EAP and New Technologies

Heyho:) Thanks for posting your thoughts on assignments. Think the practical slant sounds good Anne. I started to interview teachers about their use of technology in the EAP classroom, particularly PowerPoint/its use as an educational tool in general/in the EAP classroom and its relevance in project classes. I'm also drawn towards looking at Distance Learning and have found a recent (2008) article about 'Unreal PowerPoint' and 'Immersive Environments,' which I thought could be applied to EAP with particular relevance to distance learning. For example, one of the criticisms of PP is the 'linear' nature of rhetoric, in that if used in a less than critical fashipn, the tutor may simply present and read information in the order that it is displayed. It could be argued this might improve structure and cohesion for example, but it could also limit discussion and dialogue etc. In an online 'IE', for example where students 'follow' a presenter into 'rooms' where they can access information about, for instance, 'essay structure;' this traditional linear format of relaying information could be avoided as the presenter could ask the students which 'room' they wanted to explore - or when students activated the software by distance learning, (also enabling revision) they could exercise autonomy by choosing which rooms and in what order they wished to access the rooms. They could also choose to focus on a particular area they were interested in, for example, 'linking words' and collaborate with other students to share their 'expertise.' What do you think?
So far, I've only interviewed Klaus, but it was really interesting, and I'm looking forward to interviewing more teachers this week. It has obv. relevance to project class and I'm interested in how teachers utilise it in the classroom, whether teachers think it should be used in project class etc. Why is it still generally accepted as the dominant form of presentation software? Originally conceived as a 'sales tool' - what implications does that have on its application in education? What are the alternatives? One teacher suggested interactive whiteboards, which are a more recent arrival, which have also been criticised as not being that 'smart.' Having taught project classes and assessed many presentations at another school I worked at, where students were very keen to use PP in this context got me thinking. On asking them why they liked using it, many of the shy students said it gave them more confidence as they hated public speaking. In this context, it can be useful as a tool to prepare students (structure/signposting etc), but all too often it can be relied on as a prop, or a professional mask. On observing students observing other student presentations, many seem to 'glaze over' when PP was used, possibly because the student was not engaging with them (an example of technology as a barrier to communication). Those students who didn't use or overuse PP, generally gave more motivating presentations. (This was not just my perception but based on student feedback.) Again any comments on your experience of this would be appreciated. I would argue that PP was not designed to get us to 'think,' so on that basis I'm not sure it should be used as much as it is, and in the way that it often is, in EAP or education in general.

However, I do admit there are ways to be 'creative' with PP - one interviewee mentioned 'mindmaps.' Can you think of any other ways PP can be used in a more engaging or critical way in EAP? How do you use it yourself? Do you feel it helps you to engage with learners - or does using technology seem to have the potential to 'remove' you somehow from the teaching process? On observing others who use PP in their lectures - teaching etc, they often seem to be going through the motions - having delivered it many times before. Personally, as soon as the homogenous blue-screen is projected, I tend to switch off. It is then down to the speaker to wake me from my hypnosis! (!) (Permanently scarred from a brief stint in travel sales!!) I distinctly dislike being taught through PP, prefering not to be given handouts, then a series of slides, read aloud, which I could easily do at home. I knew a teacher who dressed in a suit and used PP everyday. In feedback, his students considered him lacking in expertise, but that he was a well-prepared teacher. This teacher confided in me that he felt unable to face the class without his ready-made presentations. It is interesting that in one study I read, a teacher who used technology, a lot then relaxed his use of it later in the term, received negative comments in post-course feedback, so if a teacher starts out using technology regularly then stops, this may be perceived negatively by students.
I'm rambling, (!) what are your thoughts on the above and how PP is used in EAP and in Project classes in AE?
Are you comfortable to embrace technology in your teaching?
As Alex suggested on this blog - in the future EAP tutors may be teaching by distance learning - how would you feel about this?

Cheers:)