Using for example. other programs that are helpful

Using technology in language classrooms has become increasinglyimportant and even essential in learning a second language in an environmentwhere physical attendance is becoming relatively less important.

As a teacher, I strongly believe that technologies should be incorporated and implemented inlanguage teaching and learning processes. In learning a second language, technologies allow for using and testing language skills as well as exposinglearners to numerous aspects of the target culture. Grammar is one of the most important aspects of a language. Inorder to motivate learners, many useful programs are available to practicegrammar.

A famous example of programs for grammar learning is Road to Grammar. It is a site that offers games and quizzes with instant feedback andexplanations. Another program which I recommended my students to use is Grammarly. Students use this program to identify their grammar mistakes and punctuationwithout a need for a teacher to check their essays. Technology is useful to help students learn and retain newvocabulary. Teachers can create flash cards, show pictures and construct wordwebs, for example. Other programs that are helpful for learners are corpora, concordancing, Hot potatoes, Lexical Tutor, etc. I encourage my students to use their cellphones to access dictionaries and thesauruses.

Additionally, reading skills are enhanced by technology. E-books, magazines and newspapers are available online according to the level of thelearners. Also, technology can help them find reading material that is suitablefor their language level. Hypertext helps them refer to other sources foradditional information and practice. I urge my students to read authenticmaterials every day to improve their knowledge and skills. Second language learners can also develop their writing skillsthrough technology.

Word processors help students draft and redraftcompositions with ease. Some accessories, like spell-checking, grammar andpunctuation editing tools, can offer some benefits but nonnative speakers haveto be careful with the use of these items. Other applications include learnercorpora and email for collaboration. In my college, we use wikis, PowerPointand in-class texting activities to encourage better writing.    Pronunciation is crucial for language competency therefore asteachers we have to pay much attention to the ways learners pronounce newwords. Technology provides a number of new programs to help students recognizeand improve their use of pitch, stress, and intonation, for example, CarnegieSpeech and SPHINX speech recognition project. Classroom teachers can askstudents to make recordings or videos and provide feedback on theirperformances.

As for listening and speaking, technology gives learners many optionsfor increasing their language skills. Online there are a large number of Webcasts, podcasts, CDs, DVDs, videos and websites that students can turn to forlistening practice. Students can use these listening sources to distinguish andcomprehend intonation, rhythm and stress.

They encounter authentic speech in avariety of discourse situations, accents and social formats. For oral practice, students can use technology to transmit audio and video and to facilitateinteraction through text chat, voice chat, audio blogs or voiced bulletinboards. I like to use Skype for my classes to record videos and presentationsand for face-to-face discussions. Lastly, learners gain exposure to the target culture through the useof technology. Many programs were designed by native speakers and provide realdata for L2 cultural exploration. They feature email, chat, discussion forums, wikis, voice conferencing and Web-based projects of various types. I encouragemy students to watch movies and listen to English songs to inspire them to acquirea deeper understanding of the life of the people using the language.

Finally, technology plays a very crucial role nowadays in general languagelearning environments. Using technology will surely ignite the potentialcuriosity, attention, interest, desire, and ultimately, the motivation of eachand every individual participating student to find out more about things thatare currently unknown in the vast and dynamic environment of language learningin general.