Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes

Rapid developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) in recent years have inevitably affected the nature of learning and teaching processes in general. As a result of this, teachers have been constantly seeking innovative and alternative ways of teaching in all educational settings as well as in the domain of foreign language learning and teaching. However, there still exist teachers who do not feel pedagogically and technically competent enough to integrate ICT in their teaching. There is no doubt that it is of great importance to decide how and when to use technology in pedagogically principled ways. The book Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes is for readers and educators who seek pedagogically appropriate ways of integrating technology in the practice of English for specific purposes (ESP), English for academic purposes (EAP), and English for occupational purposes (EOP).


Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes
Reviewed by Emrah Ekmekçi Ondokuz Mayıs University, Turkey _______________________________________________________________ emrah.ekmekci@omu.edu.trRapid developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) in recent years have inevitably affected the nature of learning and teaching processes in general.As a result of this, teachers have been constantly seeking innovative and alternative ways of teaching in all educational settings as well as in the domain of foreign language learning and teaching.However, there still exist teachers who do not feel pedagogically and technically competent enough to integrate ICT in their teaching.There is no doubt that it is of great importance to decide how and when to use technology in pedagogically principled ways.The book Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes is for readers and educators who seek pedagogically appropriate ways of integrating technology in the practice of English for specific purposes (ESP), English for academic purposes (EAP), and English for occupational purposes (EOP).

Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes
The book consists of three parts and eleven chapters.Each part focuses on different aspects of technology integration in ESP, EAP, and EOP contexts respectively.Part I is comprised of three chapters.Chapter 1 reviews literature related to computer-assisted language learning and ESP.
The author also presents some tools about corpora, wiki, computer-mediated communication and web-based materials.The chapter emphasizes five principles for technology integration in ESP as well.The tables presenting teachers' pedagogical beliefs and technology use can help readers understand the relationships between the two better (see.p. 16).Chapter 2 focuses on some basic educational technologies which are commonly used in language classrooms.Some samples are also presented about technology integration in university settings in the USA, Denmark, and Spain.Chapter 3 in this part deals with the importance of blended learning in ESP education.The chapter also emphasizes online social interaction and criticizes massive open online courses (MOOCs) as not being the solution for ESP educators.
Part II consists of four chapters which are related to EAP.Chapter 1 in this part discusses the importance of the Internet resources that can be used to foster writing in an EAP context.To this end, the authors introduce a Blackboard platform on which teachers and students can share opinions and provide feedback during process writing tasks (see p. 74 for a sample feedback screen).Chapter 2 presents undergraduate students' attitudes toward online management platforms discussing pedagogical consequences.The author of this chapter remarks that online management platforms can provide small group interaction, communication and the online distribution of information.Chapter 3 suggests an extensive listening programme for improving EAP students' listening skills.Podcasts, audio books, online exercises, mp3 and etc. are the main tools on which the chapter focuses.Chapter 4 discusses the effectiveness of Second Life which is one of the simulated 3D learning environments.The author explains how Second Life can help learning English through various samples from the digital environment.
Part III is comprised of four chapters, each dealing with different technology-enhanced practices in EOP contexts.Chapter 1 presents ways of how to adapt free online dictionaries in Spanish learning and teaching environments.The chapter also discusses the criteria for evaluating dictionaries for ESP students (see pp. [135][136].Chapter 2 provides some guidelines to improve the writing or translating competence of scientific texts, such as the use of parallel texts and the comparison of characteristics of those texts in English and Spanish.Chapter 3 analyses the advantages of a blended course and provides some solutions for technological problems regarding the resources and makes suggestions to help students in EOP contexts.Chapter 4 describes how to prepare and carry out an online translation course.The chapter also highlights effective use of virtual platforms and present some technology-based translation activities.
The book is really helpful for both ELT researchers and practitioners who deal with ESP and suggests ways of how to support teaching and learning processes with appropriate technology.Almost all of the issues touched on in the chapters of the book are based on sound and up-todate research findings.The emphasis of all three domains; ESP, EAP, and EOP, and the samples of technology integration make the book more valuable for educators, researchers, and teachers of English.Overall, the book, with its holistic solutions for overcoming some technological barriers and challenges in the foreign language teaching field, can be a good source for both students and educators who are eager to integrate technology into language learning processes.