Interactive technologies as a component of teaching spoken English for specific purposes to students of choreographic education faculty

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Interactive technologies as a component of teaching spoken English for specific purposes to students of choreographic education faculty

The process of informatization of education has its specificity determined by resource opportunities, trends, and lack of a single approach to substantiation and formation of the ways of using the information technologies to improve the backbone elements of educational activities at universities. A promising area of using applications in the educational process is an information technology called «Cloud Computing» based on Google Apps Internet application. Google Apps cloud technology is considered to be a system of Internet applications which provides students and teachers with the tools required for effective collaboration and communication. Google Apps consist of simple software-based multimedia tools that provide interactive exchange of information (text, graphics, audio, video). The advantage of the cloud is the opportunity to organize both classroom and independent work according to the following interaction types: «a student - a group of students», «a student - a student», «a teacher - a student». The cloud technology makes it possible to build active learning process; increase the intellectual satisfaction from classes significantly; develop thinking, memory, creativity, ingenuity of students, and prepare them for professional activities.

The use of interactive technologies in the process of learning English has been studied by a great number of domestic and foreign authors. In Ukrainian pedagogical science V. Bondarenko O. Vasylenko, R. Hryshkova, H. Zakharov, Z. Kornev focused mainly on the implementation of interactive methods in learning a foreign language. Foreign researchers W. Damon and R. Lerner dealt with the specifics of perception of information that is full of characters and linguistic structures. The main idea of the principles of learning a foreign language in the study of W. Damon and R. Lerner involved the need for applying integrated approach to learning a foreign language, which not only combines learning by heart and listening to words and their grammar constructions, but also represents the cultural meaning of the concepts used in the specific constructions [1]. The research studies of M. Mather and M. Sutherland are dedicated to theoretical identification of emotion patterns influence on memory [2]. E. Kensinger and D. Schacter studied the issue of using interactive technologies empirically, on the basis of neuropsychological processes taking place in the cerebral cortex when exposed to emotional exciters during memorization processes [3]. J.M. Dewaele, studying the emotional aspects of learning a foreign language, found that the learning process should arouse the interest of students in the structure of a language and its nature [4].

The main difference between domestic and foreign researches is that most of Ukrainian scientists study methodology of interactive technologies implementation into the educational process, while foreign scientists analyze the impact of these technologies on the effectiveness of knowledge and skills gained. This study is an attempt to convert both approaches. Moreover, in domestic and foreign studies Google Apps cloud technologies are regarded mainly as auxiliary means of learning a foreign language. In this study, Google Apps cloud technologies will be considered as the basic ones in the learning process.

The purpose of the article is to highlight the experience of using Google Apps cloud technologies in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at the university. The main task is analyzing Google Apps cloud services, outlining the specifics of their impact on the development of professional oral English of students of the Faculty of Choreographic Education.

When working on the thesis «Preparation of Graduates of Teaching Universities for Research Activity», the teaching of the module «Information Technologies in Research Activities» [5] was studied. It covered the theoretical and practical material regarding familiarization with Google Apps information system functioning and its application in research and professional activities.

This experience was used for working with university students of first and second years of study majoring in choreographic education. The lessons aimed to form the students' need to use modern cloud technologies in learning, increase satisfaction from their work and provide them with the opportunity of self-disclosure, cognitive interest and cognitive activity.

The classes created conditions for the development of such qualities as persistence, independence for the formation of students' ESP speaking skills.

We used the following forms of work with the students: workshops, individual work, individual counseling. Technical means of studies was cloud technology from Google Apps Educational Edition (Google Apps). The students had access to educational materials, video materials for self-study; guidelines and tasks were provided using Google Sites. They were given the following tasks: creating a personal blog using Blogger; creating a social network community using Google+; creating presentations with Google Docs that enables students to process texts and spreadsheets; conducting video conferences with multiple students using Google Hangouts.

In order to determine the level of the learned material acquisition and the ability of students to use it in practice, the following methods were applied: surveys, tests, questionnaires, final presentation of the prepared project.

We used the following means for enhancing students' independence in carrying out tasks using cloud technologies: a method of forming consciousness, for which the students were acquainted with the specificity of virtual communication and Google Apps features; method of collecting and recording information, which was carried out by using the Google Apps cloud technology and collaboration on projects; method of «feedback» for increasing the quality of students' training by encouraging collaboration and conducting deeper research.

When using cloud technologies the teacher's task was to use the Google Docs service. It provides the opportunity to supervise the students' learning activities, to review open statistics regarding their answers and create a chart of success statistics, to comment some answers in the results table. Testing time can be adjusted by limiting the time for answers. The «form» mode can be used to analyze the results of the interrogation, view a summary of the answers, and get statistics.

During the work sessions, specific situations and problems, which the future choreographers will meet in their professional activities, were actively used. All the tasks and topics were developed in accordance with the work program of the discipline «Basics of Scientific Communication in a Foreign Language» for the Faculty of Choreography Education. Here is an example of topics that were used when working with first - and second-year students:

Beginning Choreographer's Tips

Physical Requirements and Skills

Qualifications for a Choreographer

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Choreographer

Differences between Choreographer and Dance Instructor

Dance Training and Experience

As students solve problems related to their future work, their motivation for language learning increases.

The Internet applications used during the lessons with the first - and second-year students should be considered in details.

First, Google Docs service was used to form the students' practical skills. Creating presentations in Google Docs allowed the students to process texts and spreadsheets. Multimedia presentations provide demonstrativeness, which contributes to intersensory perception and better memorization of the material. While performing the tasks the students used various sources of information in English to complement their presentations. Creating Google Docs presentations contributed to the development of the students' creative potential and the abilities of expressing their thoughts in English.

It should be noted that Google Docs web-service provides an opportunity to leave text comments, which is an effective tool in the interaction between a student and a teacher. It provides support, for example, counseling, assistance, feedback, not just control or final evaluation.

The task «Conducting Video Conferences with Multiple People Using Google Hangouts» was offered for providing team work of two students or a student with a group of students. The task involved text message communication, collaborative work on documents, and viewing videos. It should also be noted that Google Hangouts provides a teacher with the opportunity to hold a lecture in ten groups simultaneously. If more students want to attend the lecture, each host group can rebroadcast it in other ten groups. Classes can be interactive and students can ask questions via FM microphone [6, p. 205].

It should be emphasized that the use of Google Hangouts forms the skills of collective interaction in students and improves the way of organizing the learning process so that they communicate with each other actively, exchange educational information, which promotes acquisition of knowledge, improves skills of each student. Between the communication participants optimal interaction is created, relationships peculiar to a team are formed; and the condition for personal success is the success of other students in one or several groups.

Secondly, the formation of skills of expressing one's thoughts is promoted by means of Google Blogger. The task was to publish interesting facts from personal experience of working with children in English and open community access to the information. Google Blogger aims to develop the ability to select information independently, evaluate it critically and present, formulate personal findings and evaluative judgments based on the proposed information.

In the process of creating personal blogs, three phases can be distinguished: «search», «filter», and «publication». Doing this task the students were supposed to learn lots of information on the chosen topic in English. The need for regular work (new notices must be published at least once a week) makes the process of students' acquisition of knowledge of specific topics continuous. Students' motivation in using blogs is explained not only by technological opportunities, but also by the fact that most of them manage their learning process themselves, being engaged in active search for information and getting comments from other people.

Blogging tasks go beyond the limits of the educational process and relationships between a teacher and a student, as long as everyone interested can assess and comment on students' works. Blogs provide the opportunity to turn a classroom into infinite international audience. The use of blogs makes it possible to implement a principle of andragogical training - immediate use of acquired knowledge for practical action [7, p. 14]. Through didactic qualities of the blogging technology students-choreographers were involved into such types of language activities as writing and reading. They formed both critical thinking skills and skills of expressing their thoughts in a foreign language.

Thirdly, we used the task «Creating Communities in Google+» to develop students' skills professional communication and form communicative readiness for dialogue with colleagues and establishing new relationships.

Creating a community in social media based on Google+ service was used for collaborative work on projects, communication and advisory support. Taking part in such groups provides an opportunity to organize joint activities with fellow students and teachers.

Google+ developers indicate that «the main feature of the new network is the so-called «circles». With these circles it can be very convenient to sort all contacts from various areas». In this case, implementing Google Apps

References

cloud technology university google

1. Mather, M., & Sutherland, M. (2012). The selective effects of emotional arousal on memory. Psychological science agenda, 2. (Vols. 26). Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2012/02/emotional - arousal.aspx [in English].

2. Kensinger, E., & Schacter, D. (2010). Memory and emotion. Current directions in psychological science, 213-218. (Vols. 16). Retrieved from: https://www2.bc.edu/~kensinel/Kensinger_Schacter_Han dbookEmo.pdf [in English].

3. Dewaele, J.M. (2011). Reflections on the emotional and psychological aspects of foreign language learning and use. Anglistik: International journal of English studies. (pp. 23-42). Retrieved from: http://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/5096/1/Dewaele2011Anglistik.pd f [in English].

4. Prokhorova, O.V. (2014). Pidhotovka mahis - trantiv pedahohichnykh universytetiv do naukovo - doslidnytskoi diialnosti [Preparing undergraduates of pedagogical universities for scientific research]. Extended abstract of candidate's thesis. Kherson [in Ukrainian].

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