Advantages and Disadvanages of Integrating Tech in the English Classroom

  Advantages of Integrating Technology
One advantage to using technology in the field of English is the ease at which students can write papers and other research assignments. Blogs are a great example of how a students could create a site where they can discuss their ideas and opinions and easily get feedback. Roblyer and Doering (2012) explain that, “Blogs began as personal journals, but their use rapidly expanded to a public domain in which anyone could post opinions on the topic” (p. 268). Especially for English classrooms where many students will have different opinions, a blog is a singular location in which they can voice their thoughts. A site like Wordpress or Blogspot is perfect for an easy to use when creating a blog. Another advantage is to use a wiki, which is a “the ongoing work of many authors” (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 268). Since anyone can edit a wiki, it can be used for group projects or another discussion board where everyone can control the content. Roblyer and Doering (2012) say that it is the duty of the English teacher to “make meaning form texts,” a wiki is a place where students can come together and learn this skill responsibly in a controlled environment (p. 268). A site like Wikispaces is easy to set up for both students and teachers. This site talks about the usefulness of using a wiki in the classroom: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/using-wikis-in-the-classroom.shtml.

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology
A disadvantage of technology when teaching English can actually masquerade as a positive. Spell-check software, a program that “underlines in red words it perceives as misspelled and underlines passages in green to highlight possible grammar problems,” such as Microsoft Word (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 279). While this software can be helpful, this site demonstrates the fact that while it may be useful, it certainly is not perfect: http://www.teach-ict.com/gcse_new/software/word_processor/miniweb/pg16.htm. However, as Roblyer and Doering (2012) say, “teachers can show students how to use these prompts to check for and correct mistakes in their writing” (p. 279). Software such as http://www.englishsoftware.org/ can be a better alternative for students than simple, bare-bones spell checkers.

Specific Activities, Programs, Etc.
Wikis
Blogs
Digital text to encourage engaged reading
Digital storytelling
Word Processors
Examining the usefulness and pitfalls of spell-check
Digital publishing
Online Thesaurus
One scholarly journals
Microsoft Word
Vocabulary building

References

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.).  Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.