The first chapter of Robert J. Blake's Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning takes an interesting approach in answering the question of why technology should be present in the foreign language classroom. I appreciate the fact that he enumerates statistics from his experience working with the Foreign Service Institute to illustrate that learning (rather, acquiring) a foreign language requires a awful lot of time. He states that, based on estimates, it takes a total of 600 hours -- that's twenty 30-hour weeks -- of study to "reach a high level of fluency" (p. 1). Furthermore, he makes the point that technology is present only to serve as a tool in language acquisition, not as a new methodology or a means by which to replace language teachers. I certainly agree with this point, and I would go so far as to say that technology shouldn't replace foreign language teachers. We as future teachers are needed to facilitate our students' learning, and there are many technological tools that help us to do this. I think the Internet in particular can be an excellent way to expose students to authentic cultural experiences. As Dr. Rogers mentioned in her introductory letter for this course, the textbooks she has used (textbooks I have used, too) often showed an antiquated view of the target culture. Many resources online such can be used to show real French people, for example, and real French culture.
Blake then takes on four "myths" related to technology and second language acquisition. The first is that technology is monolithic. The second is that technology is a methodology in and of itself. The third is that technology is advancing too quickly for us to keep up. Finally, the fourth is that technology will replace teachers. Because I already touched on the second and fourth myths, I will now discuss the remaining two. I agree with Blake when he implies that some people use the word "Internet" or "technology" and think them sufficient to describe the wide variety of tools available to teachers. We need to become aware of the different types of tools that are at our disposal and how to use them in our classroom, which is exactly what I hope to do in this course. As for whether or not technology is advancing too quickly for teachers, we cannot deny that things change quickly. With new changes, however, come new opportunities for students. So schools and language teachers should make an effort to embrace new technologies and to learn how to apply them efficiently to their classrooms.
References:
Blake, R.J. (2008). Brave new digital classroom: Technology and foreign language learning. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Good reflection! This is the type of thing I would like you to do in future reflections!
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