Roles of Technology in Language Teaching

The first chapter of Brave New Digital Classroom emphasizes on the reasons why we need technology in L2 curriculum. I strongly agree with what the book suggests in terms of the role of technology in L2 learning. As Blake says that “Language learning is assisted through social interaction of learners and their interlocutors”, I also think that technology is a very essential tool for communicators who want to share information and their ideas with other people over the world. Since learning L2 is not just understanding of the language but also requires intercultural communication with others, it should especially be integrated with digital technology. According to the book, the most obvious reason why we need to pay attention to the development of technology in L2 classroom is because “84 percent of teenagers today use the Internet primarily as a tool for communications through instant messaging and text messaging”. In other words, today’s students are already accustomed to use the Internet for almost any kinds of activity they do in their daily lives. This means that engagement of technology in our L2 classrooms is a great opportunity to gather students’ attention to digital learning world thereby students can be encouraged to enjoy learning and find their interests on it. The main points of this book are very much alike to my own thoughts on L2 learning environment, and I found this chapter very effective for those, who are currently preparing for future L2 teachers, as a reminder of the importance of technology in L2 curriculum.