The document discusses how information and communication technologies (ICT) can be used as a tool to improve and enhance teaching and learning. It notes that while computers have limitations like a lack of human touch, they are becoming widely used in education. ICT motivates students to learn, provides immediate feedback, and gives access to a wide range of information. Teachers can use ICT to make learning more meaningful by allowing global participation, exchanging teaching ideas, and designing new methods. The document provides a link to a PDF with follow-up language learning activities and background on the author, a teacher who advocates for using international projects and ICT to motivate language learning.

1. ICT, a tool to improve and enhance teaching and learning
Magdalena Bobek
Introduction
There are many ways to make what you do in the classroom worthwhile for your pupils and to
make what they learn, matter. Pupils love challenges and giving their work meaning will
motivate them to want more of it. This is a proven fact and it works both ways. It allows the
pupils to be the focal point in the learning process and it gives you, the teacher, recognition.
The article is in two parts; the first part is an introduction and is followed by part two which is
available in PDF file linked at the bottom of this page.
You must remember that everything you do in the classroom with your pupils can go beyond.
One way of making this happen is by using ICT as a tool in the learning process. However,
when using the computer, it is important to be fully aware of its limitations.
Let's remember some of its drawbacks. The computer is unable to judge the mood or feel of
the pupils; it lacks the human touch; the feedback is limited; it cannot evaluate the level of
pupils’ knowledge and it cannot reflect back. However, despite its negative side, the computer
is becoming one of the most widely used pedagogical tools in education.
Teachers are using ICT in their lessons because it motivates pupils to learn. There are no
disciplinary problems. It gives immediate feedback and a wide access to information. It makes
self-study possible. It is reliable and doesn’t have ‘off days’. As a tool it stretches the pupils’
knowledge beyond the classroom and gives it more meaning, because they can work with
their peers from other institutions and countries. Teachers can make global participation
possible. They can exchange ideas about their teaching practice and improve their already
existing curricula. It enables them to design new teaching methods more easily and add their
own ideas to the resource sites.
Here are a few follow-up activities that can be used in language classes to boost pupils'
motivation. Similar approaches can be used for any topic. The link to the PDF file is:
http://myeurope.eun.org/shared/data/myeurope/2006/img/ict-si-magdalena-bobek.pdf
About the author:
Magdalena Bobek was raised in Canada and now lives and works in Slovenia. She is a language
teacher by profession and teaches English and French at the lower secondary school level. She also
enjoys tutoring and translating in her free time. She has a Master of Arts Degree in English Language
Teaching from the University of East London and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and German.
Her main interest lies in international project collaboration as motivation in language learning. She
has been involved in international educational projects since 1999 as advisor and project coordinator.
In 2012 she was awarded The special achievements award by the Republic of Slovenia for her work in
international education. In this article she shares some ideas on how ICT can improve and
enhance both teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools.