The role of the technology in English Teaching

The role of the technology in English Teaching

The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future.

By increasing computer usage by students, installing classroom Internet access and providing instructional classes dedicated to software and hardware education, schools have tried to provide an up-to-date education for students. This is all very important, but is it enough? I feel that perhaps this just isn’t going to cut it for the twenty-first century. Michael Eisenberg and Doug Johnson pose the question in the ERIC Digest, “Can the student who operates a computer well enough to play a game, send e-mail, or surf the Web be considered computer lite..

To deny the power of technology in an English classroom is to deprive students from an enriching and revolutionary experience. Unfortunately, it is hard for many English teachers to face the realization behind this analogy. Members of this outdated group feel that technology would require them to put down their beloved novels and anthologies, throw away their countless photocopies of Langston Hughes poetry, and even close down the school library all together. That is not the case, however, and this paper seeks to prove that. The limitless capacity of technology will only increase the effectiveness of English and language arts instruction. From simple video and audio samples to word processing programs, PowerPoint presentations, internet-based research, and even email and discussion postings, the opportunities to enhance student understanding and excitement in this content area are endless. By utilizing the resources technology affords, English teachers can create an interactive atmosphere prime for student.

TECHNOPHOBICS vrs TECHNOPHILES

Technology forms our human milieu. It is our environment. As an environment it is hidden from us, and we must deliberately direct our attention to it in order to see how it affects us. Technophobia is the attitude of one who desires a return to a mythical state before technology, a return to a natural state. Technophilia is the attitude of one who sees all hope for mankind's future happiness in technical and scientific progress.
Technophilia refers generally to a strong enthusiasm for technology, especially new technologies such as personal computers, the Internet, mobile phones and home cinema. The term is used in sociology when examining the interaction of individuals with their society, especially contrasted with technophobia. The technophobe fears or dislikes technology, often regarding some or all technology with fear. The technophobe is often called a Luddite, after the revolt of cloth-workers in England who destroyed the machinery in cotton mills that were rendering their work obsolete. The technophile is often the technocrat, one who believes that industry and government should invest heavily in technical solutions to human problems. In the field of education in particular, the technophile demands that man learns to conform to the demands of new technology. Transhumanism is sometimes considered to be the most ideological form of technophilia, as its adherents work towards a future in which technology will allow human beings to be physically and mentally enhanced, in order to better suit individual and social standards.

Technology in general and the electronic communications media (including all types of information technology) represent great goods, but as with any great good, they can be the occasion of great evil. It is necessary to recognize the effects of the media on ourselves as individuals and on society. As with anything that offers great attractions, it is necessary to develop an asceticism that preserves us from the abuse of technology