EAP and New Technologies

How do you use technology? Badly is my gut reaction. I’m a dinosaur and a technophobe and not proud of it! Last year when I returned from several years’ teaching in a Chinese context where technology in most classroom situations comprised of a blackboard and chalk, I felt I’d arrived using an OHP and was pretty daunted by the prospect of having to use the computer and data projector in my lessons. Now I’m embarrassed if I pull out the OHP to present something to the students. There’s almost a snigger of derision from the techno whizz-kids in class.

However, I have used the computer in class to access podcasts on topics related to lectures that the students were going to attend, and provided tasks for them to do. I’ve used the computer and screen to do class tasks or feedback such as error correction, marking pausing and stress in an oral text.

In tutorials I constantly encourage students to get online and use VSAC to work on weaknesses they feel they have. This involves them having to make decisions about what to choose or what to focus on, but for those who take up the challenge it can be quite liberating. I also urge them to access the BBC to listen to radio programmes on a daily basis or use BBC Learning English.
So many students say “My listening is weak. Can you give me some advice?” Here in CELE we have handouts directing students to suitable online resources. Those who are truly motivated and recognise their responsibility to do the learning and put in the hard graft do benefit enormously, but there are many who just muddle through doing the minimum.

What tools, technologies, websites have you come across...
The following, I think, can help develop autonomy: university website, UNLOC, VSAC, Google Scholar, BBC in general (TV catch-up, Radio 4, especially news programmes) but also BBC Learning English. But it depends very much on the student and their level of confidence in using these, as well as their ability to evaluate critically whether what they are reading/accessing is reliable or even useful for them.

For example, UNLOC I’m sure was set up to provide students with easier and more efficient access to books, journals, e-books etc., but from my experience they often give up in their search because they lack the problem solving skills to cope when they draw a blank on a search. And this is the case even though the web page is set up to provide guidance and tasks through Pathway2Information.

My experiences/feelings as a student on this module have already influenced me as a teacher. I can empathise much more with students who struggle to find their way around UNLOC. Each time I meet an obstacle, my confidence diminishes and I come away feeling defeated. Time is often a factor here, and this is also true for students on presessional courses where deadlines are tight and pressure is intense.

As to contributing my thoughts in a public domain, I’m not really comfortable with it. I feel I want to put much more thought into what I write for the reasons laid out by Siobhan. I am much happier communicating face to face and bouncing ideas about in a more immediate way where I can reword something that has been misconstrued. I do enjoy reading what’s on the blog, but because I’m so busy, I’m always frustrated at not having the time to focus on what’s there and respond sooner than I’m doing now. But perhaps this is not primarily about using technology. It’s about juggling a job and study and all the other things of ordinary life. But then I wouldn’t be juggling like this if it wasn’t a distance programme that allowed me (gave me autonomy???) to study part-time. So chicken and egg!