T-24 ASPECTOS TECNOLÓGICOS Y PEDAGÓGICOS DE LA UTILIZACIÓN DE LOS

MATERIALES AUDIOVISUALES (EL PERIÓDICO, LA TELEVISIÓN, EL

We are living in a very fast and changing world in which Information and Communication
Technologies are highly responsible for this. Nowadays knowledge on how to use and manage
these technologies is required in most aspects even of our daily lives.

The present essay aims to study the pedagogical and technical aspects of audiovisual resources
and ICTs in the English teaching and learning process.

Traditionally audio-visual tools as the CD player or the television have been used in the
classroom to help children and teachers. The LOE, following European initiatives to promote the
ICTS in schools, states as one of the eight competences the information and communication one.
Today is very common in schools to have a computer room, or even one or two computers in
each classroom.

The first part of this topic will deal with the audio and visual tools.
Within this group there are the audio resources. Theses provide aural input into the classroom.

The CD player has been the most common device in the English class. Most of the English
course-books provide a cd with songs or stories within the book. These CDs are to take into
consideration when choosing a course book. Sometimes they come as well with a cd for students
with the best songs and stories, or a CDrom for practising at home or in the computer room.

The radio is another mean teachers can bear in mind in the English class. The advantage is that it
is an authentic material and contributes to develop the cultural competence, although it is not
very recommended for primary children. Language used is normally very difficult for younger
learners. Therefore children can use the radio style. Using the format of a radio programme with
interviews, adverts and songs, they can make their own show.

Finally, within the audio resources, there is the language lab. This is a special room set aside
with listening equipment such as: cd players, headphones, microphones, recording equipment,
booths, cd library, amplifiers or switchers.
Inside the language lab the role of the teacher is to set the equipment, prepare the activities and
guide the students practice.
Students can works with listening, drills or problem solving activities.
The language lab has got important advantages. Children can practice at their on pace and
choose the best activities suitable for them. They can record their voices and compare them with
English real accents. This develops their autonomy and personal initiative competence.

This essay will continue now with the visual tools used in the English class. They provide visual
help and there are a lot of resources we can use. Some of them are:
- The boards. The most common one is the blackboard. It is normally placed in front of the
students and it can get their attention easily. As teachers we should try to keep it clean at
the beginning of every lesson, and between different activities. Coloured chalks are very
useful to emphasis or help with explanations. Short sentences are best for the blackboard;
otherwise students can loose their attention.
 Other kinds of boards are the magneto board and the flannel board. Here we can place
different words or pictures to play with or do some practice or explanation.
- Then we have the flashcards. These are cards with pictures on one side, and sometimes
words on the other. Various games and activities can be done with flashcards. Many
publishers provide schools with sets of them. We can always create them taking into
account the type of picture and the size.
- Posters and wall charts are very suitable especially for bilingual schools, in which science
has to be taught in English. They show diagrams, sketches or outlines with pictures
explaining different topics to the children.
- Realia is another resource for the English lessons. These are real objects, which help us
deal with vocabulary or structures. For example when presenting prepositions, we can
use real objects like pens or books and place them in, on or under other objects. When
teaching vocabulary we can bring real clothes or food into the classroom. Children like
manipulating real objects and this contributes to a better establishment of knowledge.
- Projectors are another visual aid for the teacher. There are different types such as the
filmstrip or slide projector, the opaque projector or the overhead projector. This last one
works with transparent sheets. We can superimpose each other or cover them with a
white sheet and discover the information little by little, which is an advantage.
- Finally books and newspapers. Course books are constantly used in the classroom and
they provide a lot of visual help. Especially for younger learners they should be a
complement of what is taught orally in class. Newspapers have a very difficult language
for primary children but we can always work with the pictures. They are authentic
material, therefore, working with them, stimulates the children helping to improve the
cultural competence.

To end this first part of the essay, I am going to deal with audio-visual resources. There are two
main tools in here to be mention:
- The television is the first one. It is very attractive to the children because it is a familiar
device. There are a lot of authentic materials we can use: Films, short stories, programs...
They help to develop the cultural competence by showing the students habits and
customs of the English speaking countries.
- Then we have the video and DVD. There are a lot of video English courses for learners
like Magic English, Muzzy in Gondoland or Sesame Street, very suitable and motivating
for students. Teachers can always use them as a complement, reinforcement or even
presenting a new topic.

After having analyzed the audio-visual tools, this essay will continue with the second part,
that is: computers as an ICT tool in the English classroom.

Information and Communication Technologies are a group of technological devices used to

Computers are increasingly their appearance in schools, and are a very pragmatic tool when used
appropriately. To do so, some considerations need to be taken:
- There has to be a Universal Access, that is, every student should be able to work with
them.
- Strategic and creative use is needed.
- Thoughtful and critical thinking by the students is essential. There is a lot of information
and different ways to get to it, so children should be able to analyse and process the data
properly.
 - Community implication is needed.

Having in mind these considerations, we should not forget some methodological implications:
- The teacher’s role is to guide the student during the process. To help them with any
problems they may have.
- Students take an active role. An immediate feedback is provided.
- Networks can be created between students, classrooms, school community or even
different schools.
- Cooperative work is essential between all the implicated parts.