Enhancing Language Learning through ICT Based Media: Fostering Students’ Creativity in Language Teaching

Abstract

The use of ICT-based media in teaching languages bring creativeness and some knowledge of teaching. The study was carried out in an undergraduate ICT in Language Teaching course for an English Education. It employed a qualitative descriptive design to investigate how pre-service teachers interacted with digital tools to produce instructional media. What the course attempted to do was engage students in a range of ICT platforms, cultivate critical literacies surrounding technology-enhanced learning and create resources that would enable them to integrate ICT into their teaching while meeting curriculum expectations. The students designed instructional media for a particular language skill (listening, reading, speaking or writing). The results showed students using a great deal of creativity, selecting tools themselves and designing student need. The students also expressed increased confidence of using ICT and pedagogical thinking along with their future use in the classroom. They overcome problems through peer collaboration and assisted exploration. Furthermore, the study contributes to deepening theory and practice through experience learning. It also underlined the crucial role of information technology in promoting creative and digital literacy on preservice teacher education. The findings indicate that language teacher education programs should offer both formative and reform-based approaches to ICT integration. This study enables prospective teachers successfully design authentic, motivating lessons based on the needs of the students.