Use of Technology in Teaching

Speaking Skills
ELŻBIETA GAJEK

­Framing the Issue

In the past, the use of audio labs, cassette players, and walkmen was influential in
terms of pedagogical practices; however, nowadays the old devices no longer have
on impact on the learning and teaching of speaking skills; most English language
teaching (ELT) programs have replaced the old audio labs with computer labs that
utilize digital and online technologies. Most ELT programs also have a learning
management system that provides learners with a platform for online learning for
the purposes of enhancing face-to-face (f2f) courses, for use in blended or hybrid
courses, or for online courses. This entry will focus on the specific ways in which
digital technology supports the development of learners’ oral communication,
bearing in mind that all language-learning activities are interrelated. In other
words, both listening to texts in the target language and practicing the pronuncia-
tion of key words in the target language is likely to improve speaking skills.
Many of the hardware devices available on the market, such as standalone com-
puters, laptops, mobile devices (such as phones and tablets), or hybrid computers
with microphones, speakers, and cameras, are suitable for speaking tasks in lan-
guage learning. Software dedicated to this purpose includes speech-to-text and
text-to-speech programs, voice and video recording applications, audio and video
editing programs, and speech analysis software, such as Praat. If learners have
access to the Internet, they also have access to online messaging and videoconfer-
encing software (e.g., Skype, FaceTime, and QQ) for spoken communication at a
distance.
There are two ways to approach the teaching of speaking with online technol-
ogy: atomistic and holistic (Hedge, 2000). These two approaches represent the two
ends of a continuum. The former approach—atomistic—focuses on teaching the
separate sounds, which is the basis for teaching speaking skills to beginners.
Learners begin to make the sounds of the target language and to express them-
selves in communicative acts, often using formulaic expressions. The latter

The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, First Edition.

Edited by John I. Liontas (Project Editor: Margo DelliCarpini).
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0701
2 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills

approach—holistic—focuses on interactions and spoken narratives. In using tech-

nology to teach speaking for holistic purposes, the technology can be either a part-
ner or a means of communication. For example, practicing language with robots
improves speaking (Lee et al., 2011), especially automaticity in oral responses in
fixed situations. However, communication in telecollaboration projects with for-
eign partners (e.g., Global Gateway, eTwinning, Cultura MIT) can be engaging and
stimulating for learners. In such projects the learning of language skills and inter-
cultural competences is integrated with technology that serves as a means of
communication.
Teaching and learning spoken narrative with technology can take place using
audio or video software when students record their individual or group oral pro-
duction and then analyze and edit the recordings. The learners may record them-
selves using various types of spoken texts, such as telling stories, creating
presentations, making advertisements, reporting the news or weather forecast,
and participating in discussions. Adding voiceover to a PowerPoint presentation
gives learners the opportunity to give a long talk. In addition, giving voice to an
avatar (e.g., an icon or figure that represents a particular person in computer
games, Internet forums, etc.), whether in conversations or in the form of a long
speech, provides practice in speaking. Second Life (SL) is an online learning frame-
work that provides opportunities for oral practice. SL is actually a virtual world
with multiple functionalities in which individuals move freely under the guise of
their avatar (Bayle & Youngs, 2013). There are also digital games, especially mas-
sive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) that offer speaking prac-
tice (Dixon, 2014) when a player who is primarily interested in the game has to
interact with other players in the target language.
Audiovisual materials (AVM), such as movies and TV shows, offer a user-friendly
environment for learning speaking skills. AVM provide authentic exposure to oral
interaction, which is motivational and pleasurable for most learners. Learners may
use feature films for practicing phrases uttered by their favorite actors, while deriv-
ing the meaning from interlingual or intralingual subtitles. Adding captions and
revoicing AVM opens up a new area for the development of pedagogical tasks to
improve speaking. Captioning, for example, subtitling, enhances the memorizing
of spoken language in a clear situational context. Both intralanguage subtitling,
that is, when learners write the spoken language they hear from the screen, and
interlanguage subtitling, that is, when learners write subtitles translated from the
target language to the native language, can be undertaken; the latter aims to sensi-
tize learners to authentic spoken language. In learning activities that involve cap-
tioning, all language skills—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—are
integrated. In revoicing AVM, teachers have several options. In movies, it is possi-
ble to add audio descriptions; they are often added for sight-impaired learners. It is
also possible to add voiceovers, for example, commentaries on sports events.
Captioning and revoicing can both be added to reinforce speaking, and learners can
prepare their own subtitles. There are many possibilities that teachers should keep
in mind. Both captioning and revoicing may be intralingual or interlingual, the
latter involving mediation and translation between languages.
 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills 3

Mobile assisted language learning (MALL) is growing in popularity, especially

in under-resourced areas (Beatty, 2013; The International Research Foundation
for English Language Education [TIRF], 2014). The use of mobile devices, such as
iPods, iPads, smartphones, and tablets, which are personal objects for the major-
ity of learners, is helpful and appropriate for language learning (Demouy &
Kukulska-Hulme, 2010). Thus, the students record their conversations in the
target language in the street or pre-prepare long stories pretending they are city
guides. Phlogging—blogging with a phone (e.g., using iPadio)—enables the
sharing of speech with peers and the teacher. Phlogging can be used for com-
mentaries on other students’ phlog entries (Hoven & Palalas, 2013). Their record-
ings can then be discussed with peers and teachers in feedback sessions.
Technology plays an important role in giving feedback, such as recording stu-
dents’ oral performances, either long individual talks or discussions with peers.
Recordings can be discussed with the teacher, who may target certain areas for
improvement in speaking. In addition, the student may listen to the recorded
language multiple times. The student is able to notice clearly both atomistic and
holistic features of his or her speech. The recordings may also serve as documen-
tation of the learning function, thereby allowing learners to observe their own
progress. These recordings can be also analyzed by software, such as Praat or
Sound Forge Pro to make the more students aware of their oral production and
the target accent.

­Making the Case

The use of technology, especially audio and video recordings, for developing
speaking skills has attracted the attention of methodologists and researchers. Lin
(2014) demonstrates the positive effects of the use of technology on the oral profi-
ciency development of L2 students. The key theoretical considerations are based
on constructivist (Vygotsky, 1978) and connectivist (Siemens, 2004) pedagogical
approaches in learning contexts in which students communicate orally using digi-
tal devices at the same time. The sociocultural approach to language learning seeks
to integrate language learning and technology with learner-centered, task-based,
and authentic-content approaches (Felix, 2003; Hampel & Hauck, 2004; Kern, Ware
& Warschauer, 2004). The integrative approach (Warschauer & Healey, 1998)
emphasizes the integration of various skills with the use of technology in real-life
contexts. The degree to which researchers have embraced these pedagogical
approaches, which are intended to promote L2 acquisition, has often led to the
development of innovative classroom practices (Plomp, 2009; Hoven & Palalas,
2013). The specific areas of research cover the following: (a) telecollaboration via
technology; (b) the use of mobile devices; (c) the use of audiovisual materials for
communication; (d) virtual world gaming, including MMORPGs, such as Second
Life; and (e) the use of specific hardware or software.
Telecollaboration is defined by Belz (2002) as the “application of global com-
munication networks in foreign language education,” (p. 61) and unites learners
4 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills

from two linguistic backgrounds so that some are native speakers (NSs) of
Language A who are learning Language B, and vice versa. This idea was devel-
oped within the Cultura Project Framework by the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) (Furstenberg, Levet, English, & Maillet, 2001) in which students
communicate in speech and in writing to build intercultural competence.
Videoconferencing with intercultural aims also enhances learners’ willingness to
speak in the target language (O’Dowd, 2000).
Cooperation is also emphasized in the educational design framework and par-
ticularly in MALL, the investigation of the use of mobile devices. Having studied
the role of mobile devices in language learning Kukulska-Hulme and Shield (2008)
claim that “collaborative speaking and listening activities could be successfully
supported by mobile devices” (p. 281). While speaking on mobile phones, English
learners acquire new vocabulary (Kiernan & Aizawa, 2004).
Multimodal texts accessed through audiovisual materials recorded on DVDs
(i.e., digital versatile discs) help learners understand conversational strategies and
provide examples of how native speakers construct oral interactions (Moreno-Jaén
& Pérez Basanta, 2009). Theoretical conceptualizations of the role of subtitling
(Díaz Cintas & Remael, 2007; Díaz Cintas & Fernández- Cruz, 2008; Talaván, 2010)
and revoicing—especially audio descriptions in language learning—have been
widely investigated. Within the ClipFlair project (http://www.clipflair.net) is a
Web site for foreign language learning through interactive revoicing and caption-
ing of clips. The Web site offers new theoretical considerations and practical solu-
tions about how to use captioning and revoicing for developing language skills.
These ideas are presented and discussed by Zabalbeascoa (2013) and Ellis (2003)
on the basis of task-based considerations. The components of each task in ClipFair
include a video clip and text, picture, map, subtitles, and speech bubbles so that
learners can write their own texts or record own voices. The task materials can be
used online or offline.
Language learner participation in virtual world gaming, such as MMORPGs
(e.g., Second Life), increases confidence and motivation (Deutschmann, Panichi, &
Molka-Danielsen, 2009). Virtual worlds provide learners with rich interaction,
authentic content, access to different cultures, visualization and contextualization,
and language immersion (Liou, 2012). Automatic speech recognition systems cre-
ate low-anxiety speaking environments and these can be self-accessed. Text-to-
speech functionality is the most powerful tool as the students can learn how to say
anything they are able to write (Chen, 2011).
Technologically “savvy” language learners and teachers need to choose soft-
ware and hardware carefully. On the one hand, it is true that learners learn to
speak by speaking; in other words, they need opportunities to use the target
language for communicative purposes, they need to be fluent speakers. On the
other hand, focus should also be placed on accuracy and appropriateness
because a lack of corrective feedback can produce fluent learners but not
­accurate enough to be intelligible by most proficient users. These learners are
victims of their own communicative success (Metcalf, 2003; Moreno-Jaén &
Pérez Basanta, 2009).
 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills 5

­Pedagogical Implications

Based on the theoretical and technological considerations outlined above, six prac-
tical implications can be drawn on how to use technology for developing speaking
skills:

1. Use audiovisual materials routinely. Ask students to switch on subtitles rather

than voiceover or dubbing when they watch film for entertainment. When
learning phrases, they may cut out a fragment of a film and copy it several
times. Then they can practice with the sample, trying to achieve the same into-
nation and nonverbal clues. They may also select their favorite scenes and
prepare their own learning materials.
2. Let students add captions and revoice ready-made and homemade audiovisual
materials. Teachers can also ask students to record language samples on their
mobile devices. Teachers can then give corrective feedback on their perfor-
mance, using speech analysis software or teacher-prepared feedback materials,
such as rubrics. Cooper (1985) is an excellent resource, offering teachers over
110 different activities for developing speaking for both longer narratives and
for extended interaction. Although technology is not specifically mentioned
there, the use of digital technology brings added value to the tasks suggested.
Language learners can also prepare digital presentations (e.g., using MS
PowerPoint with voiceover). Learners can listen to the effect of the quality of
their voices (i.e., pitch, speed of speaking, volume) and think about how their
voice would be perceived by an audience. They can record several attempts
and, if students are working in groups, they can discuss the results together.
3. Suggest phlogging actvities based on speech, that is, instructions are given orally
and students record their voice to show the results of their work, for example,
while practicing idioms describing landmarks in the city or commenting on the
performance of peers as Hoven and Palalas (2013) suggest in their research.
4. Initiate, organize, and support telecollaboration on an international level,
either through short-term or long-term activities, for example, through pro-
jects in which participants communicate online. Telecollaboration creates nat-
ural learning environments for speaking and the integration of linguistic,
intercultural, and technical competences.
5. Encourage students to use speech-to-text software in which speech is auto-
matically converted to written text. Have them observe and report the results.
Such systems are not completely reliable, but they provide an environment for
practice and immediate feedback. It is important to demonstrate how to use
text-to-speech applications, monitor the results, and provide guidance.
6. Encourage learners to play with the spoken language through the use of vari-
ous games, applications, and virtual environments.

Although much of the software is free or available for a small fee, it is important
for teachers to pay attention to copyright issues by checking online for downloads
and accessing software directly from the providers. Software licenses and terms of
6 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills

use for all AVM and digital software should be checked. In addition, if teachers are
using homemade videos featuring students or other English learners, it is impor-
tant to remember that students’ rights and safety issues need to be addressed.

SEE ALSO: Teaching Pronunciation in Integrated Skills Classes; Use of

Technology in Teaching Pronunciation Skills; Using Authentic Materials in
Teaching Speaking

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8 Use of Technology in Teaching Speaking Skills

Suggested Readings

Cooper, P., & Morreale, S. (2003). Creating competent communicators: Activities for teaching
speaking, listening, and media literacy in K-6 classrooms. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway
Publications.
McLoughlin, L., Biscio, M., & Ní Mhainnín, M. A. (Eds.). (2011). New trends in translation
studies, Vol. 9. Oxford, England: Peter Lang.