At the moment, I am reading a book called Online Communication in Language Learning and Teaching, by Lamy and Hampel. I've come across an interesting quote about institutional support for the use of CMC in language learning:Institutions may be more or less supportive of CMCL [Computer mediated communication for language learning] users... Among the institutional factors liable to inhibit the creativity that we have said is necessary from teachers are the managerial and the cultural.
First, decisions based on economics and security may determine that an institution will restrict online activity to one platform and will prohibit the use of some software....
Second, cultural factors play a role. Warschauer observes that in written CMCL, 'the decentered, multimedia character of new electronic media facilitates reading and writing processs that are more democratic, learner-centered, holistic and natural' ... Yet many institutions still follow a teacher-led agenda and countless students are more familiar with hierarchical and instructivist learning contexts...
I'd like to know if you think that this is true here in techno-savvy Hong Kong. Has the introduction of technology been sufficient to promote a paradigm shift in pedagogy?
4 comments:
Economical factor is the main hindrance to promotion of technology in school. Our headmaster always says that we don't have money to buy new software or even replace the out-of-order computers.
We seldom ask our students to work with the computer at home. It is because some of them do not have Internet-connected computer. They may have excuse of not doing homework.
Also, if we always ask our students to do some online tasks, some cunning kids may lie to their parents. They may play online games instead. ~~SIGH~~
I like the recent comment element. How can I add it to my blog?
Hi Venus,
Thanks for the comment. Regarding recent comments - go to Dashboard > Templates > Page elements > Add page element and you should find it.
Interesting comment about students and their excuses for not doing homework: this is known as 'loopholing', i.e. finding the loopholes in the assignment instead of actually doing the assignment. In online distance learning it is a particular problem as it is especially difficult to monitor. There is an article you might be interested in here. You will have to create an account to view it I think (it's free).
It's sometimes difficult to find a software / or platform that both teachers and students are familiar with...
Of course, the licenses are expensive too. It's not safe and cost effective to buy licenses of software until we're sure certain software is the most appropriate to T&L since the softwares keep on changing and updating from time to time.
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