English is the most popular language in the world. There are lots of people around the world used it in their daily life. Today, English has become the target language of the people from different countries. They really want to master it. This international language has a primary function as a language that can unite all the nations across the globe. At the present time, the English language has a very important role in various fields such as in the business, information, and also in education. Therefore, many people from around the world interested in learning the language. In the modern era, as now, learning English is closely related with technology. Miarso (2007), technology is the process of using and producing a product / work which is strongly associated with products that existed before.
If we talk about the
process of learning English, technology has very important role of the process.
Technology that can be used as the sources of learning English is always
innovating in various fields. As the examples, there are three kinds or types
of technology that has tremendous benefits as the sources of learning English
such as from information technology, broadcasting technology, and printing
technology. From the three types of technology, there are lots of benefits that
we can use as the accurate sources in improving our English proficiency. The
question is, do you really want to know about the benefits that we can get from
the three types of technologies above? If yes, you have to read more the
explanations below.
The first type of
technology that can be used as a tool / resource in learning English is
information technology. Abdulhak (2005) says that information
technology has three main functions. The functions includes as educational
tools, as a medium for information, and as a medium of learning process. Of
course, including about the English learning process. The question, what
the information technology really is? Turban (2003) states that information
technology is a technology-based computers. One example of this technology is
the Internet (interconnection-networking). Nowadays, in the modern era,
Internet has an important role in human daily life especially in their process
of learning English. If we are active in using these computer-based media,
there are lots of learning resources that we can use to practice our English
such as learning from English online websites and blogs. For the information,
there are so many examples of English learning websites that we can use
as the references of learning English such as Voalearningenglish.com that
provides lots of learning English features such as audios, videos, and various
of articles. It is very beneficial, isn’t it? Not only that, another English
learning website that we can visit is UsingEnglish.com. This kind of
learning website provides so many English learning features from the beginner
level to the advance one and complete with the tests. In fact, there are so
many other English language learning websites that we can use. This is very
interesting, isn’t it? so, better for us to use our computer to open the
English learning website above than you use it for the things that are not
really important like playing game a whole day.
Not only the Internet,
another example of information technology is the smart phone. In recent years,
almost everyone has it. In fact, there are many advanced features available in
a smart phone that can be used as an application in learning English. The
following is the benefit that we can gain from it, like we can multiply the
number of our vocabulary by using e-dictionary. From applications such as
e-dictionary, we can not only read the vocabulary, we can also hear how to
pronounce it. It's incredible, is not it? So what are you waiting for? There is
no reason for us not to learn English. Not only that, as the information for
you, there are many more examples of technology that has many benefits in
learning English like the following below.
Another examples of technologies
that have lots of benefits in the process of learning English is from
printing technology. The examples of English language learning media of this
technology are newspapers, magazines, and books. There are lots of English
language skills that can we learn from the three print media above such as how
to read English well (reading skill). We need to know that reading skill is
really important in English. According to Sanderson (2002), we all learn
through reading. By reading various writings in English, it will be a lot of
new vocabulary we can get. Not only that, the print media also can be
used as our references in learning about how to write
correctly. Tafani (2004) says that the articles, news, and
information from one of the print media like newspapers are rich of update
linguistic. In addition, the type or style of language used in newspapers is
also very different from the language of the book. Thus, by reading it, we will
increase our understanding about the target language. Similarly with newspapers,
English magazines are also rich of language style. Besides of the
interesting look and style, the magazines are also used the language accordance
with the culture of language that they post in. As a result, we as readers can
understand the culture of the language indirectly by reading.
As we know,
English language is an ability/skill. The skill will increase if we always
learn and always practice it regularly. It is necessary to make ourselves
easier to adapt with target language and to make our ears and tongue become
familiar with the one. To make it happens, the following technology is very
helpful. We used to called this kind of technology with broadcasting. One
the example of this technology is a radio. Generally, the radio is identical
with 'music'. However, in radio there are a lot of programs in English. From
it, we can practice our listening skill (audio). Hearing songs and a variety of
English programs on radio will also make us familiar with the language.
Not only the radio,
television is also part of broadcasting technology that we can use as a media
learning English. From the television, we not only learn about how to hear
something in English (audio), but also the visual (video). When we watch a
variety of English-language programs on TV, including movies, we can learn many
things like understand new vocabulary, understand how to pronounce it, and also
understand the context of its use. Not only that, from a variety of
English-language television programs we can also learn the gestures when they
pronounce the vocabularies and we can also understand the cultures of that
language. Effendy (2002), watching television can influence the
psychological of the viewers such influence perceptions, feelings, and behavior
and make the person feel like their own events in the television. So,
television is a effective media in learning English. Sounds cool, does not it?
So, what are we waiting for? Use the technologies such as radio and television
broadcasting at our home for positive things like who has the authors mentioned
earlier.
Briefly, English has an
important role for us in this era of globalization. If we want to be someone
who can compete in various aspects, then learn a foreign language such as
English is an obligation or a must for us. As what was said by David
Crystal (2003), the English language is the language of the world that received
in many countries and has an important role in a variety of ways. Learning the
English language can be done by using today's technology optimally. A smart
person is someone who can take the positive benefits of everything around him,
including technology. Finally, all of these technologies have lot of benefits
for us especially in learning English. Again, there is no reason for us to not
learn English because by mastering the English language, we can control the
world.
