Technologyand Teachers;an Inseparable Pairin Language Learning

Almost all type of language teaching has had its own technologies to support it. The blackboard was a ubiquitous technology that was used by language teachers in the U.S. education system.

The blackboard was later supplemented by the overhead projector, another excellent medium for the teacher-dominated classroom, as well as by early computer software programs which provided what were known as "drill-and-kill" grammatical exercises.

In the 70s and 80s, the audio-tape became the widely accepted technology popularly known as the audio-lingual method (which emphasized learning through oral repetition). University language classes in those days usually included obligatory sessions at the audio lab where students would perform the not-so-fantastic repetition drills.

Towards the late 70s, the audio-lingual method was marred with negative reviews, at least in part due to poor results achieved from expensive language laboratories. In all ramifications, repetitive drills that focused only on language form and ignored communicative meaning achieved poor results.
The 80s and 90s saw a shift towards communicative language teaching, which emphasized student engagement in authentic, meaningful interaction. Within this general communicative trend, two distinct perspectives were noted, both of which have their implications in terms of how to best integrate technology into the classroom.

Coming to where we are today, evolving technology has further made language teaching and learning more effective and hands-on. There is no longer need to make the case for computers to be provided in education, because computers are there in abundance in all their modern forms.We may see traditional computers in labs, teachers and students walking around with laptops or tablet PCs, and many people will have a mobile phone in their pocket that is capable of doing rather more than the mainframe computers that started computer-assisted language learning in the 60s.

Today, it is rare to find a language class that does not use some form of technology. Technology has been used to both assist and enhance language learning. Teachers at K-16 levels have incorporated various forms of technology to support their teaching, engage students in the learning process, provide authentic examples of the target culture, and connect their classrooms in their country to classrooms in other countries where the target language is spoken.

It suffices to say at this point that technology plays an important role in supporting and enhancing language learning. However, the effectiveness of any technological tool depends on the knowledge and expertise of the qualified language teacher who manages and facilitates the language learning environment. In some cases, school and university administrators have permitted technology to drive the language curriculum and have even used it to replace certified language teachers.

Language technology companies as Panorama Languages have made unsubstantiated claims about their products' abilities to help students learn languages, thus confusing administrators into thinking that these technologies can be an effective cost-cutting measure. There is currently no definitive research to indicate that students will acquire a second language effectively through technology without interaction with and guidance from a qualified language teacher.

In as much as we are in a more technologically advanced age, there is still need to provide guidance to students in the use and application of technological devices when it comes to language learning.
The use of technology should never be the goal in itself, but rather it should be a tool for helping language learners to use the target language in culturally appropriate ways to accomplish authentic tasks. Further, all language learning opportunities whether provided through technology or in a traditional classroom setting, should be standard-based and help develop students' proficiency in the target language through interactive, meaningful, and cognitively engaging learning experiences, facilitated by a qualified language teacher.

This recommendation comes strongly as a result of the following downsides:

• Monetary Issues

Whatever results that may be achieved over the long term, there are definite start-up expenses related to implementing new technologies in education. For college language learning programs, such expenses usually entail hardware, software, staffing, and training for at least one networked computer laboratory where students can drop in and use assigned software and one or more networked computer laboratories where teachers can bring whole classes on an occasional or regular basis.

• Time Factor

There is increased demands on time due in part to the difficulty of using new online multimedia technologies in their still-early stages. However, time demands are caused not only from learning how to master the technology, but also from the changing dynamics of the online classroom. Undoubtedly, new technologies create excellent opportunities for long-distance exchanges, but such exchanges can be extremely complicated in terms of coordinating goals, schedules, and plans, especially when involving teachers from different countries or educational systems.

• Uncertainties

There is no single predictable outcome for using computers, anymore than there is for using books or libraries. Thus teachers and institutions are expected to invest large amounts of time and money without any guarantee of achieving particular results.

As technology advances, the role of language teachers should not be overlooked. As much as technology plays a huge role, teachers also contribute to effective language study.