Instructional+Technology+for+the+English+4+Secondary+Classroom

**What is different in today's classrooms from classrooms 20 years ago?** One may be inclined to discuss that the inclusion of new technologies has revolutionized the class rooms; as much as this is absolutely relevant, the real revolutionaries are the students we teach who may be described as “digital natives”, and who the beneficiaries of technological advancement are. The characteristics of today’s students are different from those of previous generations (Weaver, 2000). Technology plays an essential role in the lives of today’s students. They readily have access to cable television, video games, and the Internet which were not available to previous generations. According to Sharp (2005), if Rip Van Winkle were here today, “ During his travels, he might witness students logging on to a cyber schools for an online chat, reading lessons on the Internet, talking with classmates through online discussions groups and delivering presentations via the Web.” These lifestyle differences have a tremendous impact on today’s students and have revolutionized the ways in which they learn. Weaver (2000) reiterates that today’s students have a preference for experiential and hands on learning. They are also visual learners and can easily integrate the physical and virtual worlds. They learn best through discovery learning and group work, and they ignore things that do not interest them. It therefore behooves the foreign language educator to consciously bear in mind the characteristics, needs and interests of the students. These characteristics are critical in determining appropriate content, strategies and methodologies that are required to teach these students. The fact that today’s students are technologically aware, makes it absolutely important for teachers to use videos, games, videoconferencing, web 2.0 and //realia// in their lessons, in order to bring the content to life. The roles of both the teacher and the student are very important. In contrast to twenty years ago; the teacher’s role is no longer that of a vessel of knowledge from which information is disseminated to the student (Davies 1999). The inclusion of technology in the class room prepares the way for the teacher to be the facilitator, guide, councilor and resource and not that of a didactic authoritarian (Curtain and Pesola 1994). The students’ knowledge of the content is no longer dependent on the amount of information that the teacher imparts to them. Today’s students are required to engage in problem-solving activities that require the use of their initiative and critical thinking skills. They are no longer forbidden to discuss among themselves while they are at work. The students’ active role in the learning process, allow them a sense of independence and an appreciation for what they are learning. The students’ knowledge of computer technology has formed the link between how they think, function and learn.