IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: A REFLECTION ON INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIAL DESIGN IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING COURSE

#ELT #Instructional Technology #Technology Integration #Assignments

It has been more than 2 months since I’ve written my first blog and I guess it is time to write a reflection on Instructional Technologies course as it came to an end. Instructional Technologies course was a unique course when it is compared to other courses in the ELT Department. Probably, it was the only course which we didn’t talk about Chomsky, and I am grateful for that (Sorry Chomsky!). During the high school I was almost like a 21^st century Luddite as I thought technology makes people dumb and technological developments will result in further dumbness (actually I still think same to some extent). However, when technology is used as an ancillary force in your knowledge quest, it is undeniably helpful.

Before taking this course, last year we took another course named Informational Technologies which we have learned some online platforms like Canva or Padlet, but we didn’t have the opportunity to use these apps. However, thanks to the Instructional Technologies design course, I have been able to understand how I can integrate technology to ELT. Spending some time on understanding the apps and watching my creative energy burst out were important highlights of this course to me.

During this course, I learned how to create an infographic, podcast, public service announcement, write a collaborative film review and make an AI-integrated interview. From every assignment, I learned new things and gaining technological literacy gave me confidence. I can sincerely say that I enjoyed every task. It was a perfect course and I thank my teacher, Asst. Prof. Mustafa Polat, for being so understanding and caring to all of the students throughout the semester.

And final words… Until this time, no one commented to my blog, so I feel a bit heartbroken about it. But I know there are 110 views of this blog so that means there are other people visiting this blog except me (if 100 views are not viewed by me). If you’d like me to discover any other app for educational purposes, I ‘d gladly do in the future. Until that time, goodbye!