Multimedia (ICT) And CLIL

Many years ago, the style of teaching and learning was completely different.

First of all, in Spain only had some class where the students worked other languages but nobody had more subjects in another different language than the mother tongue.However, nowadays the necessity to learn English has changed many things in the classes.

We know that CLIL method is applied in many schools but, I have some doubts and questions about if we like a future teachers and all the professional teachers, know how we should teach a meaningful CLIL class.

Although everybody does not know anything about education can realized that inside the class has appeared others methods for teaching. However, I think that many teachers do not know how to use them correctly.

From my point of view, there are a lot of aspects that should be improved, because an English class or a class where the teacher teaches the contents in English like “Science” needs a dynamic and motivating methodology of teaching. 

For this reason, I have decided to create a reflection about the new technologies (TICS) that can be applied in the classes.

“Teachers had been incorporating multimedia projects in their classroom for years. Teachers had been using teaching their students how to develop and use multimedia projects long before computers became common place in the classroom (School newspaper)”. 

(Green, Brown, 2002, 12)

But… actually, do the teachers use in a correct and meaningful way the technologies in their classes?

Multimedia, animation and data handling are the concepts in which I am interested and we also can relate them with CLIL. All of them, can be similar because if you want to make pictures that they appear to move the screen, you will need technologies such as data-project, computers, or interactive whiteboard (they are things that multimedia includes). In addition, if you are going to use these materials, you have to integrate and develop a Learning Skill called data handling (it will allow to understand and to organize the information).

Despite all the similar definitions, MULTIMEDIA CONCEPT will allow me to continue with this reflection.

I found in an interesting PDF document a complete definition about multimedia concept.

“In the field of education we have long used media sometimes referred to as “audio-visual aids” to help in our teaching. These have been many and varied, and have included things like movies, videos, slides, audio tapes, overhead transparencies, along with various sorts of equipment such as cameras, recorders and television monitors. The term “multimedia” is a relatively new word that is used to describe a combination of different media, all being used to best describe or explain something.”  

(Cutting, A. and Loan, ADB, 2011, 4)

So, multimedia elements in the classroom can include many activities created  by teachers or activities that they have found for children where they, can construct and to discover new knowledge.

I can see different types of multimedia but first, we have to say that there are two types of multimedia projects:

•      “The classical media production project” (It is not a computer based)
•       “The digital multimedia project”

(Green and Brown, 2002, 12-13)

However, we need to relate the multimedia elements that can be developed and used in CLIL classroom. For this reason, we have to concentrate in some types of DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION PROJECTS.

•  Text files: These are  word processor documents that are typed into a computer. They can also be produced by scanning text from a book.

•  Photographs Digital:  As pictures.

•  Sound recordings: CDs. But now it is also possible to make simple digital voice recordings on a number of devices, including the computer.

•   Videos: DVDs.

•   Animations: Animations are like cartoons. They are pictures or other objects. Animations can be very useful but they are difficult to create.

(Cutting, A. and Loan, ADB, 2011).  

At the beginning I expressed with the multimedia definition that the interactive whiteboards were important elements.

If I think in an English class or if I remember my experience in the school during the last practicum at the University, this material was very useful to learn more effectively.

There are many aspects that interactive whiteboards offer. For instance, the motivation that the students have to feel every day in the class, with this material it would be possible to achieve it.

We know that the process to learn a second language is different to learn Linguistic and Literature in your mother tongue.

In CLIL, the teachers teach the contents of the subjects in a different language that the first language. For this reason, the students can feel despondent. However, if the teachers teach how to use and they use correctly this material the development of the class will be better.

If I have to say what kinds of advantages have to use TICS inside the classroom, I would say that we can get an effective collaboration in class and the teachers can present the information in different ways.

There are different reasons and interesting advantages to use them:

• Younger learners are growing up with technology and it is integrated in their lives. The internet presents us new authentic tasks and materials. If we allow learners to use the internet in the classroom, we can develop collaboration and communication. And also, if we promote the use of technology tools, can give learners the four skills-speaking, listening, writing and reading.

 (Dudeney, Hockly, 1988-2007)

After collecting some examples of multimedia productions and advantages about that, I support the idea about the benefits of using multimedia in the subjects where the students have to learn a second language.

The teachers can capture their attention and explain difficult concepts in a second language.

In fact, I observed during my practicum that all the students were able to integrate the contents of the language faster because they could participate in the learning process and moreover, they could discover alone the contents through everything that the interactive whiteboard is able to offer.

The second language acquisition is something difficult for children. For this reason we can find a solution if we use multimedia elements, because the motivation is one of the most important aspects that appears when we organize the information through the programmes which these technologies offer. In addition, I could see in a real class that the students are able to retain all the new information better because they can interact with the material.

However, we have seen that there are many tools and things to apply and use inside the classroom but in contrast, there are many ways to use those tools. Definitely, we have to know how we should use them with the students and we have to know, how much time we have to use them.

From my point of view, I think that the world changes and we have to change with it.  So, using multimedia elements inside the class should be applied in all the subjects. In addition, I think that we should work with the traditional and new methods together because the aim will be achieved if we work and develop all the skills.

I can realized that to use these types of materials required more time to plan, organize and evaluate multimedia activities and there are teachers that they do not want to waste time in making interactive pages and activities. (The teachers want to finish the book as soon as possible) Or more specifically, there are teachers that feel afraid of new technology. Inside one page of a book, I found examples of comments from teachers about this topic: 

• “My students know so much about computers than I do"

• “I don´t know anything about technology!"

• “I´d like to use computers more, but preparing materials is so consuming."

(Dudeney, Hockly, 1988-2007, 9)

However, I think that the little information and knowledge that the students can acquire with multimedia, will be better than all the things  that the teachers can teach and the students can learn only with a text book. So, if we use both materials, we can teach better and with more resources.

 References

•  Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (1988). How to teach English with technology.England: Pearson Logman.

• Green, T. & Brown, A. (2002). Multimedia projects in the Classroom; A guide to development and evaluation. California: Corwin Press.

WEB

• Cutting, A. & Loan, ADB. (2011). Using Multimedia in the Classroom. A Guide for Teachers. Recuperado el 17 de Octubre, 2013 de: http://www.mesc.gov.ws/pdf/Multimedia_Teacher_Guide.pdf