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Essay: The role of supplementary technology in a language classroom.
Written by Sadiq Ali

With the escalating pace of development in Artificial Intelligence, the integration of supplementary technology in a language classroom has become crucial. The access of the supplementary technologies– such as e-resources, games, AV Aids, and applications– may lead to the effective learning in terms of teaching a language to students. The proficiency of teachers in ICT and language teaching has also therefore become a key element of successful educational practice (Stickler, 2022). This essay explores the positive aspects of bringing technology in a language classroom and examines the authenticity of these tools.

In the 21st century, bringing technology inside the language classrooms has become the utmost requirement of any institute. It not only encourages the students to learn the language more effectively and easily, but also develops interest in them. The students who get open access to the technological tools are fundamentally believed to be better learners of any language. Apart from it, according to a survey(2024, p.52 ) held at the State Islamic University of Mataran, speaking seemed to be the most difficult skill to be learned at the university. So, in this case, the institutions are supposed to bring positive development in their technological fields such as providing the students with the access of computer labs where they could practice their speaking and listening practice. Furthermore, computers tend to bring innovation inside a classroom where students are encouraged by reading the text followed by an audio, video, or an animation that results in the improvement of vocabulary(Ariawan, S. 2021. P.106). Due to the development of technology in this century, it has become crucial to bring supplementary technology in a language classroom for getting the maximum exposure of the language.

Bringing supplementary technology in a language classroom is crucial, but it also develops massive issues regarding the authenticity and reliability of these resources. According to Harari(2024. P.216), “the crucial thing to grasp is that social media[supplementary tools] algorithms are fundamentally different from printing press and radio sets.” Though the development in technology has led to the access of wider range of information, it has also resulted in sharing fake news and conspiracies. Bailey(2015. P.14) claims that supplementary technology, such as ebooks and e-journals, are significant because they can be accessed at any time through computers, saving the time and cost of the students but the authentic materials are very hard to find. There are certain websites on Google that are not reliable. The only reliable source contains an ‘ac’ in its link(Bailey. 2015. P14). Apart from it, the teacher, as a facilitator to a student, is a source provider not the source of knowledge, so he should be careful while providing the students with various materials for learning. He should ensure that the sources are reliable and authentic.

In conclusion, bringing supplementary technology inside a language classroom is significant because it tends to bring positive development in learning. The access of computers and online resources may lead to the better learning of the language. But these sources are questionable on the basis of their reliability, so the students should be provided with reliable and authentic source that could result in the effective learning of the language.

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