“So What Does It All Mean?”

I was blown away by the YouTube video “Did you know?” The rapid pace of technological advancement has changed the world and the way we live in it. The world is not only changing at a breakneck speed technologically but linguistically as well.  For instance, there are currently 540,000 words in the English language. This amount is five times the amount of words that existed in the English lexicon during Shakespeare’s time. Moreover, who would have thought twenty years ago that China would soon become the largest English speaking country in the world?

So what does this mean for language teachers?

It means that language teachers, and teachers in general, who are unwilling to adapt to the changing times will become obsolete. They will simply be out-teached by teachers who know how to effectively use technology as a pedagogical tool in the classroom. Although technology is changing rapidly, there is an abundant amount of resources for teachers to deepen their technological knowledge and improve their skills in regard to implementing technology in the classroom.

By the time we start teaching, our future students will have been exposed to a profusion of technology and media. Although they will not be raised by technology, it will be a significant part of their lives. They will have an in-depth knowledge of the various forms of technology and media as well as their various uses. So there is no better time than now for teachers to familiarize themselves with technology in order to more fully engage this generation of students in the classroom.