Thoughts on Technology & Teaching

Technology has basically always been a part of the classroom. Whether it is just a book, a chalkboard, a map, video-players or overheads; all these tools are intended to somehow enhance the human teacher.
Computers have opened up a whole new set of possibilities for teaching foreign languages and are a basic part of students' daily experience in our days. These possibilities along with the fact that students generally show a positive attitude towards the inclusion of computer technology into foreign language learning, should be reason enough for teachers to try take advantage of it. The www e.g. provides an endless source of authentic material in the target language.
This material can also be found in a variety of forms; texts, audio files or videos. The internet also allows students to directly communicate in writing (IM) or speaking (skype) with native speakers. These possibilities are certainly an enhancement to the traditional classroom, however, teachers should always be aware that technology in itself does not guarantee learning
success. As with all technological tools, the use of computers, too, should be grounded on theories and methods that have been proven to be suitable foreign language teaching approaches. My expectations for this class, then, are mainly to get an insight into what I can use for my teaching and especially how I can implement these new possibilities into a productive learning environment.