Technology in the Classroom: Attitudes, Approaches and Perspectives Ivaylo Dagnev, Maria Saykova Medical College Medical University

Plovdiv Bulgaria 120 Buxton Bros, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 4000 Abstract: The use of new equipment in the classroom, such as the Internet, interactive boards, multimedia and virtual learning platforms, sets the stage for a multiplicity of new opportunities in teaching ESP. Unlike the old reproductive methods relying on one-way directionality, the new means of teaching call for novel approaches, necessitating a high level of teacher-student interaction, an unchartered method of classroom management and a completely different ethos. Through technology, students activities can be targeted towards individual, project-oriented tasks, raising their learning awareness and inducing greater involvement in the wake of substantially increased degrees of interest. Furthermore, the use of technology is conducive to an altered teaching status, commanding a change of paradigm in terms of communicative strategies. The technologicallysavvy classroom lends itself more to an extension of class activities, beyond the mere confines of the conventional classroom, acquiring modes of interrelations typical of virtual space communities. The process of learning can include at one time, the presence of many teachers through videolinks, references to various resources and archives, proxy presence of students, and can help to simulate roleplay and language games. Student presentations are another perspective not fully developed in contemporary classroom activites, which can even lead to an exchange of roles of teachers and students. The latter event would lead to a better understanding by either party of the complexities of learning ESP. Key words: technology, classroom, teacher-student interaction, virtual space, ESP Introduction: It is a frequently mentioned observation that foreign language acquisition is a complex process and takes time and effort (Richard-Amato 1988). Outside the natural target language environment, the ease of communication is almost impossible to attain. Language teaching, therefore, applies a multiplicity of methods and approaches, aimed at, with varying success though, to high levels of acquisition of language skills. Furthermore, the changing economic, intercultural and educational envirenment places new requirements on both educational outcomes and process of learning (Canale & Swain 1980). The old approaches relying heavily on the authoritative function of the teacher and the presence of a comprehensive textbook are on their way to becoming obsolete, or at least are far from being sufficient to meet the demands of foreign language acquisition. On the one hand, students can already use a plethora of authentic language sources rendering any textbook redundant as far as the latest in the field is regarded, and on the other hand, this fact alters the role of the teacher both in the classroom and outside of it. The level of teacher-student interaction is becoming more complex and varied due to the changed activity

profiles. Keeping to the old ways would make, under the present state of affairs, the process awkward and unyielding, as the critical issue of mutual learning motivation levels would be reduced (Nickerson & Zodhiates 1988). The solution to this problem could be found in keeping up with the latest in technology with respect to language teaching, as this is the underlying driving force behind modern development. The use of the Internet, online-based learning platforms and interactive boards are only some of the many new avenues of reclaiming motivation territory. The Internet Describing what the World Wide Web has to offer to any single communicative activity is out of the scope of this article, so we would refer to only a few means that the net can be beneficial through, ie the way it can be used in an academic setting. First of all, a viable way of making use of the Internet is by utilising its unlimited reference capacity (Blake 2008, Davison 2005)). There are both general and specific language resources fully available to learners, so teachers can just refer the latter to the appropriate webpages in all cases. In this way, valuable time can be saved, as students can learn outside of the classroom, improve their grammatical and vocabulary skills, so that more time could be allotted to activities unique to the classroom, such as speaking, language games etc. Second, the opportunities presented by online courses catering for the specific needs of the students, not only as a whole, but targeting specific groups, subgroups and even individuals are innumerable. Online learning is a new tool in the foreign language toolkit, which greatly facilitates the process of individualisation. Electronic textbooks Of course, creating an online textbook is a logical part of this new approach, which significantly improves the topicality of presented material, as well as extending the breadth of individual work by additional weblinks, references and ready-to-use materials. An electronic textbook has a number of advantages over conventional paperback ones, including the possibility of constant thematic updating and feature upgrading to keep up with the increasing needs of learners. Online platforms A truly interactive techno-savvy approach, online platforms such as Moodle present many new opportunities for improving the teacher-student interface. By using them teachers can make room for more time dedicated to oral and group work, save on time for dull drills and grammatical exercises, and ultimately boost student motivation. To start with, placing all written material on the platform is of great relief to students, as they can learn at their own speed and convenience, without the pressure from the group. What is more, such online platforms can be used for doing a greater variety of tests outside of the classroom, and in view of the limited course time, the teacher can assume the role of language expert, explaining the results. Online utilities such as Moodle can serve as textbooks as well, they can be used for students presentations and as a further advantage they allow for a flexible student attendance, which can be important, for example, in cases of illness. Course projects of all sorts are also made easier, not to speak of improved interaction through the net. Interactive boards

A means of the modern hi-tech classroom, the interactive boards are becoming an integral vehicle of the new learners rationale. Their presence ensures the most valuable commodity in todays world staying connected. The meaning of this notion transcends the mere notion of being online in the sense of being available. It alludes to the idea of being part of a virtual world of unlimited opportunities. The mere basics of such boards spell the end of writing and cleaning the white/blackboard, and in the wake of this act a teacher comes up with the idea of true preparation for classroom activities. Not only do various exercises become available, but also videoclips, presentations, games etc. The latest models make it possible for both student and teacher alike to write, thus enhancing the range of alternative methods of learning. Referencing also becomes easier, as well as a greater variety of type of exercise. Merging means of technology It is abundantly clear even to laypeople that any single one of the abovementioned technological means would not be efficient enough if used separately. An interactive board does not have enough disc space, for example, to be used without a computer. It should not be forgotten that the combined powers of the online resourses, online paltforms, e-textbooks and interactive boards will have a cumulative effect, greatly surpassing the benefits of all utilities taken separately. That is why, ensuring all these means may seem costly, but in the course of time would undoubtfully turn out to be cost-effective. Raising awarenes and boosting motivation The impact on the student-teacher interaction due to the introduction of latest technology cannot be underestimated. The role of the teacher is shifted from the omniscient authority figure of the past towards delegating responsibility and overall management of both classroom and extracurricular activities. This necessitates the emergence of new qualities, different from field expertise and pedagogical acumen. The ability to make full use of the various technological environments is one but a few new skills that have to be mastered, as well as netiquete and other appropriate qualities. The extended time for preparation means fewer hours in the classroom which could be problematic to the current national and institutional curricula. Likewise, students also need to change their ways, as the involvement of more personalised learning schedule presupposes greater creativity, thus strain to the nervous system. Resentment to this has already been shown in cases where new technology has been applied, so that it could be a problem to teachers. On the other hand, the level of motivation for learning can be greatly increased as students would be experiencing means of study that resemble their own world, awash with or premodified by videogames, chats, real life faceto-face interaction and laissez faire atmosphere. In this way they would recognize the classroom as their natural setting and not as something artificial to be unwillingly reckoned with. Conclusion Although expensive and difficult to master by the old generation of teachers, the new thecnological means and approaches in foreign language learning are the way ahead. Their greatest advantage lies in creating real life settings for studying foreign languages, which under

the current curcumstances of great economic competition and an abundance of information sources are pivotal to successful learning. Nowadays, the introduction of new technology in the language acquisition process is not a matter of choice but of necessity, if we, as foreign langauge teachers, are to continue being efficient. Literature: 1. Richard-Amato, P. A. 1988. Making it happen: Interaction in the second language classroom: From theory to practice. New York: Longman. 2. Canale, M. and Swain, M. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1980, 1, 1-47. 3. Nickerson R., Zodhiates P 1988. Technology in Education: Looking Toward 2020. London, UK, Routledge 1988 4. Blake R. 2008. Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning. USA, Georgetown University Press, 2008 5. Davison C 2005. Information technology and innovation in language education. Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press, 2005 Address for correspondence: Ivaylo Dagnev Medical College Medical University Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 4000 Email: ivodagnev @abv.bg GSM: 00359888990293 Maria Saykova Medical College Medical University Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 4000 Email: mariya_saykova@abv.bg GSM: 00359899841619