Analysing The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Using Ict Within The English Classroom

Abstract This research investigates the possible benefits and drawbacks of using ICT within the English classroom. With an increasing number of computers becoming available in schools, the researcher will consider how accessible ICT based activities have become, and in particular the use of word processing and presentation software. Being situated in a placement school who have recently increased their ICT equipment, the researcher will base this research on the way In which pupils enjoy and engage with English through the use of computers within the classroom. The researcher will explore pupils' views of ICT in the classroom in terms of enjoyment, and the engagement they thus demonstrate when faced with ICT based activities.

Hypothesis and Focus The focus of this research project revolves around the use of ICT within the classroom, and the way in which pupils use it. The main point of discussion will consider how often pupils make use of computers within English lessons, and cover both positive and negative aspects of such learning. The main focus of ICT will revolve around word processing and the use of presentation programmes such as Microsoft PowerPoint. This is largely due to the majority of ICT tasks being based on such software. I will consider whether the use of ICT materials encourages pupils to enjoy and engage with the content of the lesson, and indeed with the leaning process. This has become a particularly significant issue within my placement school as the English department has recently received funding for a bank of laptops. As a result, both pupils and teachers will have easy access to computers in the classroom on a regular basis. Thus, I will attempt to research whether ICT in the English classroom bares significant positive benefits on enjoyment and enthusiasm for English. I would hypothesise that there will be some evidence supporting research that suggests ICT within the classroom can encourage learners to engage with English and become more enthusiastic about their work, improving learning. However, I would also suggest that there may be some negative implications on learning, and some evidence to indicate that not all pupils enjoy using ICT in the same way.

Literature Review One of the most significant considerations for this research is the availability of ICT equipment and the access pupils now have to computers within the classroom. The increase in number of facilities can have a significant impact on the way in which students enjoy and engage with their work. As Sutherland Et al (2009) conclude in their work Improving Classroom Learning with ICT, statistics show that recent government investment have resulted in an improvement in computer : student ratios (Sutherland Et al, 2009 : 3). Sutherland also suggests that it is the availability of laptops and wireless connectivity that has had an impact on the use of ICT within the classroom. Such issues are particularly relevant to this research when considering the new funding toward laptops for pupils within the placement school aforementioned. However, this investigation will specifically consider whether the use of ICT (information and communication technology) can provide opportunities to engage and motivate children and pupils within English lessons. It has been suggested that computers can transform education for the better, often bringing lessons to life for the pupils and thus be a useful tool to motivate students (Gillespie, 2006 : 1). Furthermore, it can be argued that developments in computer technologies, and indeed funding within these areas, can provide possibilities for far more interesting and diverse software to become available to pupils. This access can be said to encourage creative learning and stimulate pupils via alternative methods. Much research has been carried out regarding the educational validity of using ICT within the classroom, and basing activities on their use. However, it is also a question of whether pupils actively engage with such activities and thus become 'active learners' when using ICT. Goodwyn's research suggests that the use of ICT within schools can capture both the interest and enthusiasm of students as a motivational tool ( Goodwyn, 2000 : 12). In this sense, it is possible that computers capture the minds of pupils, thus encouraging and motivating individuals to engage with their work. If this is the case, it can be suggested that using computers in such a manner has positive effects on pupils work, producing motivated learners. However, there are also publications which suggest that there is little or no evidence for such claims. Torgerson and Zhu have indicated that there is an 'absence of evidence for [the] benefits' of using ICT within schools (Torgerson & Zhu, 2004 : 35). They also state that a large amount of data can be interpreted as showing ICT to be harmful or ineffective in terms of educational benefits. Some of the possible concerns and drawbacks of using ICT within lessons, and indeed with English, are shown within Goodwyn's English in the Digital Age. In terms of teachers making use of the software available to them, Goodwyn suggests that many may find the rapidly developing technologies bewildering. In addition to this, there is some concern relating to the role of the teacher within computer orientated lessons. According to Andrews (2007), the teacher being present in the room whilst pupils use computers can have a significant impact on whether activities are successful. Andrews states that English teachers in particular need to think carefully about when to (and when not to) make use of technologies within their lessons. The use of ICT may need to be structured and clear tasks laid out for pupils which can be monitored. As Andrews indicates, there are possibilities that pupils 'can get bogged down in information and be distracted from the key learning aspects' (Andrews, 2007: 131) of the task. In this instance, it can be argued that the use of ICT can also allow pupils to become unfocused and distracted by other elements of ICT as opposed to concentrating on their specified activity. Thus, it is suggested that school based learning will differ greatly from home based learning, indicating that the teacher is a key figure within the use of ICT. Although the use of computers within the classroom is seen to have the benefits of motivating the pupils, such lessons may need to be clearly structured and supervised to a greater extent than that of regular lessons.

Methodology In order to consider the use of computers within the classroom as part of this study, I carried out a series of qualitative questionnaires with my sample research group. My sample group consisted of a mixed gender and mixed ability year 7 class, at the placement school aforementioned. This class was chosen due to the nature of the pupils being of mixed ability, thus incorporating various levels. The initial set of questionnaires given to participants was designed to establish current use and relationship with computers, both within school and at home, alongside general attitude towards ICT based studies. Often used in sociological research, questionnaires provided the main basis for my research and also allowed pupils to take an independent role within the research. One advantage of questionnaires is that 'they provide data amenable to quantification, either through the simple counting of boxes or through the content analysis of written responses' (Hannan, 2007 ) http://www.edu.plymouth.ac.uk/resined/QUESTS/index.htm). Questionnaire 1 (Appendix i) was also largely designed to ascertain specific information from the pupils. For this reason, I designed a questionnaire using straightforward written questions requiring an answer by ticking the appropriate box and was used as a very efficient way of collecting facts. Following the completion of questionnaire 1 and an ICT based lesson, pupils were asked to complete questionnaire 2 (Appendix ii). The aim of this was to establish an understanding of pupils' confidence and attitude towards tasks set on computers within the lesson, requiring them to comment on their enjoyment and personal targets. However, 'questionnaires are also employed as devices to gather information about people's opinions' (Hannan, 2007). In this particular questionnaire participants are required to give their own opinions, posing a question and allowing the pupils to formulate their own replies. Analysis Through close analysis of results, it is possible to see both positive and negative aspects of using ICT within English lessons, and specifically the use of computers. Furthermore, it is possible to consider the way in which pupils currently use computers within English, alongside their attitude toward this use and the enjoyment gained from computer based activities. The focus of this research has been to establish whether the use of computers within an English classroom can engage and motivate pupils to become more active learners. Questionnaire 1 has shown several factors relating to the research. Evaluation: Through completing this research, I have found that results show several aspects of using computers within English. Participants have illustrated that they significantly enjoy working with computers during English based lessons. However, results have also demonstrated that although many pupils use computers as frequently as once a day or more, this is not necessarily the case in English lessons. Such findings need to be taken into consideration when planning English lessons. It is important to note here that pupils would prefer to make use of ICT more frequently than at present, and that there appears to be an enthusiasm for computer based tasks. As suggested by Warham (2009), 'if you want to appeal to the interests and needs of your pupils, it seems appropriate that you ... engage with the technologies that currently fuel their interest' (Warham, 2009 : 182).Pupil's use of ICT is more frequent in other lessons and despite their clear confidence in several aspects of ICT. Thus, this research suggests that pupils may indeed benefit from an increase in access to computers within English lessons, allowing the teacher to motivate pupils and to engage with their learning. It can be argued that there has been a significant increase in the amount of ICT available within schools, and particularly within my own placement school, due to further government funding and the presence of teachers with an increased knowledge of ICT. With statistics showing that on average there is one computer to every 3.6 students (Sutherland Et al. 2009 : 3), and the general enthusiasm demonstrated by pupils through this research, it is fair to say that the use of computer within English often generates enthusiasm for learning with a significant proportion of pupils, alongside becoming much more accessible.