EXPERIENCES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN USING ICT IN THE CLASSROOMS: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

Abstract

We are in the era of Information Communication Technology (ICT) today. Almost everything is digitalized. Ordinary classes to big conferences are dependent on the online mode. One doesn‟t need to be at the place of a conference to present his/her research, everything can be presented and shared from the place where he or she is. It could be any part of the world. So, we are in such a time, then how can we separate technology from English language teaching? We must take this change as a positive transformation in this academic field. Teaching and learning activities are possible today just because of technology integration. Teaching English has flourished due to the use of ICT in teaching English. Those who have access to technology have progressed far more than those who don‟t have. Therefore, it is very essential to make use of technology in English language teaching and learning. At the beginning of this research I was confused about whether the community school teachers make use of ICT or not. If they make use of ICT, then how and in which way they use it. And I found the answers to my quest. The way they integrate ICT can be exemplary methods for the other English teachers too. This study explored the experiences of using ICT in ELT in Secondary level English teachers of Bhaktapur. Using technology is challenging in community schools in comparison to private schools. I observed how community English teachers are working in the present scenario. The main objective of my research was to explore how teachers of secondary level English teachers make maximum use of ICT in their teaching. My study is encircled to the experiences of two participant teachers teaching in two different community schools of Bhaktapur comparing along with my own experiences concerning technology use in English language teaching. I used the narrative inquiry as a research method and the personal stories of my research participants for the information collection process. I chose two participants and maintained equal proportion through gender perspective that is one male and female. I collected information through the narratives of the participants. I went through different rounds of interviews and class observations to portray their stories in my research report. The explanation of their words tell us how they are managing and are encouraged to use technology in English language class. I used motivation and constructivism theories along with TPACK framework to explain their stories. The use of technology has motivated them a lot to move forward in their teaching career. Also, they have been applying constructivism in their work. Moreover, I have learned that if the teacher is technologically aware then he/ she can motivate learners easily in the class and the teacher also gets plenty of opportunities to make his/her career better. The teacher can use their technical knowledge to teach any skill in the class arousing curiosity in the learners. In a nutshell, through this study, it can be concluded that teaching is enhanced if the technology is integrated with English language teaching. A favorable environment and motivation, encouragement from seniors and colleagues encourage teachers to make their teaching effective in ICT friendly way.