Applying Technology in classroom

Technology can play a traditional role, i.e. as delivery vehicles for instructional lessons or in a constructivist way as partners in the learning process. In a constructivist way, technology helps the learner build more personal interpretations of life in her/his world. Technology is a learning tool to learn with not from. It makes the learner gather, think, analyze, synthesize information and construct meaning with what technology presents. Whether used from the traditional or constructivist point of view, when used effectively, research indicates that technology not only “increases students’ learning, understanding, and achievement but also augments, motivation to learn, encourages collaborative learning and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills”. Proper implementation of technology in the classroom gives students more “control of their own learning and … tends to move classrooms from teacher-dominated environments to ones that are more learner-centered. Educational technology plays various roles. Form the traditional point of view; it serves as presenter of knowledge just like teachers. It also serves as productivity tool. With the internet, technology has facilitated communication among people. From the constructivist’s perspective, educational technology is a meaningful learning tools by serving as a learning partner.

Language learning, like learning to play a musical instrument, requires practice. ICT facilitates the necessary practice to achieve fluency. The competence of teachers is therefore critical to the mission. Of the total of about 3 million teachers in Indonesia, there are only about 10,000 who have received ICT training. The importance of capacity building to upgrade ICT literacy of teachers cannot be overemphasized. The way forward is to integrate ICT seamlessly into the curriculum, instead of viewing it as an add-on, or worse, as an ad hoc event. As Jennifer Fleming put it, teaching in the Internet age means that we must teach tomorrow’s skills today.