MOVE OVER TEACHERS − TECHNOLOGY HAS
ARRIVED
The technology revolution has made itself felt everywhere,
and nowhere is this more noticeable than in education. The dot.com boom of the
late 1990s gave birth to ‘Computers for Education’, a far-sighted plan to “put
a computer for every child in every classroom’’. No longer would bored school
kids have to sit in rows and chant their times tables; instead they would be
bent over their keyboards, their eyes fixed on their individual computer screens,
as they toiled away at custom-made lessons, lessons tailored to their very own
strengths and weaknesses. No longer
would they be fettered by the need to keep step in step with the rest of their
classmates. Now they could shake off the yoke of ‘mean-age-equals-required -level-of-attainment’
thinking of old, and forge ahead by themselves, developing their own unique
skills and talents as fast as their brains could soak them up.
Ed-tech would turn education on its head its proponents
claimed. (No proponents said it louder than the corporations making profits
from selling educational computer software.) The educationalists fell for it
hook, line and sinker; the politicians fell for it, and on-line learning was
written into every school curriculum post-haste.
The haste and enthusiasm proved to be premature, if not woefully
misplaced. Yes -- now there are a few computers installed in most classrooms.
No -- the revolution in learning has not yet happened. What the theorists
hadn’t taken into account was kids’ basic stubbornness and resistance to
change. OK, it’s all very nice to have a computer to tap away at occasionally,
but after half an hour or so it becomes a bore. We want to react among ourselves,
not with a keyboard. I mean, you can’t poke fun at Computer C’s crossed eyes;
you can’t pull Computer D’s hair and make it squeal. If only we could play Grand Theft Auto or Power Rangers III on them it would be alright, but no, the
stuffed-shirt authorities have blocked access
to all fun things like that. Yikes, give me the old-fashioned chaos of classroom
lessons any day of the week.
The EFL classroom was not to escape the grandiose edu-tech
schemes of the 1990s. Even earlier than that, in the late 70’s in fact,
Language Labs became the buzz-word of the EFL world. Any language school worthy
of the name and with the necessary funds was installing one. Nowadays, unused
language labs sit gathering cob-webs, or
have been broken down into individual computer modules for purposes the lab
designers never intended. There are today hundreds of software programs
claiming to expand vocabularies, teach and reinforce grammar points, iron out
pronunciation and intonation difficulties, perfect spelling, take the tedium out of
marking tests, and prepare individual lesson plans, all at the click of a
mouse. All the teacher has to do is sit at the front of the computer room and
say “Start”, and then, ninety minutes later, say “Stop”.
Goodbye teaching, hello technology-enabled language
acquisition. Uh huh, and is that how things work at your school? No, mine
either.
“OK, kids, open your books at page seventeen, and everybody
repeat after me: ‘What did you have for lunch today? I had rice and fish. How
about you?’ And Johnny, stop pulling Sarah’s hair, would you!“
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worldwide, EFL minus the B.S. is the book for you. Order your copy today
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