Promoting Changes in the Process of Acquiring the English Phonological Component

The purpose of this paper is to present the results obtained from a blended-learning pedagogic experience in the English Phonetics and Phonology classes, at Facultad de Filosofía Humanidades y Artes, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Argentina. In this experience, interests related to the teaching at higher level education and the use of technological resources merge together. Two issues will be addressed: a) the use of the e-mail and the implementation of a social networking site, Facebook, both of them used for academic purposes; and b) the results of a survey which was administered to students so as to appraise their opinions about the usefulness of these assets. As university teachers, we are sensitive to the changes that our society is experiencing regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs). The incorporation of technological resources of the Web 2.0 to curricular units, somehow generates disruptions to traditional learning environments and opens up a range of possibilities which make it easier for students to build and process knowledge in different ways. The theoretical framework underlying this experience comes from the field of applied linguistics, particularly in the area concerning the acquisition of the phonological component of English as a foreign language. The methodology dimension of this didactic-technological proposal is based on the parameters of blended learning, which gives room for the application of technological tools which complement face-to-face learning. In this approach,synchronous learning (face-to-face) is complemented and enhanced by asynchronous learning through the use of computer technology. Both perspectives seem to be complementary in that they can promote educational change, facilitate the learning process, stimulate the students´ motivation and, eventually, help them become more cognitively and metacognitively autonomous.