Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield

Entisar Elsherif

What technologies do you use as a writer and why?

Before I enrolled in my program, I used to write on papers and then type it on my PC. Now, I use my laptop to brainstorm, outline, write notes, and write my papers. The whole process of writing is done in Word docs. I also started using Endnote and other sources that make my process of referencing and taking notes easier. I use online sources to proofread my final drafts. So technology is correlated with the writing process.

As you know, many academic journals and books are online now. So as a writer, I use the internet to search for sources and information related to what I’m writing on.

Do you teach with technology?   If yes, what technology/ies? 

Well, technology covers may tools that can be used in the English classroom. So I use the computer lab, the CD and it recorder, radios, TVs, videos, overhead projector, PowerPoint, YouTube, the Internet and other tools.

However, our sources are really limited because of Qaddafi’s regime’s actions. So our department has only one computer lab, a very limited number of projectors, and a limited number of recorders.

Do you experience constraints when you teach with technology? 

When English was reintroduced to the Libyan curriculum and was taught again, the Libyan schools and universities lacked the appropriate sources for teaching English especially technological sources. Funding for providing advanced technological tools in universities and schools was really limited, which resulted in schools' inability to provide technology-mediated classrooms for all courses.

Do you work around those constraints?  If you do, how?

By trying to find our own ways of providing technological resources and Internet access to our students. I used to upload everything to my hard disk and take it to class so I could share the content with my students. I also used to ask my students to navigate certain sites or pages on their own outside class and then discuss them in class. Many Libyan teachers, educators, and professors had to find ways of integrating technology into their classrooms. For instance, some professors provide Internet access at their own expense, and some students bring WiMax, a wireless Internet service, to class so they will have access to the Internet. Now that Libya is still fighting for a better future, we are hoping for better educational opportunities for our students.

Do your students produce multimodal composition? What kind?

After taking Dr. Gian Pagnucci’s course (Technology and Literacy), I plan to use more tools and teach my students the significance and effectiveness of multimodal writing.

How do you assess multimodal projects?

The important points for me were to see if the images, videos, and audio clips helped the audience understand the purpose of the composition and provided support and value to the composition.

Do any of your students resist using technology?

The answer here could be yes and no since there are many and varied technological tools that are used in English classrooms.

How do you handle those situations?

From my experience, when it comes to pronunciation courses, students are motivated to use the lab and other tools for listening. I remember asking my students to learn benefits of their mobile phones by recording themselves while speaking in English and try to spot their mispronounced words or try to enhance their accents. They were so happy with the assignment, especially since they were not required to give their recordings to me if they felt uncomfortable but could tell me what was pronounced incorrectly and how to correct it through what we were learning in class.

When it comes to the use of PCs and the Internet, the situation is different. Since many students didn’t have Internet access or computers at home, I had to allow some of the students to submit handwritten assignments instead of typed assignmnets. Also, I gave some of them permission to work with their peers.

I’m more optimistic now since there is some kind of advances in the ideas of using technology in the classroom in the Libyan culture. The change is slow, but promising.

How do you keep up with technological advances?

I mostly use YouTube to learn how to use something new to me. I thank those generous people who have produced videos that explain how to use certain technological tools.

Is there a correlation between technology and the English language? 

Yes, I believe there is a correlation between technology and the English language. English is used on the Internet and in face-to-face economic and political interactions. Now, English is seen as an international language rather than a language of a certain nation or a certain country. For all of these reasons, it’s taught through technology.