Technology Integration in English Teaching to Undergraduate Students in India

Abstract

In a world increasingly interconnected by digital means, the role of English as a lingua franca is undeniable, especially in a diverse country like India. This paper explores the intricate relationship between English Language Teaching (ELT) and technology integration in the Indian educational landscape. By examining historical trends and current challenges, this study underscores the transformative potential of technology in enhancing ELT. Nearly every facet of life today has been affected by technology and education is no exception to its effects. Technology has changed learning fundamentally in several ways. To begin with, it has substantially widened access to education. When printing had not yet been invented, books were rare and only a handful of elites had access to education. Even worse, in order to get an education, learners had to travel to centers of learning which were often hundreds of miles away. History is full of examples of great centers of learning, such as Florence, Constantinople, and Nalanda, among others, where students gathered from far off countries, even continents. Overcoming the physical constraints alone was a herculean task and it is widely believed that technology has simply eradicated this barrier altogether. For a developing country such as India, which is still in the process of overcoming the social inequalities of caste, class, gender, and ethnicity, technology has poised itself as the great equalizer. It has laid the foundations of equality, if not equity, like never before.