Especially for Teachers - Teaching English

Information and Communication Technologies

What kinds of technology?
Examples of how some emerging technologies can be used in English
Why use computer technology in English?
Issues involved in using computer technology in your classroom
Making the most of the computers available
Technology and assessment
Some applications and computing software worth trying
Software Reviews
The Educational Computing Website
ALEA Technology Forum
For more information

What kinds of technology?

• In English, technology includes cameras, audio equipment, computer technology,
  video equipment, overhead projection devices, scanners, printers, CD equipment -
  almost any device that can access, present, manipulate and communicate words,
  sounds and images to enable us to create meaning.
• English teachers have always used some technology but the explosion in digital
  technologies has opened up new and exciting possibilities:

Examples of how some emerging technologies can be used in English

	Band A	Band B	Bands C and D
Word processing/desk top publishing	Making letters Making words Making signs Writing own illustrated books	Publishing -    stories, poems, letters, brochures, reports, essays, signs, articles, reviews, recounts, biographies, diaries, journals, signs, information, arguments, illustrated books	Publishing -   stories, poems, letters, resumes, brochures, reports, essays, signs, articles, reviews, recounts, biographies, diaries, journals, signs, information, arguments, illustrated books, scripts, research log
Internet for information	Information relating to themes Getting suitable images to illustrate work	Information about writers Search for song lyrics Search for any topic	Author information Topic searches ie "Shakespeare" English courses in years 11 TASSAB
Discussion groups		Discussion groups	Engaging in 'discussion' about particular reading ie. John Marsden
Web page Construction	Personal web page design	Personal web page on school site	Producing personal web site On-line magazine production
CD ROM information	Researching topics	Researching topics CD ROM interactive educational games such as Hollywood High	Researching topics Researching writers
Interactive book reading	Shared reading of interactive books for pleasure		A critical literacy approach to interactive books
Drawing	Drawing letters of the alphabet	Making book covers	Constructing cartoons Illustrating writing for effect
Digital image manipulation	Cutting, pasting and manipulating digital pictures to illustrate own writing	Placing appropriate photographs into document to promote ideas	Altering structures and features for effect - ie making a colour photo into a grey one to illustrate a sad poem
Sound recording	Recording spoken stories	Adding sound to published works	Interviewing characters from a novel
Graphic organising	The life cycle of an insect	Using a graphic organiser to show student's own family tree	Using Mind Man to show the relationship between characters in a novel
Games	Word building and spelling Games	Using spelling programs for drill and practice to broaden spelling	A study of the gender/violence aspects of games
Talking Books	Sharing 'talking books'		Producing own 'talking book' using Power Point type software
Chat lines	Probably best accessed on intra - net rather than externally - but many students spend a great deal of time 'chatting' to people all around the world. This could open up interview possibilities. Ie Interviewing a student in Dallas via a chat line about education there.
e-mail		E-mail friends E-mail for   information	E-mail dialogue  between teacher and student E-mail authors

Why use computer technology in English?

There are two kinds of reasons for using computer technology in English. First there are the benefits to teachers and students from including computer technology in any learning area:

For students technology can:

• be very motivational
• be the source of a significant amount of reading material
• be fun - and when it's fun you learn!
• help students to produce excellent published work

For teachers technology can:

• allow for the easy production, storage and retrieval of prepared materials such as certificates and work required sheets.
• free up communication with other teachers
• help teachers to find information easily
• assist good teaching but not replace it!

Secondly, there are the challenges and opportunities presented by computer technology that make it an increasingly important part of English in particular. These include:

• the emergence of new kinds of texts and the consequent need to teach students to create and use these texts effectively;
• changing social practices associated with communicating via computers and the consequent need to teach students how to make judgements about appropriate use of different avenues of communication;
• the pervasiveness and power of texts created through computer technology and the consequent need to teach students to be critical readers and viewers of such texts.

Each of these is discussed briefly below.

1. Creating and using new kinds of texts.
- such as hyper-texts, web-pages, e-mail communications, and multi-media texts.

Many of these texts blend the written, spoken and visual, so students can express ideas in exciting and powerful ways. The choices available to the creators and users of texts are expanding rapidly so English teachers need to start helping students to make informed choices.

Multi-media texts challenge readers and viewers to integrate information and ideas in new ways. Making meaning from the interplay of words, sound and vision involves a sophisticated set of skills, skills that have not necessarily been highly valued in the past:

...for hundreds of years western culture has privileged the verbal (print and oral) as the
pre-eminent mode of conveying meaning and producing knowledge. However, with the arrival of the new communication and information technologies, the reign of the verbal has been at least interrupted, if not overthrown.' Snyder (1998)

Hypertext heralds a different way of accessing texts since, even more than with traditional print or screen texts, the reader or viewer actively creates an individual text through choices made. We can choose to jump from link to link in different ways, creating many possible texts from one set of material. Adults often comment ironically on the almost irresistible lure of hypertext links that invite us to flit from site to site, searching for the better, brighter site that surely waits just one screen away. We need to explore the same issue with students to ask what effect this has on our understanding and how we judge when it is better to resist or go with the lure.

In a recent workshop presented by PETA, Katina Zammit presented Tasmanian teachers with some useful tools to help students read computer texts, including her analysis sheet for web sites:

2. Judging the appropriate use of new kinds of texts.

When we use computer technology to make and access texts, we operate in changing social contexts.
E-mail, discussion groups and chat rooms create qualitatively different contexts for communication. Teachers often comment that the kinds of relationships they and their students establish through these kinds of channels are unlike others they are familiar with. For example, with no status cues such as paper quality, handwriting or letterhead, e-mail is potentially a great leveller. While this has possible advantages, we also need to establish new ways of judging authenticity and credibility. As the clamour
for better Netiquette suggests, there is a need for everyone to make judgments about the appropriate use of new texts. Students need to weigh up the relative advantages of e-mail, letter, fax or phone call in any particular situation as all will become increasingly available.

Other questions arise, such as:

• What is appropriate information to include on a personal home page?
• What are the pros and pitfalls of computer chat?
• If e-mailing someone we don't know, what is an appropriate tone to use?
• Does layout matter?
  
• What are the social and personal implications of not having access to computer
  technology to communicate?

3. Critically reading and viewing computer-based texts.

While teachers have been busy learning to use computer technology, the emphasis
has understandably been on practical applications rather than critical analysis.
Now that critical literacy is recognised as a significant part of English, teachers are starting to develop a critical approach to computer technology. The same kinds of questions that we ask of other texts can
be asked:

• Who is privileged in this text?
• Who might this text exclude or marginalise?
• What attitudes and values are implied in this text?

Just as students increase their personal power when they improve their traditional literacy skills, they also gain significant social power through competent, critically-aware use of new communication technology. English teachers are in a powerful position to help students develop this new dimension of literacy.

Issues involved in using computer technology in your classroom

• Developing a whole school approach. This involves considering how students will be taught basic skills; what kinds of priority will be given to students in accessing computers; security and privacy implications of the use of computer technology; intranet development and use.
  
• The teaching strategies needed to accommodate the computers. As students'access to information improves so that they can go beyond what the teacher or school provide, and can locate information much closer to its source, the relationship between teacher and student inevitably changes. Some students may have a much stronger practical knowledge base and operational understanding
  of computer technology than their teacher does. Recognising this, we need to work out how to acknowledge and use their skills and bring our own teaching expertise and critical awareness to bear in choosing appropriate ways of working with computers. Questions arise such as: Can we use peer-tutoring to help students develop basic skills? How are computers best used within a writing program? What is the most time-effective way to use computers for research?
  
• Where to place the computers in the school/classroom. Where do they need to go to become a natural part of learning programs, and not an add-on? How can we ensure the most effective access to computer technology by the greatest number of students?
  
• The technical assistance needed. What happens in the event of a breakdown? Who will help you to trouble-shoot? What kinds of routines might help to minimise technical difficulties and keep the learning program going smoothly when they inevitably occur?
  
• Classroom dynamics. How do we ensure that students use the computers in a collaborative way? What balance of computer and other activities is appropriate at any one time to keep the class communicating and functioning well?
  
• Skills, attitudes and knowledge of computers and computing. What kind of PD is needed and what is the best way to get it? How do we help students to develop the specific skills needed in English, such as effective use of spell-checking programs and critical viewing skills?
  
• Moral, ethical and equity questions. When the Internet opens up information resources far beyond the schools' own, how do we ensure that students are protected from exploitation but not limited? What kinds of ethical questions do we need to investigate with students?

Making the most of the computers available

Most teachers find themselves in something like one of the scenarios presented in the table
below. The suggestions given for each might help you to make the most of available resources.

No available computers	One computer in the class	Two or more in the class	A room full of computers to book into
Use other forms of technology such as video cameras, still cameras, OHPs, sound recording, game machines, etc. As digital technology becomes standard, the skills and knowledge will overlap considerably Encourage home computer use for publishing or research to move students into areas other than games. If students have to get information, make computer accessed information one of the options.	Keep a record chart of computer use - recording the type of use (game, word processing, CD, e-mail... Use the computer to promote collaboration - writing, research, games etc Have a computer specific task in all activities Encourage use of the full range of computer facilities Model the use - show that you use the computer for productive reasons - such as work required sheets, getting information and making signs	Organise group activities around the computer. For example, if you have your students creating picture books - one group could create an electronic picture book using power point. In contract work, make one or some of the activities ones which can only be completed using the computer Assign specific activities to each computer. One could be for internet, one for word-processing, one for multi-media, one for games. Use should be charted.	Get onside with the IT manager at your school - you could find that they are flexible in allowing students from your class to work in with their class Have a booking sheet for the room Use the room to introduce the whole class to skills, knowledge or software/hardware Arrange shorter and more specific tasks if access is limited. It would not be useful for a student to start extended word -processing if the class can only get to the room once a week

Technology and Assessment

• Technology can be used in all areas of English. Activities are limited by the imagination of the teacher and cross all language modes and strands. There are very few of the English outcomes that exclude the use of technology.
• TLOs, KINOs and Learning Area outcomes are available on SACs via the Student Assessment Module (SAM)

Examples of English profile outcomes that could be assessed through technology:

WRITING

	Level 1	Level 4	Level 7
Texts	1.9 Produces written symbols with the intention of conveying an idea or message	4.9 Uses writing to develop familiar ideas, events and information	7.9 Writes sustained texts characterised by complexity of purpose and subject matter and a need for formality in language and construction
Contextual understanding	1.10 Recognise that written language is used by people to convey meaning to others	4.10 Adjusts writing to take account of aspects of context, purpose and audience	7.10 Selects text type, subject matter and language to suit a specific audience and purpose
Linguistic structures and features	1.11 Demonstrates emerging awareness of how to use conventional written symbols for expressing ideas and information	4.11 Controls most distinguishing linguistic structures and features of basic text types such as stories, procedures, reports and arguments	7.11 Controls spelling, syntax and text structures to meet the demands of most expository and imaginative writing.
Strategies	1.12 Experiments and practises ways of representing ideas and information using written symbols	4.12 a When prompted, uses a range of strategies for planning, reviewing and proofreading own writing 4.12b Uses a multi-strategy approach to spelling	7.12 Critically evaluates others' written texts and uses this knowledge to reflect on and improve own

READING AND VIEWING

	Level 1	Level 4	Level 7
Texts	1.5a Roleplays being a competent reader and consistently interprets some familiar written symbols 1.5b Constructs meanings from visual texts with familiar content, particularly texts designed to be viewed in segments	4.5 Justifies own interpretations of ideas, information and events in texts containing some unfamiliar concepts and topics which introduce relatively complex linguistic structures and features	7.5 Constructs meanings from a range of texts, including those characterised by complexity of construction and subject matter, and justifies
Contextual understanding	1.6 Makes connections between own knowledge and experience and the ideas, events and information in texts viewed and heard read aloud	4.6 Explains possible reasons for peoples varying interpretations of texts	7.6 Considers a variety of interrelationships between texts, contexts, readers or viewers and makers of texts
Linguistic structures and features	1.7 Demonstrates emerging awareness and use of symbols and conventions when making meaning from texts	4.7 With teacher guidance, identifies and discusses how linguistic structures and features work to shape readers' and viewers' understanding of texts	7.7 Identifies and comments on the impact of techniques intended to shape readers' and viewers' interpretation and reactions to texts
Strategies	1.8 Recognises and uses cues to predict meaning in visual and printed texts.	4.8 Recognises and uses cues to predict meaning in visual and printed texts	7.8 Uses reading and viewing strategies that enable detailed critical evaluation of texts

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

	Level 1	Level 4	Level 7
Texts	1.1 Interacts informally with teachers, peers and known adults in structured classroom activities dealing briefly with familiar topics	4.1 Interacts confidently with others in a variety of situations to develop and present	7.1 Works effectively with others in situations characterised by complexity of purpose, procedure and subject matter and a need for formality in speech and attitude
Contextual understanding	1.2 Shows emerging awareness of school purposes and expectations for using spoken language	4.2 Considers aspects of context, purpose and audience when speaking and listening in familiar situations	7.2 Considers the inter-relationships between texts, contexts, speakers and listeners in a range of situations
Linguistic structures and features	1.3 Draws on implicit knowledge of the linguistic structures and features of own variety of English when expressing ideas and information and interpreting spoken texts	4.3 Controls most linguistic structures and features of spoken language for interpreting meaning and developing and presenting ideas and information in familiar situations	7.3 Uses awareness of differences between spoken and written language to construct own spoken texts in structured, formal situations
Strategies	1.4 Monitors communication of self and others	4.4 Assists and monitors the communication patterns of self and others	7.4 Uses a range of strategies to present spoken texts in formal situations

Some applications and computing software worth trying

Below is a small sample of some of the more commonly used applications of different kinds.
The suggested year groups are a guide only. It would be possible to use interactive story books in high school, for example.

K

P

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

I Hate Spelling: I Love Spelling

Jolly Postman

Carmen San Diego - Word Detective

Microsoft Word

Claris Works

Microsoft Publisher

Web Publishing

Encarta

Creative Writer

Amazing Writing Machine

Movie Maker

Story Weaver Deluxe

Hollywood High

Real Wild Child

Interactive Storybooks

Reader Rabbit Series

Microsoft Power Point

Computer recording facilities: Sound Recorder on most 95+ PCs

Graphic organising programs eg. Mindman

Internet

Paint Shop Pro

Kid Pix 2

A day at the beach (spelling)

It is worth noting that when schools start using computer software, it is often the instructional drill and practice type software that teachers see as the focus. Early literacy software that had students practising visual discrimination skills might be an example of this. As computer use is extended and teachers' experience grows, there may be a move to more content-based software such as reference works and simulations. These allow for more student input and greater flexibility of use. Further on, teachers usually start to see content-free, generic software such as word-processing packages, graphics packages and concept-mapping software as most valuable. This kind of software is the most flexible and adaptable to students' and teachers' needs. Because it can be used right across the curriculum in creative and powerful ways, it is also the most cost-effective.

One valuable resource that suggests ways of using this kind of software, mainly with secondary students, is Computer-based technologies in the English KLA, produced by the New South Wales Education Department. Step by step work sequences are outlined, with focuses such as:

• using tables for summary writing - through word-processing and databases
• computer poetry - through word-processing and graphics software
• getting into Shakespeare - through Internet, word-processing and e-mail
• preparing an oral presentation - through presentation software, such as Power Point, and Internet.

For more information

On this site
In their interviews for this site, Doug Bruce and Angela Bird explain how they use technology with their students.

Useful technology sites for teachers Many of these sites contain specific teaching ideas as well as discussion of some of the issues involved in using computer technology in the classroom.

See Sally Gill's account of using web-based inquiries with students in Using WebQuests: Fairytales.

Books and journals Computer-based technologies in the English KLA, (1997) New South Wales Department of Education and Training

McGregor, R. (1997) www.english: Student Projects for the Internet, English Club, VIC.

Fatouros C.,Walters-Moore C. (1997) Using Software in English, Primary English Teaching Association, NSW.

Downes T., Fatouros, C. (1995) Learning in an Electronic World, P.E.T.A, NSW

Ingvarson, D (ed) (1997) A Teacher's Guide to the Internet: the Australian Experience, Heinemann, Melbourne.

Garner, R and Gillingham, M (1996) Internet Communication in Six Classrooms: Conversations across Time, Space, and Culture, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey.

Practically Primary - Information Technology issue, Volume 3, Number 3, October 1998, Australian Literacy Educators Association.