Technology has a place in language classrooms

Technology
has a place in language classrooms
…………………………………………………………………

BY ELLEN CHANG
Rice News Staff

Language professors would use more technology in the classroom
if they received hands-on help from language-lab personnel,
said a speaker at the International Association for Language
Learning Technology biennial 2001 conference held at Rice.

Susan Breeyear
spoke of many tried-and-true methods she has used as director
of the language resource center at the University of Vermont
to encourage language professors to use more technology
in their classrooms and curriculum.

Her talk was
one of dozens offered at the five-day conference that included
sessions, forums and workshops on designing learning centers,
legal issues, management issues and innovations for language
learning through the Internet.

Changing the
faculty’s perspective is not an easy task, but it can
be accomplished when language-lab personnel involve professors
and meet with them often, Breeyear said. Some professors
are fearful of technology while others see it as a threat
to their livelihood. Adding technology to their curriculum
also is time-consuming.

The key is to
help professors understand what tools and devices already
work well in the classroom and would be simple to add, she
said. One method is to give a presentation at the department’s
faculty meeting.

“It’s
especially important to have the department chair in your
camp,” she said.
Make a short presentation and avoid bombarding people with
all the new available technology, Breeyear suggested. Focus
on certain software programs that would be helpful and use
posters during the presentation. Mention how the new software
can augment the teaching of professors’ courses and
encourage them to seek help from the professional and student
staff at the language lab, she said.

Another helpful
tool is to spend some time in the language department. Watching
the professors teach their courses can help lab personnel
see what their teaching styles are and what would be more
productive in the classroom.

Setting up small
workshops with professors can be extremely useful and helpful.
It allows the lab personnel to brainstorm with the professors
individually and use peer training.

“Training
is one of the keys to a successful language lab,” Breeyear
said, adding that once the professors are comfortable using
the technology, they will be more eager to implement it.

Breeyear said
it is important to keep in mind that not all professors
will be willing to change or adapt immediately. A few naysayers
may decide that they will never find technology to be useful
in the classroom.

“It takes
a lot of effort,” she said. “It doesn’t always
happen. Listen to your faculty. Don’t agonize over
those you can’t win over.”