Technology at School

http://eburke87.wordpress.com/technology-in-the-classroom/

Technology has stolen people’s heart. Almost all people in the world prefer to use technology to make their life easier. People also use technology in education. Many schools in the world have been trying to use technology in teaching and learning process. Almost all school in a big city has high technology in the classroom. They also have computer laboratory and language laboratory. Yet some schools only have computer laboratory. What do you think about school which does not have language laboratory? Could they facilitate their student in language course? That was what I had discussed in Technology and Language Learning (TLL) course last meeting.

Which one is more important computer laboratory or language laboratory?

Computer laboratory offers ICT based learning. Most of schools in big city use this type of learning. Learning can be easier by using the application on the computer. For example, in chemistry course student can use some application that support them to do experiment, so teacher can limit the risk of accident in experiment session. We also can utilize the technology in other subject. Not to mention, we can go to internet and find everything we need.

Internet provides almost everything, including the materials for teaching and learning activities. We can also find online exercise we want. It makes learning can be done every time and anywhere. Moreover, today students as digital native prefer to learn through attractive visualization rather than read text book.

In language learning internet can be used to practice almost all of the “four skill” that are reading, listening, writing and also speaking. For practicing reading and writing skill student can go to the website that provides text such as blog, facebook etc. Student can go to Youtube, podcast, google video to practice their listening skill. They also can go to skype to practice their speaking skill. Internet gives us many advantages, but still we have to control the use of the internet itself. As teacher we should control our students not to open unexpected website and lead them to use it properly.

Internet helps us a lot on education if we use it properly. The disadvantages of the internet could give bad effect. Then that is why language teacher prefer to language laboratory rather than computer laboratory. We discussed it in the last meeting of TLL course. We was having debate session about school board’s motion in improving computer laboratory or language teachers who prefers to build language laboratory.

Personally I think, I would like to choose computer laboratory rather than language laboratory, because computer laboratory can be used in listening session. In other words, computer laboratory has multifunction while language laboratory only acts as how it should be.
But, again, technology is only the tool in teaching and learning process. We still have to be a professional teacher who help and lead our students to be a better person.