Advantages and

Disadvantages
of Information
and Communication
Technologies
in English
Language Teaching
By Sofía Gómez
The impact of the use of Information
and Communication Technologies
(ICT) on the way English is taught
has brought not only advantages
to it, but also, some
disadvantages concerning to:
1. Availability of
technologies to be used

2. Reliability of
materials

3. Employment
1. Availability of
technologies
to be used
•Teachers and students
of English can have
access to the most up to
date sources and
information rapidly
and cheaply (Holy Family).
• Information can be
found either on the internet or
by using specialized software.

• Many focused exercises

can be found on the net
completely for free and
software can be bought
via internet or in any store.
• The mandatory implementation
of at least a computer would
be an impediment rather than
a tool.
• Lesson planning using
ICP is more time
consuming than following
an already planned
class (Holy Family).
2. Reliability
of materials
•Given that there are many
sources from which a class can
be taught, the teacher can select
the ones that fit better to the
students’ needs according to
their
age, level, and abilities.
• Many ELT resources on the
Internet can be found.
Such us discussion groups,
interactive book reading,
sound recording, games,
talking books,
chat lines among others.
• Not everything that is on
the Internet can be seen
as useful or reliable given
that everybody can
upload whatever in it.
3. Employment
•The use of ICT in English language
teaching provides society
with more jobs in areas such us:
Web designing
C
Systems analyzing o
m
Hardware and software developing
p
•Teachers with no training on
this technology have no access
to ELT using Information and
Communication Technologies,
given that they don’t know how
to teach classes.
• Not every teacher is capable
to update his/her knowledge
on ICT when teaching
English. That is because:
-It is not possible for some
teachers to update their
knowledge on technologies
that they are not capable to use.
-The updating of
knowledge becomes nearly
impossible in cases in
which there is no sponsor
or money to pay for
training courses on ICT.
 Works Cited Page
Holy Family N.S. ICT Draft Policy.
Holy Family N.S., Rathcoole, Co. Dublin.
03 June 2008 <http://homepage.eircom.net/
~holyfam/School-ICT.htm>.

“ICT and Teacher Training.” Teachernet.gov.uk.

7 April 2004. Department for Children,
Schools and Families. 03 June 2008
<http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/manag
ement/
atoz/i/ictandteachertraining/>.
“Information and Communication
Technologies.” Education.tas.gov.au. 11
Sep. 2007. Department of Education,
Tasmania, School Education Division.
03 June 2008
<http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/englis
h/technology.htm>.

“Some advantages and disadvantages of

information technology.”
Smallbusinessbible.org. Small Business Bible.
03 June 2008
<http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/advan
_disadvan_informationtechnology.html>.