MODULE SIX

ICT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Learning Outcomes
3.0 Learning Content
3.1 Information and Communication Technology
3.2 History and Evolution of ICT
3.3 Some ICT Tools
3.4 Benefits of ICT in Language Learning
3.5 Challenges of ICT
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7.0 References/ Further Reading

1.0 Introduction
This section of the course deals with the use of Information and Communication
Technology in language learning by students. It is well known that, technology has
permeated in almost all activities in the world today. This is because it is used in
almost all the sectors of the society, education, not an exception. The use of
technology extends from domestic use to its use in teaching and learning of
languages. It facilitates and greatly influences the performance of various
endevours. This module will therefore discuss the various technological tools used
in language, their importance and the likely challenges facing their uses.
2.0 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the Module, you are expected to:
i. define ICT;
ii. list and explain some ICT tools;
iii. explain how these tools can facilitate language learning; and
iv. identify some constraints associated with the use of technology for language
learning
3.0 Learning Contents
Unit 1
3.1 What is Information and Communication Technology?
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an umbrella that includes
the utilization of communication devices or applications, such as radio-sets,
televisions, cellular phones, computer, hard ware and software satellite system and
so on. The Greek word technology means an art of artifice or crafting but more
generally, it refers to the diverse collection of the processing and knowledge that
people use to extend human ability and to satisfy human needs and want.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is the use of computing and
telecommunication technologies, systems and tools to facilitate the way
information is created, collected, processed, transmitted and stored. It includes
computing technologies like servers, laptop computers and software applications,
as well as the wired and wireless communication technologies that support
telephones, the Internet, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the metaverse. The goal
of ICT is to improve access to information and and make human-to-human,
human-to-machine and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication easier and
more efficient.

The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) on English

language learning in Nigeria cannot be overemphasize as it has become
indispensable in modern day learning environment due to the major role it plays in
the advancement and development of the frontiers of knowledge in language
learning. This is more so when the world is fast becoming a global village where
the use of modern technological gadgets to improve language learning has become
imperative. Information and communication technology (ICT) have the viable
potentials to accelerate the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge required in
motivating the students to learn. It offers the teachers of language new role that
prepares students to manipulate information for solving social, political and
economic problems. It encompasses different technologies that are used for
processing, transmitting and communicating data. Information and communication
technology can be applied to present teaching tasks more vividly, or present
concepts more clearly, for the purpose of enhancing learning outcomes as students
will learn and retain more of what is taught, involving more senses for perception
than hearing alone. ICT can be applied in assisting the students to store learning
tasks and will give them extra access to the lesson more than the volume they had
in the normal classroom situation.

3.2 History and Evolution of ICT

The concept of ICT can be traced back to the 19th century with the development of
the telegraph and the telephone. These two inventions revolutionized the way
people worked and interacted socially by making it possible for one person to
communicate with another person in a different location in real or near-real time.

In the middle of the 20th century, radio and television introduced the concept of
mass communication, and by the end of the century, the internet had become a
mainstream tool for communication, commerce and entertainment. Its use
continued to grow rapidly in the following years, revolutionizing the way people
work and digitally transforming the way people communicate. The following
shows the stages of the evolution of ICT

Year Technological Advancement

1837 Morse code and telegraph
1876 Telephone
1895 Wireless telegraphy
1927 Television
1947 Transistor
1951 UNIVAC I (First commercial computer)
1969 ARPANET (Foundation of the Internet)
1971 First email
 1990 World Wide Web
1991 GSM (Global System for Mobile communication)
1994 Netscape Navigator (Widely-used web browser)
1998 Google
2001 Commercial 3G networks
2004 Facebook
2007 iPhone
2008 Bitcoin
2010 4G networks
2016 AlphaGo
2020 5G networks
2023 Zoom (350 million daily meeting attendees)
Today, broadband internet and smartphones have made it easier than ever for
people to create access, share and consume information and in the future with
many more exciting developments. 6G networks provide faster and reliable
connectivity, generative AI systems like ChatGPT that will change the way people
create and acquire information and emerging technologies like quantum
computing and Web3 will inspire a wide variety of new ICT tools and
applications.

3.3 Some ICT Tools

Information and communication technology includes a wide range of information,
telecommunication and support tools and services that work together to facilitate
communication. This includes:

 Hardware and software that supports the way information is created, disseminated,
acquired and stored.
 Infrastructure and electronics that enable communication between hardware
devices.
 Protocols and interfaces that enable seamless communication and data exchanges
between different hardware and software components.
 Tools for protecting sensitive information and ensuring the integrity of an ICT
system.
 Standards for protecting data in transit, during processing and at rest.
 Governance policies for how information should be accessed, secured, processed,
transmitted and stored.
 Workers who have the skills required to design, develop, maintain and support ICT
systems.
A variety of technology-enhanced gadgets can create an interactive learning
environment to develop learners’ autonomy and meaningful learning, which
provides a huge amount of exposure to language. ICTs, the modern technologies
for storage, manipulation, and dissemination of information, include both hardware
tools such as laptops, smart phones, projectors, and software tools such as email,
Skype, Facebook, and YouTube. These technological tools have brought a
revolutionary movement in the field of education and information communication.
3.4 Benefits of ICT in Language Classroom

According to Davis (2007), the incorporation of the technologies into English

classroom can help achieve: (i) cognitive gain by providing visual images, (ii)
motivational gain providing fun, and (iii) interactional gain by providing
convenience sharing. ICTs provide opportunities for exploring the communicative
power of the English learner by engaging them in exploring literary texts and
several other interactive activities in exciting ways. Likewise, computer-based
activities enhance interaction and collaboration and provide unique opportunities
for the development of the learners’ spoken and written language capabilities
Various language learning online/offline software, language learning platforms;
and the methodological innovations like computer-assisted language learning
(CALL) have made language learning easier and more effective.

ICTs can help create a student-centered learning environment where lots of

opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous communication take place.
The tools such as email, Facebook, Messenger, Skype etc., all make interaction
between the teacher and students and among the students more frequent. Sharing
their ideas and information is possible whenever and wherever they stay.
The following are some major benefits of ICT in language.

(i) Providing the students with learning resources and feedback: with the
integration of ICTs, the teachers can provide the students with lots of learning
materials to increase the students’ amount of exposure to the English language.
Using their learning management system (LMS) or email the teachers can send the
students the learning resources that are more content-specific and useful for them
in the form of reading texts, videos, audios, hyperlinks, or websites. Likewise,
ICTs are helpful for the teachers for providing the students with written comments
and feedback to the whole class, group-wise, or individually.
(ii) Amount of learning resources: one of the important benefits of the integration
of ICTs for the students is that they can use these tools for accessing information
and learning resources. Among many others, LMS (i. e., CIS and MOODLE) is
very useful with which the students can find course-specific resources. Besides,
they can use web browsers and websites through which they can search and
download learning materials such as e-books, e-journals, e-articles, e-newspaper,
videos, audios, slides, and more for practicing their listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and grammar-related skills. They can also use different mobile apps
designed for learning the English language.
(iii) Interaction
ICTs can enable the students for easier and faster communication with their friends
and teachers. They can easily interact about their problems or queries through the
tools such as email, SMS, Skype and so on. Both synchronous and asynchronous
communication through ICTs, help them exchange their ideas and opinions.
(iv) Collaboration
Collaboration with their friends is another important benefit of integrating ICTs for
the students. They can work together in peer or in groups to solve problems or
given tasks. Through ICTs it is easier for the students to be involved in talking and
discussing, sharing, evaluating, and constructing their knowledge. ICTs help them
to create such an environment for collaborative activities. In such activities, the
students can feel more relaxed and comfortable to share, discuss, and debate than
in teacher dominated classroom. The tools such as email, Facebook, blogs, Skype,
Google docs are more useful for the students while carrying out collaborative
activities.
(v)Exposure to English language skills: ICTs help the students to find several
English language skills specific online or offline learning resources. The students
can be involved in practicing listening and speaking skills through the resources
such as audios, videos, conversations songs, Skype, Viber, or other online talks.
Likewise, they can improve their reading and writing skills through several reading
materials such as e-books, e-journals, or e-papers or use several web-browsers and
online or offline mobile apps for practicing the listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and grammar skills.

(vi) Develop learning autonomy

Another important benefit of using ICTs is that, these tools can help in accessing
various learning resources, which encourage reading and analyzing the contents.
Likewise, ICTs can help the students to share the information and learning
materials with their friends and to give comments on them. This environment
created by ICT integration is helpful for developing students’ habit of independent
and autonomous learning. For instance, the web 2.0 applications can be exploited
to the advantages of the students learning English language and literature to create
several possibilities of learning opportunities such as exploring and investigating,
composing and creating, reflecting and evaluating, presenting and performing; and
communicating and collaborating. Multimedia technology in English language
teaching and learning provides opportunities for the learners and enhances
interaction among the teachers and students. It also develops students’
communicative competence, motivate them to learn, and widen their knowledge
about the English language. Other advantages of ICT in language classroom are:

a. English language lessons can incorporate multimedia applications that can exert
powerful motivation and provide bored students with exciting new ways to learn:
b. the use of ICTs enhances English Language competence as well as the quality of
learners' experience;
c. the effective use of ICTs removes the time and space limitations found in
traditional teaching, as classroom dialogue can now extend beyond the time and
space constraints;
it allows students to learn more autonomously and thereby raises self-esteem and
confidence; and
it enhances learners' interaction, verbalization and involvement in group
collaborative learning.
The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and
learning language has been extensive. It has been effective in increasing
performance and retention rate. Research has shown that people remember 20% of
what they see, 40% of what they see and hear, but about 75% of what they see,
hear and do simultaneously. Use of ICT such as computer technology and internet
are intended to enable English language teachers to facilitate learning more
effectively and enhance students’ understanding of concepts which are expected to
translate into expansion of knowledge and improve examination outcomes.

3.5 Challenges of the use of ICT in Language

The view that the internet and other forms of information and communication
technology are of immense benefit to the education system is incontrovertible. The
internet is repository of enormous content but it also contains an equal amount of
junk and obscene sites which, if not regulated and censored before students are
allowed to work on it, can lead to all forms of problems, especially among
teenagers and youths. The success or failure of a teaching - learning situation in
language acquisition rests to a large extent on the teacher. However, it has been
discovered that many teachers are yet to upgrade or familiarize themselves with
ICT and its application in the classroom setting as a result, it can be inferred that
the integration of ICTs in language education is still being faced by the general
apathy on the part of both the learners and the teachers.
The following are the major constraints to the use of ICTs in language teaching:
- electricity, phone lines, internet facilities etc. are either unreliable or expensive.
- Video recorders and other ICTs are locked in storage closets because only few
teachers know how to operate and incorporate them into their instructional
programmes.
- ICT trained teachers often quit teaching for more lucrative jobs because teaching
is not attractive especially in Nigeria.
- Poor maintenance of the existing ICT gadgets (where provided) is a debilitating
factor against the use of ICT.
Large or overcrowded classes may interfere with the objectives of the use of ICTs

Moreover, with the present stage of information and communication technology

(ICT), the use of ICT resources such as the computer, scanner, e-mail, video
phone, systems, wireless application protocols (WAP), radio and micro waves
television and satellites, multimedia computer and multimedia projector in
curriculum implementation in e-learning, curriculum content in the forms of text,
visuals e.g. pictures, posters, videos, audio, sound, maps and graphics can be
simultaneously presented online to students in both immediate E-learning as an
aspect of ICT. This is relatively new in Nigeria’s educational system, though; it
also ensures effective teaching, learning and curriculum implementation in the
computer age.

4. Conclusion
The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) on English
language learning in Nigeria cannot be overemphasize as it has become
indispensable in modern day learning environment due to the major role it plays in
the advancement and development of the frontiers of knowledge in language
learning. This is more so when the world is fast becoming a global village where
the use of modern technological gadgets to improve language learning has become
imperative. Information and communication technology (ICT) have the viable
potentials to accelerate the acquisition of basic skills and knowledge required in
motivating the students to learn.

5. Summary

This module has defined ICT, traced its history and evolution, its tools and their
advantages to users. Some of the constraints for the use of ICT have also been
discussed.

6. Tutor-marked Assignment

1. Define ICT

2. List the ICT tools you know and their importance

3. Trace the evolution of ICT.

4. What are some of the constraints of using some ICT tools?

7.0 References and Further Reading

Akintunde, F. A. & Angulu, Y. D. (2015). The Use of information and

communication technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning of English
language in Nigeria. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics
www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8435 An International Peer-reviewed Journal
Vol.15.

Ambika, P P. (2022). Information and communication technology in English

language teaching: some opportunities and challenges
Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education:Volume 14, Issue 4, pp. 103-116
DOI: 10.32674/jcihe.v14i4.3874| https://ojed.org/jcihe