A Lasting Rewarding Love Story (My IT Background And My Vision of the Future)

This relationship began back in the early 1990s, when I was working in a small city in a peripheral area. As always before earth turning events, there was a message to alert one to the change. In my case, it was a letter from abroad, which was different from any other letters we had seen before. It looked like a page from a book! The font was different from what we used to see, and there were no typewriter imprints!!! We were puzzled. 

A foreign student explained that that letter was produced by a COMPUTER. A computer? How could it be? We knew what computers were. They were mysterious huge machines behind doors with “Stuff Only” sign, and the only things we had ever seen them producing were perforated cards, which were very handy to keep bibliographical records on. So, we didn’t believe it. 

Later, there was a program on TV, in which a professor from Minsk State Linguistic University was speaking about reading a book on a computer. I tried to imagine how it was possible to insert a book into a TV-set, and my mind went blanc.

This was my starting point in 1990. A year later, I enrolled for a post-graduate course and moved to Minsk. I was going to study the pragmatics of the written text, which fascinated me. Apart from that, there were two more intentions in my mind: to find a well-paid job and to learn how to use computers. I found both in a small company, which was providing translation services. I successfully did a test translation, and they offered we a job under the condition that I would type translated documents on a COMPUTER. I could use a typewriter, so I agreed.

At that type my computer skills were zero. I didn’t know how to turn on a computer! Diskettes? I was absolutely sure that the term “hard disk” was used to refer to a 3 1⁄2-inch floppy disk, because, unlike the 8-inch floppy disk, it was packed in the hard case. (I am sure neither of these terms sound familiar to half of our group -  well, just skip them). There was a DOS interface, no idea of a mouse or windows, and all commands had to be typed. I even didn’t try to learn how to do that – so obscure and impossible it seemed to me.

Soon, however, there was a change. The boss of the company brought Widows from Germany. I guess, it was one of the first copies of Windows in Belarus. Banks, the most affluent institutions at that time, started installing Windows half a year later. The boss, enchanted by hypertext possibilities, wanted to make a break through – to launch a technology, that would allow to switch between text, sound, and graphic files. (Remember, it was 1993, the word “multimedia” had not been coined yet). He hired programmers to write the shell, and he needed linguists to create content. They offered, and I agreed. This is how my engagement with IT started.

As in all new couples, at the beginning there were frictions. I didn’t know how to insert a floppy disk, but my job required that I scanned texts, recorded and digitized sound, processed graphics, etc. The programmers, who worked in the office next to me, thought that the best way to explain how to do all that stuff was to say,” Why don’t you understand this?!!! It’s so easy!!!” Then: click- click-click - and the thing is done! And I remained without a slightest idea of how I would do it next time, again feeling stupid and miserable. Another way to training was to say, “You are here to do the job, not to be trained. If you don’t understand something, there is a Windows manual on the shelf, get it and find the answer” (The manual was two volumes 500 pages each, all in English).

However, there is always someone, who would try to help newlyweds find a way to harmony. Such was the CEO of the company, who would come and quietly dictate all the clicks I needed to perform, and I would carefully write them in my notebook. So, little by little, I started understanding the computer, and it started rewarding me for that.

After two years with that company I bought myself my first computer (in 1994), and in 1996 I became one of the first Belarusian users of the Internet. In 1995 I was invited to design an ESP course for interpreters, who were trained to work for the emerging IT sector. This is how I started learning Computer Science – never as an IT specialist, but as a linguist, trying to understand the meaning of the mysterious words I had been already using. Later I was engaged as an interpreter in some IT seminars, which were also a kind of up-grade training to me. Through that I leaned the concept of digital divide, p-to-p, cloud computing, wikinomics, and many other things.  

Now my vision of the use of IT in an EFL classroom goes far beyond language learning. Through English and IT, we have to introduce students to the unlimited and unexplored opportunities of the global communication networks. We have to show our students that these two things allow to bring one’s performance to the unprecedented level. We have to look far beyond the possibility of finding learning materials or on-line interaction with our students. IT allows us to target at global markets. New Business models appear. Teaching and learning on-line will allow us enjoying life. Instead of commuting and sitting in stuffy rooms, we will be able to couple learning with travel, more exciting private life, better payment rates, etc. 

This is my vision of IT implications for teaching English, and this is why I am here.

The Challenge of Online Interaction

I view technology as tools for people - not people serving these tools. We shouldn’t forget that behind every fascinating technological innovation there are people, and the users of their creations are people too. And speaking about our wish to learn webskills, we should imply learning online communication skills, a new type of skills, which didn’t exist before.

I think this first week of on-line interaction has shown that on-line interaction is a challenge per se. For instance, I was surprised to discover, that a few participants of our group turned out to be males, while after reading their introduction posts I visualized them as females, and vice versa, someone, who seemed to me male appeared to be female. It is just one example on the challenges of on-line interaction.

It was a great idea for our teachers to encourage us to start with building a community. As well as other participants, I pasted my introduction on the discussion board. But already by now, we see that it is growing more and more difficult to follow the threads, so I think it would be a good idea to repeat my introduction here.

I have read that some participants experience a bit of frustration while dealing with some technology for the first time. I wish to share my story, hoping that it will give them courage to carry on. Besides, this will help you to see the areas of my competence or gaps in it. As well as I am willing to help you, I would appreciate your advice too.

Thus, wholeheartedly embracing the task to reflect on the learning process, I will start off with telling you more about my background.

Acknowledgements

This blog has been started as a training task within into the Winter 2012 ‘Building Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web’ online learning course offered through the American English Institute at the University of Oregon, U.S.. The objective of the course is to enable EFL teachers to use appropriate technology to enhance the learning environment and outcomes for their students.

I feel highly honored to have been selected for this course and use this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation of the efforts of our teachers Jodi  and Sherie, who suggest such exciting and useful activities, keep sending us clear instructions and timely and patiently answer our questions and give us encouragement.

I would also like to give credit to the U.S. Department of State and the Public Affairs Section of US Embassy Minsk, Belarus,  for providing me with  this wonderful opportunity to get training and to get to the next level in my teaching.

And, last but not least, I wish to thank in advance the inspired and enthusiastic EFL teachers from across the world, whose friendly and supportive attitude and generous sharing of ideas and experience will help me make this blog worth visiting and reading.

Dear Webskills e-Teacher Participants and our caring tutors,

       

Welcome to my blog! Please, let me know what you think about it.

I hope we will have a lot of happy moments together and learn a lot of useful things.

Happy learning!

Yours,

Valentina (Val)