A good way
to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that
already exist jto help individuals, businesses and organizations use
information. ICT covers any product that will
store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in
a digital form. For example: personal computers, digital television, email,
robots.
Actually, ICT which stands for
Information and Communication and Technology, is elaborated as follows.
a. ICT
ICT covers any product that will
store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receiving information electronically
in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email,
robots. So ICT is concerned with the storage, retrieval, manipulation,
transmission or receipt of digital data. Importantly, it is also concerned with
the way these different uses can work with each other.
·
Information
Information means the processed data
in a meaningful and purposeful form according to Shore in Hartoyo (2012:2)
·
Communication
According to Potts, communication is
defined as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to
create shared understanding. Brown (2011) stated communication is transfer of
information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence.
But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver.
·
Technology
Technology derived from the word
‘techno’ which means technique, art or skill, and ‘logos’ which means science.
Therefore, technology can be defined as a scientific knowledge of art or skill.
Based on the definitions of the
three components, ICT as a whole can be described as the utility of technology
to support the effort of conveying information and communication particularly
in the area of education. The technique includes digital technologies mostly of
electronic information – processing technologies, such as computers, internet,
mobile phones, networks, broadband, and so on.
b. The benefits of ICT in general
ICT is found to be advantageous in
several ways as mentioned by Herington (2002), (1) technology facilitates
exposure to authentic language; (2) technology provides the access to wider
sources of information and varieties of language; (3) technology gives the
opportunity to people to communicate with the world outside; (4) technology
allows a learner – centered approach; (5) technology develops learner’s
autonomy. ICT help people in order to get information and to communicate each
other in wider range.
c. ICT Tools in Language Context
There are some kinds of technologies
classified into information and communication technology commonly used in
language context, such as:
·
Interactive multimedia
Interactive media is the integration
of digital media including combinations of electronic text, graphics, moving
images, and sound, into a structured digital computerized environment that
allows people to interact with the data for appropriate purposes. The digital
environment can include the Internet, telecoms nand interactive digital
television. (Finney, 2011:2)
·
Computer
Computer can be utilized with other
multimedia learning devices or it can stand alone (a standard PC) and still
serves its basic purpose as an electronic medium of language learning.
(Hartoyo, 2012:29).
Computer is an electronic device
which is capable of receiving information (data) and performing a sequence of
logical operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of
procedural instruction (program) to produce results in the form of information
or signals based on Oxford dictionary. It is consist of CPU, monitor, keyboard
and some other apparatus.
·
Audio devices
Audio devices can be used with other
media to form an interactive multimedia. However, it can also be utilized
separately as independent tool. Audio devices include speaker, earphone, CD,
and etc.
·
Internet
Internet can be used as a medium of
language learning through email, www (world wide web), text, audio and video
conferencing.
·
Television
According to Oxford dictionary,
television is a system for converting visual images (with sound) into
electrical signals, transmitting them by radio or other means, and displaying
them electronically on a screen.
·
Telephone
This telephone medium has not been
widely used for language teaching because of the poor quality of analogue
transmissions. However, there is new invent of digital quality and lower
connection cost which potential for conference calls.
·
Mobile gadget
Mobile gadgets such as cell phone
and smart phone which are equipped with programs like computer, which enable it
to perform as mini personal computer. By using this gadget and its internet
connection, everybody could enjoy chatting, browsing, and discuss each other
with the wider range. The advancement of science and technology makes the size
and price of those gadgets are getting cheaper and reachable.
·
Social interface
This media provides facility or
example that enables an interaction between human and computer. People set up
more interaction with computer in a more intuitive way with less effort-through
writing, voice, touch, eye movements, and other gestures. (Hartoyo,2012:34)
This technology serves as the milestone of the recent development of
interactive multimedia, audio-graphic computer teleconference, and interactive
television via satellite (National Broadband of Employment, Education and
Training, 1993:5).
·
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard or IWB, is
a large interactive display (such as a touch screen monitor) which is connected
to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computers’ desktop onto
the board’s surface, where users control the computer using a pen, finger or
other devices.
d. Current application of ICT in
English language teaching and learning
ICT defined as technology which the
function is to support the process of conveying information and communication.
The ways of conveying information doesn’t have to be carried out directly
between the communicator and the communicant. The development of ICT makes the
process of communication between the communicator and the communicant can be
conveys in easy ways. They can communicate through telephone, internet, e-mail,
satellite, television, video conference and so on. The process of those
communications applies in language learning. In language learning, there is a
communication between teacher and student. The process of learning is not
always carried out by subjecting teacher and students in the certain room or a
certain place directly. As the example, teacher can use internet as the medium to
give lessons, assignments, or other information to their students.
In context of language learning, ICT
has an important role as the “media” bridging and enabling the learning
process, or direct communication between students and teacher although they are
not present in the same room or place in certain time. Language learning
program can be created to enable students to learn the lessons with guidance,
instruction, information or further explanation. ICT in language learning used
as a reference-book. Computer can store unlimited lessons or references, which
can be accessed anytime, anywhere and accurately. Fitzpatrick and Davies (2002)
in Hartoyo (2012) sets out the seven ways in which ICT used in language
learning:
a) Presentation
Some material of language learning
such as text-based materials, audio-video needs to present to the learners.
Presentation helps learners in understanding the learning material well.
b) Practice
Some of different exercises types
are possible to be provided with ICT, incorporating the presentation stimuli in
varying combinations of text, audio and video format. ICT also offers the
possibility of the analyzing learners’ responses with appropriate
feedback.(Hartoyo, 2012:40)
c) Authoring
In applying ICT in language
learning, teacher can either purchase ready-made materials or create their own
exercise materials using a variety of authoring tools based on Hartoyo
(2012:40).
d) Computer-Aided Assessment (CAA)
Computer-Aided Assessment (CAA) is
playing an increasingly important role in foreign language teaching and
learning. This media used to testing and assessing students understanding after
learning some courses.
e) Publishing
ICT tools exist to help teachers and
learners or students to publishing or linked in their work in a local area
network. ICT may use by the teacher and learners to help them publish their
work in these ways:
·
Word – processors and Desk Top
Publishing (DTP) software
·
Doing audio recording and editing
tools to record interview, discussions, learning material and etc
·
Using digital camera and camcorder
to record presentations, drama, role play, and so on
·
Power point can be used as the
medium to publish presentations
·
Web pages using web authoring tools
f) Communications
Technology can help learners and
teachers to communicate with another. Some ICT tools which can use as the
medium of information are: 1) Email, which allows language learners to
communicate with ‘web pals’ in other countries; 2) Tandem learning; 3) computer
mediated discussion; 4) web-based learning environment; 5) audio conferencing;
6) Video Conferencing.
g) Simulations
The computer can act as a stimulus
which generates analysis, critical thinking, discussion and writing. Program
which include simulations are especially effective as stimuli. Examples of language
learning tasks which ‘simulate’ real world tasks are : 1) Web Quest; 2) Action
Mazes; 3) Adventure games; 4) Sunpower; 5) Expodisc; 6) “Real-life”
simulations; 7) video conference.
ICT
appears to give both advantages and disadvantages. ICT in language learning
reduces the intimacy of students – teacher relationship that it may negatively
contributes to students affective feelings in the process of learning. However,
ICT appears as a ‘bridge’ to break the distance and ‘survive’ the learning. In
case of distance, teachers can use ICT through video conference to enable them
teach or monitor the students learning process. Therefore, the development of
ICT is seen as a better way of teaching and learning a certain language
compared to the existing methods. Through the internet, teacher or learners can
obtain as many as possible sources related to the learned – language; such as
text, songs, stories, etc. Those sources can contribute as models of the
learned – language use in the real context and in a proper manner. In addition,
computer can also be used as a more interactive aid to support the learning of
language compared to that of tape recorder, or chalk and blackboard. However,
you can see that many of the technology solutions available in the world of
education can lead to confusion among the teachers on how to choose the right
ICT technology solutions. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages
of ICT tools for education and finding a suitable ICT education solution for
the needs of the school.
Advantages:
1. The
information required will be more quickly and easily accessible for educational
purposes.
2. Innovation
in learning is growing in the presence of e-learning innovations that further
facilitate the educational process.
3. Progress
of ICT will also allow the development of virtual classroom or classroom-based
teleconference that does not require the educator and learners are in one room.
4. System
administration in an institution will be more easily and smoothly because of
the application of ICT systems.
Disadvantages:
1. Progress
of ICT will also occur of violation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for
the easy access to the data that is causing people plagiatis will commit fraud.
2. Although
the system of the administration of an educational institution like a system
without a gap, but if there is a recklessness in running the system would be
dangerous.
3. One
of the negative impact of television is to train children to think short and survive
concentrated in a short time (short span of attention).
Besides, there are three advantages
and disadvantages of ICT tools for education from other sources:
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The use of ICT is changing teaching
in several ways. With ICT, teachers are able to create their own material and
thus have more control over the material used in the classroom than they have
had in the past. Rather than deskilling teachers as some scholars claim, it
seems that technology is requiring teachers to be more creative in customizing
their own material. Also, using Web pages to enhance an activity demonstrates
that technology can be used to complement other aspects of good teaching rather
than replace them. It is evident that involving students in the creation of
useful material as a part of a learning exercise is a way to make school more
meaningful for students. While the use of Power Point presentations have been
criticized by some teachers at this school provide examples of how it helps
them with their teaching. The use of peripheral devices on computers to help
with physics experiments again shows how ICT can be used to aid the learning
process and help students focus on higher level concepts rather than less
meaningful tasks.
The changes caused by the introduction of information technology into learning environments, are not without some potential problems which must be considered by administrators. The information from this school indicates that some fundamental rethinking of the education process may be necessary because of the use of ICT. This will also put pressure on the school system to restructure the way education is organized.
The changes caused by the introduction of information technology into learning environments, are not without some potential problems which must be considered by administrators. The information from this school indicates that some fundamental rethinking of the education process may be necessary because of the use of ICT. This will also put pressure on the school system to restructure the way education is organized.
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