The role of communication technologies in English language teaching

In the last decades, the process of globalization has meant a complete change in the lives of billions of people. Regarding to these transformations, we can state that owing to the fact that technology has become part of the daily life, to some extent we are dependant on these technologies, in particular on the Information Technologies (ITs). Moreover, in the educative scope, we must declare that the ITs represent a strong help for the teachers to find new, more attractive and more meaningful materials; and being even more specific, we can refer to the English language teaching, one of the most beneficiated areas on the subject of the ITs usage. Nevertheless, if used wrongly, the ITs  may be useless or even harmful for the users. Now, we will discuss about the role of the ITs in the English language teaching.

On the one hand, we can affirm that even when possessing knowledge has always been an important tool for everybody all along the ages, the type of knowledge has changed, and it is still and continuosly varying; and the knowledge we deal with nowadays is of an important size. We, as English language teachers must show and teach the world’s reality, through a different glass to the students, illustrate the truth about the world by means of the English language. Giving the learners all the knowledge is impossible; however, giving them the tools for them to know the humanity by themselves is not unattainable, and the tool we are referring to is the English language. Fortunately, currently we can make use of the ITs, and get to the knowledge itself easily, for example, with the use of internet we can have an effortless access to updated information, we are also able to communicate with English native speakers online, who can help us to improve our own skills and also who can be part of an interactive school lesson via Skype, for instance. This is obviously motivating for the students who will be more proactive to learn English and see a real application of it, owing to the fact that nowadays, most of the public system students are unable to see a real and useful application of English in their lives. We can also have access to English non native speakers of different cultures and get to the cultural knowledge they have in an extremely easy way, having access to the source of knowledge itself. These characteristics of the ITs if used appropriately can help us to create an amusing learning environment.

On the other hand, if the Its are misused, or if the teacher does not know how to use them in an appropriate way, or if the teacher is not proactive to use technologies in large variety of activities, they will be useless. It is commonly seen in public schools, that classrooms are well equipped with different kind of IT resources, such as TVs, Radios, Computers with internet connection, Data Projectors, and so on; nonetheless, the teachers do not use them accurately, because of several reasons, such as: they do not know how to use them, they feel uncomfortable using “new” things, students may get distracted from the real contents of a class, unfortunately all these reasons are only excuses because a good professor, with a trained classroom management will know how to deal with these factors and make of a normal and boring class, something amusing, motivating and meaningful. However, it is also important to know how to deal with the technologies due to the fact that sometimes we are not aware of the dangers they involve, it is responsibility of the teacher to be aware of this and also to teach the students to be responsible with the usage of these technologies.

In sum, we can state that the globalization is being an involving process which has allowed us to get to the knowledge in an easy way. We, as English language teachers, have the responsibility to use these ITs in a proper way, so as to engage our students with our lessons and also to give them the tools for them to know their reality. Besides, we also have the responsibility to teach them to be conscious about the right use of these technologies, for them not to be in danger of being dependant on these for their lives. We as English language teachers, must be prepared for both knowing these technologies and also for showing our learners the right path for their success in a responsible way.

Comparison between the Novel and the Movie

In the last years, it has become really popular the idea to adapt books into movies. However, this transformation may alter the original work, and the latter might be sometimes totally different and fictitious. In this opportunity, we will compare the similarities and differences between the novel and the movie of the work “Gulliver’s travels” written by Jonathan Swift in the year 1726 and the movie directed by Rob Letterman, broadcasted in the year 2010.

On the one hand, we can find that both the book and the movie start with a description and brief outline about the life of the protagonist before the voyages. Besides, we can also state that the main character’s ship wrecks, and then he awakes finding himself as a prisoner of small people from a country called Lilliput, that has a rival and neighbor country called Blefuscu. Moreover, we can also declare that another similarity is the fact  that the protagonist, after showing that he is a well-mannered man, he is given residence in Lilliput, and also becomes very close to the court of the country.

On the other hand, we can state that even though there are some similarities, there are also some important differences, for instance the name of the protagonist is different, due to the fact that in the novel it is Lemuel Gulliver, while in the film it is Jack Black. Moreover, we can express that the protagonist of the book is an English doctor (surgeon), who then becomes a Captain of a ship, a respectable and confident man; nonetheless, the main character of the movie is an American citizen from New York, who works in a newspaper as mailman, a shy and unsure man. Apart from this, we can also say that the book takes place around the year 1700, however the movie was carried out in the current times. Besides, the original work includes four voyages (“A Voyage to Lilliput and Blefuscu”, “A Voyage to Brobdingnag”, “A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan”, and “A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms”) while the movie only considers only two voyages (Lilliput and Brobdingnag). Additionally, we can say that the novel is a satire to the society of that age, while the movie is a comedy; this shows an opposite perspective between the two works.

In sum, we can conclude that even though some literary works can be adapted and transformed into a movie, the resultant work may have some similarities regarding to the background; nevertheless, some key aspects of it will vary, as we have seen in this comparison between the novel and the film of Gulliver’s Travels. Consequently, it is important to trust not only the modified and adapted version of a literary work, but to go to the actual source of it, so as to value its richness and know the real intentions (sometimes camouflaged) behind it.

Gulliver's Travels_The Movie

Gulliver’s Travels is a movie directed by Rob Letterman in the year 2010, it was based on the homonym novel previously published in 1726.

This film was ambiented in the Contemporary Ages, its cast is composed by the following characters:   Jack Black (Protagonist), Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Billy Connolly, Catherine Tate y Amanda Peet as Darcy Silver. This production opened its premiere on December 25^th, 2010.

In New York, Gulliver decided to talk to Darcy Silverman, who was a journalist of a famous newspaper. Gulliver told her that he could write a report on his “travels” around the world, mentioning that his main dream was to become a writer. After that, a new report was plagiarized of different publications on internet, and in the next day, astonished by Gulliver`s work, Darcy asked him to visit “The Bermudas Triangle” so as to investigate about  a “Vessel Legend”  in which these ship disappeared in a mysterious way from that place.

Fortunately, Gulliver arrived to a different place called “Lilliput”. At the beginning, Gulliver was considered as an enemy by the Lilliputian people, but after rescuing their King from a fire, he was considered as a “hero” and treated in a very gentle way by the Lilliputians: Gulliver who was thought to be the president of the USA; however, then he was discovered to be a liar and attempted to go back home in his already repaired ship.

When trying to come back home, his ship wrecked on the ocean, and he was taken as a prisoner by a giant girl in an unknown land, and had to live in a doll house. His best friend from Lilliput helped him to escape form that place, and when he was back to Lilliput he helped the Lilliputians and the Blefuscutian to have a peace agreement.

Gulliver's Travels_The Book

Gulliver’s Travels is a novel written by Jonathan Swift. It was published in 1726. Usually, it has been considered as an adventure story for children, but it really was a satire to the society and to the human quality. This criticism was hidden and camouflaged behind an innocent story about travels across colorful lands.

The protagonist is the captain Lemuel Gulliver, who finds himself in paradoxical situations. First, he is a giant among dwarves, then he is a dwarf among giants, and finally he is ashamed about his human condition in a land ruled and populated by wise horses, whose features are extremely human and thus, the horses do not trust the humans.

This work is considered as a classic work of world literature, and it has inspired many adaptations and versions. The book became famous immediately. In the year 1726 John Gay (an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club) told Swift “you are universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery”. This book has never stopped being printed.

Rob Letterman_the movie's director

Rob Letterman, is an American film director, writer and voice actor.

Before Letterman's filmic subjects took him into outer space with Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), he was taken underwater, having directed and written DreamWorks Animation's 2004 Academy Award-nominated hit comedy Shark Tale, starring Will Smith, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie and Jack Black.[1] His writing efforts on the film also netted him an Annie nomination.

Prior to Letterman's joining DreamWorks Animation, he directed the short film Los Gringos, which was accepted at 2000's Sundance Film Festival.

In 2010 Letterman directed the live-action film Gulliver's Travels, starring Jack Black in the lead role.[2]

Letterman was born in Hawaii. Attended Mid-Pacific Institute, USC.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Letterman

Jonathan Swift_the book's writer

Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

He is remembered for works such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, and A Tale of a Tub. Swift is probably the foremost prose satirist in the English language, and is less well known for his poetry. Swift originally published all of his works under pseudonyms—such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier—or anonymously. He is also known for being a master of two styles of satire: the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift