Language acquisition, communicative competence, student-centered classrooms, cooperative learning, authentic materials, integrated skills. These are some of the buzzwords teachers have been hearing for years. The proficiency-oriented approach to language teaching, which began in the 1980's and continues today, is well served by the evolution which has brought us Web 2.0.
This is true since communication is, by definition, a negotiated act between people which involves collaboration and strives for mutual understanding. Web 2.0 gives both teachers and students new opportunities and challenges. Teachers can search, find and organize teaching resources like never before. This is especially true for authentic materials. The target culture can come alive in and outside the classroom through websites like youtube and google. Students can be immersed in the language and the culture to a greater degree than ever before.
As Web 2.0 assists the students as they work together to negotiate meaning in the target language, it also facilitates another kind of collaboration. Through wikis and blogs the classroom community of learners, guided by the teacher, shares ideas and learns about and from one another. Services like chat and skype now make possible interpersonal communication.
The challenge for the teacher is to choose and use the tools of Web 2.0 efficiently and effectively.
You mention collaboration in your posting. One of the concepts of Web 2.0 that I like is the collaborative approach. This appeals to me especially since I frequently take on the role of a community builder, in real time, in face-to-face settings. I like serving on committees where a group agrees to solve challenges and accomplish a task together.
ReplyDeleteEven though I may not be so comfortable using the newer technology right now, I can see that students with more experience and exposure could build a community through collaboration.