012). Listening, as a skill plays a vital role in student's language growth and there are several technical means for refining the listening capability of the English language student (Shield and Kukulska-Hulme, 2006). One of these is the use of computers in listening problems since they provide students with visual and voice inputs, which can augment their information and ideas, and increase their listening skills. Computer-based listening tests are very important in reinforcing the understanding skills of the listener and it has been proven that CD-ROM based learning films can also provide significant advantages over the traditional methods. Lastly, Internet voice chatting using the second language, in this case English, may also play a role in increasing the communication capabilities of the students (Huang, 2012). One of the purposes of the research was to make a study of the various aspects that are involved in the introduction and sustenance of a technology enhanced, student centered classroom that is used to teach English as a second language. Because of this, there will be a concentration on those institutions which have already implemented these systems to the latter. A diverse number of literatures from various educational institutions all over the world shall be analyzed in order to come up with a balanced research, which will enable those who study the research to learn more about the subject matter. An analysis will also be made concerning the different types of technology which have been introduced in classes and learning institutions in different countries so that a relationship between the similarities and differences between them can be made to create a better perspective of the research to reveal the various factors which influence the implementation of these technologies. Moreover, it will be imperative to learn about the different technologies implemented in various countries so that an opinion can be made concerning whether these technologies can be used in the study of English. In addition, the fact that many countries, especially in Europe and North America have made a bid to ensure the implementation and creation of technology-enhanced classrooms for the study of English is proof that the use of technology has become a necessity in the language learning process. Furthermore, it is in the best interests of the research that the analysis be conducted in such a way that it is done in the most credible way possible by studying all the available material on the subject matter. The need to have a credible analysis is one, which will ensure that the research is done conclusively, and that most of the information collected is included in a bid to create diversity in the research. The poverty, which is a reality among the majority of the world’s developing countries, is one of the most fundamental reasons why the implementation of technology-enhanced learning has not become a universal reality. All of the causes of poverty in developing countries are within the human means to solve as long as there is a bit of dedication and support from their more developed counterparts. However, most of the people with the power to make a difference are either unwilling or unable to do so because they do not want to disturb the status quo as it is. The excuse that is usually made, especially by leaders of those countries, which practice capitalism, is that acquisitiveness is a part of human nature and they use this excuse to exploit the poor people for their own benefit. They further make use of the misguided theory of evolution that states survival of the fittest to justify their ruthlessness without any consideration for the plight of those individuals who would benefit from such technology. It has therefore become a necessity for institutions to take the initiative to create a class environment, which is technologically enhanced to cater for those students studying English as a second language. References Ali, H. I. H. (2012). Assuring quality in promoting generic skills in the higher college of technology (HCT), muscat: Challenges & realities. English Language Teaching, 5(11), 45-50. Conole, G. (2008). Listening to the learner voice: The ever changing landscape of technology use for language students. Recall: The Journal of EUROCALL, 20(2), 124-140. Farooq, M. U., Al Asmari, A., & Javid, C. Z. (2012). A study of online English language teacher education programmes in distance education context in Pakistan. English Language Teaching, 5(11), 91-103. 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