Technology Re-invigorates a Classic

CAMBRIDGE, England, May 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever since education and learning guru Marc Prensky coined the term 'Digital Natives', there has been increased understanding of the different tools that the next generation will need to learn languages.

Does this mean that gone are the days of the dog-eared textbook, replaced with ever more slick and shiny technology on mobile phones, PCs and iPods? Is toiling over grammar exercises with pen and paper a thing of the past, trumped by the press of a button or flick of a key?

Language-learning software developer Rosetta Stone estimates that more than 50 per cent of language teachers now use learning technology in lessons, with the majority integrating conventional learning techniques with virtual learning both within and beyond the classroom.

So how much is technology shaping how we learn languages and does it spell the death of the language text book? And even the language teacher?

As English Grammar in Use launches itself into the digital world with two new applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, some experts on the use of new media in English language learning ponder on the changes of recent years and make their predictions for the future.

Educational Technologist and co-founder of NetLearn Languages, the world's first live online language school, Eric Baber takes a pragmatic view:

"A shift from paper to electronic core materials will happen gradually as individual markets become more high-tech, but it's much too early to predict the death of the coursebook. We need to look at the realities of how teachers and students actually work. For students to be able to access material digitally, they all need to have their own electronic devices (laptops, netbooks, ebook readers, whatever). Globally speaking, especially in poorer parts of the world, this isn't going to be particularly widespread anytime soon. In poorer areas, paper-based textbooks will persist for some time yet.

"Then there's the teacher-factor. Like it or not, many teachers aren't hugely interested in putting together a bespoke set of digital materials for each class every day. They like having a clear learning path with related materials mapped out for them and their students from the beginning to the end of school year. Most teachers will prefer it if they can work with one piece of content, and that's still overwhelmingly the textbook, supplemented here and there with digital add-ons."

Which is precisely the approach that the English Grammar in Use package now offers. Produced in 1984, long before the rise and rise of the mobile phones, PCs and other new media, English Grammar in Use has remained faithful to the textbook tradition while also moving with the times. Its 2004 CD-ROM was considered ground-breaking in the arena of ELT publishing. The new applications of the Grammar for iPhone and iPod launched this year have yet to be tested by the market. However, Nora McDonald, Development Editor for the Cambridge University Press' ELT Grammar Team, is confident the content will stand the test of transferral to modern media.

"The English Grammar in Use products on different platforms will supplement the book, which is unlikely to be usurped for some time, and allow students to study English Grammar in Use on the bus via their phone, in class using an interactive whiteboard, and at home on their computer. This will give them greater flexibility about when and where they want to learn. The new applications for English Grammar in Use will reinvigorate a classic already much loved by generations of language learners around the world and bring it up-to-date with the expectations of the new generation of learners who expect to be able to learn both through traditional texts and new technology like their mobile phones and iPods. "

This use of technology to supplement, not usurp the textbook and the teacher, has the support of language education expert Dr Stephen Bax from the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment at the University of Bedfordshire. Dr Bax coined what he terms the 'omnipotence fallacy' - the expectation that technology will take over, making teachers and traditional tools like grammars redundant.

Dr Bax said: "In one newspaper I read of whiteboards 'not only allowing young students access to the curriculum but also simultaneously teaching them the English language'. This silly suggestion perfectly illustrates the 'omnipotence fallacy'. It seems that whenever a new technology comes into education someone jumps up to suggest that it will somehow do the whole job magically on its own, without the need for that always painful and troublesome element, the teachers.

"Another article worries that 'interactive whiteboards have had little or no impact on exam results' - again typical of the 'omnipotence fallacy' in its foolish assumption that if the technology does not revolutionise all aspects of learning it is not worth having. Do pens noticeably 'impact on exam results'? Do we therefore throw them out? A technology is useful when it has found its proper place, neither omnipotent nor terrifying, but normalised."

Notes for Editors

1. Grammar celebrations

To celebrate turning 25, the Grammar is appearing in an elegant silver hardback limited edition with answers and CD-ROM. An international competition is also due to take place in Spring 2010 where five English language students will get the chance to travel to the UK to study for three weeks at the Bell Language School in Cambridge. 2. English Grammar in Use goes digital

Two new applications for the iPhone and iPod touch launched this year by Cambridge University Press will bring their bestselling grammar book into the digital age. There are two Apps for the iPhone and iPod touch; one is English Grammar in Use Tests (GBP2.99) and the other is English Grammar in Use Activities (GBP5.99) both now available from the iTunes App store. The Third Edition book of the English Grammar in Use hardback book costs GBP19.90.

English Grammar in Use Tests and Activities for iPhone and iPod touch, will help learners boost grammar skills even when they're on the move. With thousands of intermediate-level grammar questions, the English learner can improve their grammar anytime, anywhere.

    English Grammar in Use Activities for iPhone and iPod touch include:

    - User-friendly interface that quickly guides you to the
      activities you want
    - Fully utilises the functions of the iPhone - you can record and
      playback audio notes for each exercise
    - Over 2,800 questions with different question types to practise
      all the key grammar points at intermediate level
    - Audio recordings of all main exercises
    - Viewable logs of completed sessions
    - A personal notes section that can be accessed from any page


    English Grammar in Use Tests for iPhone and iPod touch include:

    - Over 1,700 multiple choice questions practise all the key
      grammar points at intermediate level
    - Playing is easy - just tap the correct answer for each question
    - Choose between two modes of practice: 'Shuffle' chooses questions
      randomly and 'Practice' allows you to choose the grammar points you
      want to focus on
    - Scores let you compare with your friends


    For further information, go to http://www.cambridge.org/elt/inuse/mobile
    Further information:

For further information contact Hannah Gregory on email [email protected] or call +44(0)1223-325544.

SOURCE Cambridge University Press