Digital Technology and Linguistics Part 2

 The New, Digital Classroom

  Change is Inevitable

    Digital technology is evolving at such a rapid rate, that it would be a disservice to not teach students about it. One article I found, published in 2015, surveyed 12 language teachers and 10 4th-grade students on their opinions of technology in the classroom. Every 4th-grade student being surveyed had computers, tablets, phones, Fakebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. They are well-equated with digital media and devices with Internet access. This article claims that, "children can improve their language and cultural awareness and can be faster through intercultural communication" (øltera *, 2015). New, digital media grants access to unlimited resources, which, when applied properly, have proven to be an essential asset to classrooms.

 

    The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of an event that changed classrooms forever - both in physical and educational structure. With increased levels of Educational Technology, the need for handwriting is becoming obsolete (Mospan, 2023). Anyone who has been in a college class knows that writing by hand or completing work without a personal device is unheard of. During the pandemic, we saw the booming evolution of services like Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and other streaming technologies offering webcam views and discussion chats. As I grow older and live with these experiences surrounding me, I can't help but think that at one point, faxing was an entirely new system of communication. Touch-screen phones were once space-age technology that completely changed the way we view the world. 

Are These Changes Better?

    One big question I challenge myself and anyone reading this to ask: are these changes better? Digital technology is often confusing and aggravating, especially when we don't take the time to understand it. It's even more-so annoying when the thing created to make life easier exemplifies the difficulties. However, this project isn't about the clock on my car I have trouble changing because of Daylight Savings Time. The important area this affects most is linguistics. How does texting, emailing, posting, listening to podcasts, and other forms of media engagement affect the way we communicate?

 

    Authors of the article: "Exploring Digital and Physical Communication as a Medium for Social Connection: a Literature Review," find that physical communication is more effective and allows for higher levels of complex thought, but digital communication is more convenient (Ablian & Devisfruto, 2023). Even the structure of this blog on the Internet is written differently than traditional text and has 4th-wall breaking lines like this one that you skipped all the way to the end to read, because you wanted to get the summary. Fair enough. Digital communication opens many pathways to enhance our learning experience, but as I will continue to explain later, physical communication tends to win the "who's better" competition. 

Resources:

Devisfruto, Janella C., and Joemark D. Ablian. “2. Exploring Digital and Physical Communication as a Medium for Social Connection: a Literature Review .” Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (GIIRJ), Feb. 2023, Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.

 Mospan, Natalia. “Digitalisation of Writing in Higher Education: the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact .” Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 2023, https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2972&context=jutlp. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.

Øltera *, Binnur Genç. “How Does Technology Affect Language Learning Process at an Early Age?” ScienceDirect, 2015, pdf.sciencedirectassets.com. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.