Integrating technology within a communicative approach to language teaching

The general use of technology in classrooms when learning languages has been reportedly beneficial to students. Students reported being more motivated, improving their self-concept, experiencing more student-centered learning, as well as being a more active and engaged student. In order to complement the communicative approach to language teaching, technological tools can be used to bring more realistic language experiences to the blended learning environment. Since the teacher acts as a facilitator within this type of blended teaching, it is his/her role to find a variety of activities that act as a catalyst for authentic communication.

The communicative approach is essentially based on the Constructivism Theory and a Constructivist Approach.

- Essentially, constructivism is a theory that supports the idea learners make meaning of their learning based on interaction between their experiences and their reflexes.
- Technology provides a learning environment that fosters many constructivist conditions, such as authentic, complex activities that encourage knowledge building, reflection and analysis from different perspectives.

Authentic Learning Environment

Communicative Language Teaching is one of the moralism school methods which depends on authentic material.

What qualifies material or activities as authentic? Activities and/or material that:

·Have relevance to the student and are not simply curriculum based

·Provide tasks through scaffolding , so knowledge-building can occur

·Provide various tasks and subtasks that require the development of problem-solving skills and reflection to arrive at a diversity of possible answers

·Provide students with the opportunity to collaborate with their peers

·Encourage learners to reflect on their social and individual learning experiences for making meaning of their learning

·Support authentic learning, multimedia environments can provide learning through a context related to their interests

·Can be accomplished through web discussion forums, where learners can share their learning experience with their peers through synchronous or asynchronous web-based performance support systems