ICT in action, Languages ICT

Introduction | Using ICT effectively: video case studies | Digital video in action | Action Research

Introduction

The growth of new technologies and the spread of broadband have transformed the teaching and learning of modern languages in recent years. The doors have been opened to innovative and stimulating ways of working with ICT to make language learning more varied and engaging.

The interactive whiteboard has changed the nature of whole-class teaching, allowing teachers to work with multimedia, and interactive software, and exploit the Internet for whole class teaching, using authentic resources, or interactive exercises, created by teachers for teachers with authoring software and posted online as a free shared resource. The ease of making and editing audio or video recordings and using them in the classroom or in interactive materials, created with easy-to-use authoring software, has enabled teachers to develop all four language skills more easily than ever before and to appeal to different learning styles among their pupils. The Internet continues to play a major role in teaching and learning: e-mail, instant messaging, and video conferencing bring pupils and schools into contact easily for joint project work. More recently, teachers have engaged with Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs or podcasts, to make learning more personalized, more interactive and more dynamic. The growth of social networking in the lives of pupils is reflected in the emergence of social networking sites such as Think.com for use by pupils.

The nature of learning has changed too. Pupils now work with audio, video, interactive games and, more recently, handheld devices such as mobile phones, as well as blogs, podcasts and social networking sites. Learning a language is no longer confined to the classroom or school premises. Handheld devices, such as mobile phones, can be used to create voice recordings or video clips, to upload to blogs or transfer data to computers. Materials placed on the school VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) or network can be accessed from mobile phones or home and pupils can use social networking sites to communicate with their peers, both at home and abroad.

CILT and ALL have worked with teachers in a variety of projects and initiatives to investigate ways in which ICT, from the simple to the more advanced, can best be used to improve teaching and learning.

ICT in action is the section of Languages ICT which brings together key information on these activities, offering a wealth of practical ideas emerging from this teacher experimentation. Browse these pages for information on:

Using ICT effectively: a collection of video case studies, supported by funding from Becta, which demonstrate how ICT is integrated into teaching and learning.
Digital Video in Action: a CILT- ALL-Comenius E. Midlands project.
Languages ICT Action Research: a CILT-ALL initiative from 2004-07.

For lots more examples of ICT in action, consult Language ICT’s database of Useful ICT ideas, where you can search for good ideas by topic, ICT used, or Key Stage. You will also find useful tips on many aspects of ICT in the Technology for Languages section of this site. More case studies and articles on ICT in the 14-19 range can be found at the ICT pages of CILT’s Reshaping Languages. Lord Dearing’s Languages Review also contains a section on the use of new technologies and cites an Action Research project at Brinsworth Comprehensive School, Rotherham. Details of this project can be found in the downloadable pdf summaries of Action Research projects for 2005-06. Members of ALL can download a pdf version of ‘ICT in the Language World’, an article written by Terry Cooper summarising current developments in ICT in modern languages classrooms and drawing on many Action Research projects. Go to the Issues, News and Policy section of ALL’s website.