Information and communications technology (ICT) is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT), but is a more specific term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.
The way to use ICTs in a proper way in classrooms is
directly related with the constructivism theory. This methodology is a very
interesting way to also work CLIL as teachers, because not only it is based in
the idea that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the
world, their own reality, but also that there is something called significant
learning, this kind of learning is long-term and permanent, goes from a not knowing
to a knowing situation and is based in experience and depends on previous
knowledge. All the things said before have extended constructivism worldwide
and made it a methodology accepted by teachers and research communities around
the whole world.
As CLIL
teachers we must be aware of the fact that, using different kinds of
technologies in our classrooms is a good way to improve our student´s
motivation without paying attention to what kind of area we are trying to work
(math, science, physical education…) the use of any kind of device will be a
very powerful support to motivate our students.
We must
also think about the possibilities that it gives us as a non-speaking country,
the support of the internet and softwares like skype, or some kind of tools as the
blogs, is the best way to establish international relationship with schools
form English speaking countries, that is an awesome way to improve the
implication of the students in areas like English speaking countries history or
literature, being the use of TICS in the school a vital way to do it. That is
one of the strongest points in constructivism, to think that we can construct
our own knowledge and understanding of reality, but is in the interaction with
others where they can really test that reality and improve their knowledge
about how reality is.
To conclude
we can say that educational technology will be really useful to us as teachers
when it is at the service of pedagogy and didactics. If it is pedagogy based in
constructivism, where students learn in a collaborative and motivational way,
technology will help us in several ways. We are going to improve significant
learning and discover new ways to develop the social knowledge. Technologies such
as the internet, tablets or interactive boards will make easier to the way to
implement constructivism in our classroom.
