APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT LONG AN TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE

1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY HUỲNH MAI APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT LONG AN TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60140111 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Trần Bá Tiến, Ph.D Nghệ An, 2017 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “Application of Information Technology to Enhance Students’ Autonomy in Learning English at Long An Teachers’ Training College” is conducted under the supervision of Dr Tran Ba Tien, an English instructor at the English Department, Vinh University I declare that the information reported in this paper is the result of my own work, except where due reference is made The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted to any candidature for any other degree or diploma ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Having this completed study, I have to present my gratefulness to the persons who usually stand by me during finishing the thesis paper Firstly, I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my supervisor Dr Tran Ba Tien, who gave me the golden opportunity to this wonderful project on the topic “Application of Information Technology to Enhance Students’ Autonomy in Learning English at Long An Teachers’ Training College”, as well as step by step helped me in doing my research Secondly, I must send my love to my lecturers at Vinh University notably Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong who gave me good lessons on these paper as well as in the master program In addition, I would also like to thank my headmaster, Mr Phan Minh Hung who gave me time and encouragement for my study Moreover, I send my appreciation to my colleagues especially Ms Cao Tieu Nha, who always put pressure on me to finish my thesis and shared with me her experience Last but not least, my thanks are due to my beloved students in the two English Language Study classes 39 and 40, who involved in my experiment Without their assistance, my study could not have been conducted All of their help meaningfully contributed to the completion of my study in the master program Finally, I owe everything to my family, especially my husband, who was always with me when I was in difficulties and gave me mental support to complete my M.A program TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract This study investigated the potential role of ESL/EFL websites as a means for students at Long An Teachers’ Training College to apply in their autonomous learning It evaluated the autonomy in learning English on their own media devices of forty-eight students major in English at the college The students were introduced to use some websites on the Internet and ten offline programs and instructed to use them for self-study Data collected revealed that despite some difficulties encountered, students had an overall positive attitude to using the teacher-selected websites in their learning of English own their own The students found that learning English through ESL/EFL websites was interesting and that the teaching strategies used by the teachers were effective and necessary A follow-up study was conducted a year later after the initial study and the results supported the original findings Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Nowadays English is the language of social context, political, sociocultural, business, education, industries, media, library, communication across borders, and key subject in curriculum and language of imparting education” It is also a crucial determinant for university entrance and processing well paid jobs in the commercial sector Since there are more and more English learners in every part of the world, different teaching methods have been implemented to test the effectiveness of the teaching process With the spread and development of English around the world, English is used as a foreign language in a country like Vietnam It plays an important part in the development of the country At present the role and status of English in Vietnam is higher than ever as evidenced by its position as a key subject of medium of instruction, curriculum in some gifted schools and universities As the number of English learners is increasing, more and more different teaching methods have been applied to bring the effectiveness of the teaching process The use of authentic materials in the form of films, radio, TV has been there for a long time It is true that technologies have proved successful in replacing the traditional teaching Information technology is one of the instruments that changes the nature of learning There are many definitions of what constitutes IT The term is used very loosely to describe a variety of ways computers are integrated into the learning process Simply put, "IT is a word that is used to describe different things to different people IT is a term that is used by many to describe, study, and evaluate the various ways Computers are integrated into education, both inside and outside of classrooms" In fact, IT is a complex, dynamic, and ever changing part of our society and world today and, given this, it is important to have an informed approach towards its role within our own area of influence Instruction is the way we teach and IT is what we use to help us teach Instruction can take place with or without IT However, IT can be used to help facilitate instruction IT can be anything that is used as a means to help us, but it does not necessarily have to be electronic A good definition of technology should include "the systematic application of scientific and other organized knowledge to practical tasks" Technology is designed to make a person's life easier (Moursund & Bielefeldt, 1999) "Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources" Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), (2004) The use of technology in various fields has been so successful and beneficial for teachers to reach some particular goals especially in education and for those who are learning a foreign language and literature In every step of our lives, the significance of technology is seen and enjoyed in these days Web-based technologies and powerful internet connections provide various new possibilities for the development of educational technology English is the only language that has attracted many people around the world, for the most part due to the globalization Learners learn faster and easier than before because of the use of technology in educational institutions It is quite clear that English has become a necessity today With the spread and development of English around the world, English is used as a foreign and second language in most of the countries of the world It enjoys a high prestige in the countries At present the role and status of English in the world is higher than ever as evidenced by its position as a key subject of medium of instruction and curriculum As the number of English learners is increasing different teaching methods have been implemented to test the effectiveness of the teaching process Use of authentic materials in the form of films, radio, TV has been there for a long time It is true that these technologies have proved successful in replacing the traditional teaching Thousands of learners and instructors around the world are using the Internet and computer assisted technologies to teach listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, literature and the target culture In many parts of the world, use of technology in EFL instruction in some higher education institutions is not yet known due to insufficient funds, insufficient numbers of personal computers PC's in locations where learners have access, lack of internet connectivity, lack of trained instructors, and lack of administrative and technical support Some instructors have no experience in developing computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) materials, are not willing to use technologies that require extra preparation time and feel threatened by technology Computer specialists not have the necessary background or expertise to develop or handle CALL materials and software Teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Vietnam is carried out by the Ministry of Education, and applied within all public schools from the seventh grade and private ones from the first grade However, the majority of English language teachers in Vietnam still use a traditional method in teaching English language, i.e The grammar translation method Moreover, the course is based mainly on a learner-centered approach which promotes learners' autonomy and takes into consideration different learning styles, most English language teachers teach language skills in a boring way all the time The learners there said to be mere receivers and the teacher is the only source of knowledge The result of using such an approach is usually learners' frustration and boredom EFL Vietnamese learners in usually learn through a textbook, and sometimes using cassette tape player, and they rarely have contact in English with their teachers and classmates Traditional foreign language teaching normally involves a lot of class interactions in an EFL classroom, but those ones are limited to few learners and they have little chance to practice their English Language owing to time restrictions In the newly- emerging teaching and learning methods, there has been a growing interest in an effective integration of modern technologies in EFL especially computers and new technologies that will facilitate EFL learners' work, equip them with more materials of better quality Technology Learning for Vietnamese learners are very important aspect that will help their progress to the future by giving them a chance to overcome the skills necessary to flourish in the 21st century, and not just to teach computer and internet skills, but to improve core teaching and learning in Vietnamese high schools The overarching goal of Technology is to improve acquisition of 21st century skills by Vietnamese high school learners, so that they are better equipped to find work, live productive lives and contribute to Vietnam's development as a stable and prosperous democracy It also contributes to society development by providing training, advisory, and research services and the continuing education programs through competent administrative and academic staff The advantages of Technology help the 10 learners to acquire wide information and to know the world around them, this will lead to create skillful generation aware of the challenges of the day The significance of information technology in educational sector enhance and facilitate the learning process This gives the learner a reason to use the application, and along the way, the learner understands how the application works Active learning is rarely a clean, neat process Learners engaged in such a process can create busy, noisy, and messy classrooms It's important to recognize that this kind of learning takes practice for both the teacher and the learners Technology learning helps the learners as well as the teachers in studying the course material easily because of fast access Studying the subjects with the help of online libraries and dictionaries has made grasping and increasing the knowledge easy for the learners The inclusion of information technology in the syllabus in schools, colleges and universities has helped them in grasping the subject well and getting their basics cleared Since, many educational centers have the online grading system; it has been a boon for the parents of the children to keep a tab on their performances Technologies nowadays are more modern and more effective than those in the past Especially, Information technology is very much part of language learning throughout the world at all different levels We are likely to find it in the primary sector as much as in adult education In fact, people using information technology devices everywhere, every time in their daily life in every part of the world No matter how the media device is, its application is very effective to students especially in learning English in the world, as well as in our college There are many kinds of media devices that students are using nowadays such as mobile phones, ipads, ipods, laptops, computers, etc… These are means of entertainment and all students love using them They use their mobile phones or some other media devices just to 86 • ReadWriteThink http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp • Pekin School http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/contribute/swatson/writingresources.htm • Elementary Writing http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lang_write_elem.htm • Writing Resources http://boe.mono.k12.wv.us/Easton/writing_resources.htm General Writing Resources • Step Up to Writing http://www2.pylusd.k12.ca.us/glk/jlaurich/StepUpToWriting.htm • Study Zone http://www.eslmonkeys.com/student/grammar_lesson.php • English Club http://www.englishclub.com/writing/ • The Writing Center http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp? HREF=/electronicwebwatch/writing/index.html Printable Worksheets • Worksheets http://www.teach-nology.com/printables/ • For Home Schooling (L1) http://home.att.net/~bandcparker/worksheets.html Writing Lesson Plans • About.com http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonplans/Writing_Lesson_Plans_for_En glish_Learners_at_All_Levels.htm 87 http://esl.about.com/od/writinglessonplans/a/l_wwshop1.htm http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/blwriteparagraph.htm • TeachersNet http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/41.html Process Writing • Zwolle http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/zes/writing/default.htm • Interactive Six Trait Writing Process http://senior.billings.k12.mt.us/6traits/ • ABC of the Writing Process http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess Genre Based Teaching Resources • • • • Tasmanian Government http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/ideas.htm New South Wales Government http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/english http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/parents/k6writing.html Persuasive Writing http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/writing/sec_writing/persuasivewrite sites.htm Language Arts http://web.utk.edu/~impact/languagearts.html Resources to Build Vocabulary Lessons General guidelines on vocabulary teaching • Audio answers to important questions about vocabulary teaching http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4507 • Guidelines for teaching vocabulary http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/guidelin es_vocab.pdf Vocabulary Tools 88 • Word List Generator http://www.educationalpress.org/ • AntConc 3.2.1w http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/antconc_index.html • Range http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/staff/paul-nation.aspx Ready Made Materials & Lessons • 65 Individual Vocabulary Lessons https://secure.layingthefoundation.org/english/vocab/individuallessons.asp • Lesson Plans Central http://lessonplancentral.com/lessons/Language_Arts/Vocabulary/index.htm • Lesson Plans Page http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ • Stone Fox vocabulary activities http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0211900/fox/stone_fox_vocabulary.htm • Bill Klepper http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/bill_kle pper.pdf • Bingo Lingo http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/bingo_li ngo.pdf Concept Definition Maps • Lesson Plan http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bes tpractices_vocabulary_concept.pdf • Teacher Resources 89 http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bes tpractices_vocabulary_tr_AllConcept.pdf • Other Graphic Organizers http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bes tpractices_vocabulary_sr_allgo.pdf Jan Brett Dolch Word Lists • Basic Word Lists http://www.janbrett.com/games/jan_brett_dolch_word_list_main.htm • High Frequency Word Lists http://www.janbrett.com/games/high_frequency_word_list_main.htm • Worksheets and Resources http://worksheets.teach-nology.com/language_arts/dolch/ • Activities http://www.learningbooks.net/xLPDolch.html Vocabulary Compendium Sites • English Media Lab (vocabulary videos) http://www.englishmedialab.com/vocabulary.html • ESL Gold (study and learning materials) http://www.eslgold.com/vocabulary.html • Instructors Web (lesson plans, worksheets) http://www.instructorweb.com/resources/vocabulary.asp • Vocabulary (activities, lists, sites) http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/literacy/vocabulary.html • Web English Teacher (various links) http://www.webenglishteacher.com/vocab.html Speaking Resources Phonetics 1/2 90 University of Iowa Sounds of American English • http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html Okanagan College Canadian English • http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation/ Phonetics 2/2 Phonemic Pronunciation Chart • http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/phonemic-chart Phonemic Chart with Animal Names • http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/wksheets/phonemic_chart.pdf Silent Letter Introduction • http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling/soundandspell/silentletters / Pronunciation, Speaking, Conversation Help • General Help http://esl.about.com/od/speakingenglish/Speaking_English_Pronunciation _and_Conversation_Skills.htm • Activities http://esl.about.com/od/esleflteachingtechnique/a/lmh_speaking.htm • ESL Gold http://www.eslgold.com/speaking.html Lesson Plans • ITESL http://iteslj.org/Lessons/ • Listening & Speaking Exercises http://www.englishstudydirect.com/OSAC/langacls.htm • ESL-Galaxy http://www.esl-galaxy.com/speaking.html 91 • Rong-Chang http://www.rong-chang.com/lsnplan.htm • ESL Flow http://www.eslflow.com/ Speaking Games • ITESL http://iteslj.org/c/games.html • TEFLogue http://www.tefllogue.com/in-the-classroom/top-10-tefl-games-andspeaking-activities.html • Musical English http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/grammar/findsomeonewho.htm YouTube Resources • JenniferESL http://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferESL?feature=chclk • EnglishwithStacy http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishwithStacy • RealEnglish http://www.youtube.com/user/realenglish1 • EnglishCafeDotCom http://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishcafeDotCom • SuperSimpleSongs http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSimpleSongs • CambridgeUPELT http://www.youtube.com/user/CambridgeUPELT • Watchdoit 92 http://www.watchdoit.com/how-to-videos/How-To-Improve-Your-EnglishStress-And-Intonation-53041 Audacity No speaking exercises are of any value unless the speaker can hear and analyze himself The best freeware tool for doing this is: • Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Vocabulary Games Traditional Vocabulary Games • Free Rice http://www.freerice.com/index.php • Hangman http://www.arcamax.com/games/hangman • Science Vocabulary Hangman http://education.jlab.org/vocabhangman/ • Non-Stop English http://www.nonstopenglish.com/wordgames/scrambled/ • EnglishClub http://www.englishclub.com/esl-games/index.htm Graphic Vocabulary Games • ESL-galaxy.com http://www.englishmedialab.com/vocabulary.html • Fun Brain Word Games http://www.funbrain.com/words.html • Learning Vocabulary Fun http://www.vocabulary.co.il/ • Oxford 93 http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/vocabulary/levels_a2h.cfm • PlayKids http://www.playkidsgames.com/vocabularyGames.htm • Vocabulary Games http://www.gamequarium.com/evocabulary.html Review Links The “vocabulary compendium” list I gave you yesterday contained links to games, which I asked you not to follow yesterday, but which you may now explore: • English Media Lab http://www.englishmedialab.com/vocabulary.html • ESL Gold http://www.eslgold.com/vocabulary.html • Instructors Web http://www.instructorweb.com/resources/vocabulary.asp • Vocabulary http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/literacy/vocabulary.html • Web English Teacher http://www.webenglishteacher.com/vocab.html 2.3 Offline Learning Duolingo One of the biggest draws of Duolingo is its gamified learning system: instead of the usual progression through lessons, Duolingo structures your lessons as a skill tree, with “skill points” being awarded for completing lessons, achievements for tracking your progress as well as a lives system that encourages you to answer each question correctly You can then use your knowledge to translate real-world content, which is then rated by other users 94 Memrise Memrise offers a large variety of courses for a lot of different languages, including English, all for free These courses are actually constructed by other members of the Memrise community, making Memrise something of a crowd-sourced learning platform The app integrates with your main Memrise.com account, but also offers an offline mode so that you can continue learning even when you’re without an Internet connection Memrise, also has some elements of gamified learning, including a points system Lingua.ly 95 Lingua.ly is a language learning and vocabulary tool that tries to turn web content into language-learning opportunities Lingua.ly uses a propietary language-processing method that makes it able to recommend real texts to you, based on vocabulary tests and your interests This means that you’re not limited to texts written specifically for learners and can read real text in whichever language you’re learning, particularly useful if you really want to improve your command of a language LearnEnglish Grammar UK Edition | US Edition LearnEnglish Grammar, developed by the British Council, is an interactive app that’s designed to help improve your grammar, especially your grammar accuracy Both the UK and US English editions offer four levels of questions, starting at the Beginner level and going all the way up to Advanced level Each difficulty covers 12 grammar topics, with 20 activities per topic Both editions also have easy-to-access in-app help so that you’ll never get stuck trying to solve any of the interactive tasks 96 Johnny Grammar’s word Challenge Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge is a fun little quiz application that tests your spelling, grammar and vocabulary, by having you solve as many questions as possible within 60 seconds There are three difficulty levels, easy, medium and hard, and 10 different question topics including Food & Restaurants, Small Talk and Hobbies You can earn and share badges as you progress through the questions, and you can even compete with other users on a global leaderboard SpeakingPal English Tutor 97 SpeakingPal English Tutor is a highly interactive app that helps you improve English by using your device’s voice-recognition technology to simulate a voice call with a native English speaker This will help improve your spoken English and pronunciation To this end, SpeakingPal English Tutor provides more than 100 levels and a lot of different dialogs, sentences and vocabulary items However, you will have to pay for most of these, as the free version offers only 16 levels MyWordBook MyWordBook is an interactive vocabulary notebook app With MyWordBook 2, you can learn important English words through interactive flashcards that contain pictures, sounds and sentences to help you remember these words All words and word data are sourced from Cambridge University Press’ learner dictionaries MyWordBook also has a number of extra activities, a quick word review feature as well as the ability to create your own flashcards 98 Busuu Busuu is actually something like a social network for learning languages, with complementary Android and iOS apps to help you learn while on the go Busuu’s lessons are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), so the quality of Busuu’s reading, writing and speaking practice and lessons are guaranteed Lessons range from beginner to advanced, and Busuu offers more than 150 topics with more than 3,000 words and phrases The free version, however, only offers 20 units Fun Easy Learn English Fun Easy Learn English is a vocabulary app with more than 6,000 words in its database You can improve your vocabulary through illustrations, 99 recorded pronunciations and native translations, and the app also includes seven different games that should further help your efforts to learn English The app also has a Spin Categories function that chooses a random topic, subtopic and game for you, to keep you on your toes The app doesn’t require an Internet connection 10 Phrasalstein Unlike the other apps on this list, Phrasalstein is targeted at improving one specific element of your English grammar, namely phrasal verbs These can be tricky, so it’s quite a useful app for brushing up this aspect of your English grammar The app is designed like a classic horror movie, and has 100 phrasal verbs that it will teach you through humorous animations The app will provide meanings and example sentences as well as translations in Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and French 100 ... project on the topic ? ?Application of Information Technology to Enhance Students’ Autonomy in Learning English at Long An Teachers’ Training College? ??, as well as step by step helped me in doing my research...2 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled ? ?Application of Information Technology to Enhance Students’ Autonomy in Learning English at Long An Teachers’ Training College? ?? is conducted... models of teaching and styles of learning & applying them in an interactively meaningful learning environment Blended learning is designed to help anyone teaching or supporting learning in the vocational