Body and soul

I have been hearing about the necessity to transform education for a long long time. The discourse has always been the same: things are changing, so we need to adapt to these changes and proceed differently. As teachers, we have always had the compromise to move ahead, to keep up with the changes and the current necessities of our society. Nowadays, things are not different. We even have more challenges than ever as the machines seem to be "replacing" us.  Is this really happening? Are we going to let this happen?

One of the great advantages of technology is the interaction it makes possible, a principle that from the socio-cultural perspective is a necessary condition for the construction of knowledge. This interaction mediated by machines is also a strength to encourage respect for diversity; even more, when this interaction is possible with people from around the world. Therefore, our compromise as teachers is to open our minds and see the potential uses and advantages we can get from technology. Additionally, we should keep up with the speed of knowledge influenced by ICTs.

However, we should never forget that despite all the advantages that technology might have, it is just technology; machines are just machines. The education processes involve human beings with body and soul. A real transformation in education would imply not only the acquisition of physical skills to operate the machines, but a real awareness that we have a heart and soul to grow.

What are the benefits of including ICTs in our classrooms?

From the socio-cultural approach we learn that the interaction with others makes learning possible. Social interaction is a key concept in the teaching-learning process because knowledge is constructed and reconstructed through it. Regarding ICTs,  interactivity is a quality we should highlight, despite the difference between interaction which takes place with another human being and this one that is given with a machine. Are there real benefits in including ICTs in our classrooms? I personaly think there are, without any discussion.

The positive side of including technolgy in our EFL classes can go further than improving linguistic features; personal qualities can also be improved. Activities such as podcasting, blogging, producing cell phone videos, creating online learning communities, among others, have the potential to improve linguistic features such as listening comprehension, writing and speaking skills, even learning about other cultures. Additionally, personal aspects such as autonomy, identity formation (through social networking sites), the sense of community (through the creation of online learning communities), and the understanding of other ways to socialize might be enchanced as well.

However, it is not as simple as it may look. All the actors involved in the education field should be well-trained in technical issues, but above all, always keep in mind the human and ethical side of all this scenario. This is key. We need to be committed in our formation and improvement as human beings before undertaking any pedagogical activity. ICT might become a wonderful way to socialize and learn, but without forgetting its wise and sensible use.

Finding the sense of ICTs' role in education

As professionals in the field of education we have huge responsiblities as we work with human beings who usually trust us. With regard to this wonderful and "scaring" world of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), nobody can deny that it brings lots of changes and challenges to all of us. Therefore, we need to be open-minded enough to understand what being in this world implies. Once we understand that we cannot get away and just neglect it, we must start seeing the potential uses of ICTs to take advantage of them. However, we should also be aware of the threatens they might have in order to make right decisions in relation to their use.

This world of ICTs changes our role as teachers and our students' as well. It is important to remember that  the advent of socio-cultural and socio-critical approaches had a purpose. They showed the relevance of changing these roles. It became paramount to move from just being transmissors and recipients of knowledge to be facilitators and active and autonomous learners. So, if we compare the abstract subject of the mass culture with the "active" subject of the media culture, we have to recognize that there is an advantage in the latest. 

The flexibility, interactivity, innovation, diversity and the way relations are established through ICTs can be seen as qualities; then the potential uses cannot be disregarded.  However, as professionals we should be able to take a critical stance in relation to this because ICTs can become a way to be manipulated as well. As a result, we might go back and become the abstract and passive subjects of the mass culture but in a different way. In conclusion, the responsible and conscious use of these technologies is what we have to pursue.

Astrid

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Astrid