Constructing Personal Learning Environments through ICT

Constructing Personal Learning Environments through ICT

1. 1. Introduction There is widespread recognition in modern Information Age that skills and human capital have become the backbone of modern progress and economic welfare of a country. In the Feasibility Study Report on the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes performed by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, it is stated that “in contemporary knowledge-intensive economies and societies”, individual and societal prosperity is retained by “developing and sustaining a skilled workforce, maintaining a globally competitive research base, and improving the dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society at large” [33]. In addition, advances in technology and all-round digitalization in recent years “have changed the learning behaviours and reshaped teaching methods

2. Abstract. The article deals with the concept of student-centred Personal Learning Environment (PLE) in the context of higher education, which is used as a means of transforming foreign language learning and teaching practices. It aims to reveal the opportunities for creating PLEs through incorporating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the process of foreign language education. The study focuses on the roles of teachers and students of nonlanguage University majors in designing efficient learning environments highly adapted to changing objectives and student personal needs. The authors reveal the unlimited potential of ICT in constructing PLEs for both in-class activities and informal learning, providing a scope of practical student activities, which imply their active engagement both in and outside the classroom, as well as constructing a flexible, personalized, time and space independent learning environment. Sudents, teachers, ICT, which is a set of resources based

3. PLEs in Foreign Language Education Educators agree that “formal education no longer comprises the majority of our learning” because learning occurs in modern age “in a variety of ways – through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks” [29]. Barab and Roth claim that it is necessary for the learners to be involved in rich learning situations where learning is characterized by direct functional value rather than the exchange value [2]. In the context of foreign language learning, greater emphasis is placed on the development of learning strategies, drawing structured connections for the most appropriate resources selected and organized by a student, and constructing learning environments in which foreign language acquisition occurs in the context of its use and is highly customized to student’s personal needs and abilities.

   • Personal learning suggests students’ autonomy and increased responsibility with their active participation “in learning process by making decisions about how to search, where to search” and the content necessary to meet learning objectives

4. Foreign language acquisition through ICT-mediated instruction The modern educational world, according to Torres and Castro, encompasses the following features:

   • - Today’s students are social. They like to get in touch with peers and therefore have preference to do group activities. - Students are inclined to discover, explore, experiment and analyse critically. - Modern learners are inclined more to “do” than to “listen”. - Learning must be student-centred. - Work must be interdisciplinary and project-based. - Learning must be linked with reality. - There are multiple intelligences and different learning styles. - Learning should be comprehensive, permanent and meaningful
     • Among a variety of terms describing the notion of applying technology in classroom, and foreign language learning in particular, we stick to the term “ICT-mediated instruction” introduced by Blurton [4], which implies delivering knowledge “via a technological channel such as television, radio, or a computer and network” [4]. Houcine lists the following advantages of ICT impacts on learners:  ICT increases learners’ motivation and thus enhances personal commitment and engagement;  ICT improves independent learning;  Learners’ collaboration and communication are more important;  Learners’ attainment and outcomes

5. 4. Conclusions PLE is considered today to be a surrounding that enhances student motivation, improves learning outcomes, and favours student progress in learning, including foreign languages. Because of different pace of learning, different attitudes, background and abilities, students find themselves at different levels of foreign language knowledge in higher educational establishments. In order to succeed, students need to create personal learning environment basing on their prior knowledge and cognitive resources through using the tools, forms, and materials that match every student. As ICT is unavoidable today, and young people are best equipped with it and are familiar with its usage, teachers cannot but apply them in their teaching processes, making them closer and more appropriate to help students immerse in the world of authentic foreign language material that is extensively offered by the Internet. Using different ICTs accessible for students and the content that can be consta