International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 3, Issue 10, October-2012 1 ISSN 2229-5518 IJSER © 2012 http://www.ijser.org ICT as a Collaborative Medium for English in High School (IRAN- 2010) Morteza Khodabandehlou, Shahrokh Jahandar, Gohar Seyedi *, Reza Mousavi Dolat Abadi Abstract- Is technology (ICT) a collaborative medium for English language learning? This paper attempts to ameliorate the pedagogical status of ICT as integrated to English language teaching and learning and shed light upon its position in language pedagogy by arguing that we have the software, we have the hardware, but we lack the human ware in that many schools now have computers that are being used ineffectively or run the programs that do not actually require pupils to learn effectively. To this purpose, a project is examined in two phases and the results showed quite clearly that there is a link between high computer use and high achievement or value added scores in English language learning. And it is suggested that a real catching up process can only be achieved through acquiring the teachers' ICT skills, subject knowledge, planning activities, confidence, focusing on learning and effective explanation. Key words- Information Communications Technology (ICT), Collaborative Learning, Computer-Meditated Instruction, Grammar Instruction ——————————  —————————— lthough 'Computer revolution' may seem like a relatively recent phenomenon, computers have been around for a long time. The building of the first programmable computing device, Charles Babbag's difference engine, began in 1823. However, it was not until the late 1970s, when several makes of small computers (microcomputers) were coming onto the domestic market, that the enormous potential of computers began to be appreciated. The 1980s also saw the introduction of the term information technology (IT) into the educational settings. Although IT itself is a broad term, covering all aspects of transmitting or manipulating information using some form of technology, its use in the school context tend to be limited to activities involving the use of computer in lessons. In the 1990s, information technology evolved into information and communications technology (ICT) which reflected the educational policy to the increasing importance of schools’ connection to the internet and e-mail as communication technology. The role of computer in education has gradually been transformed from that of tutor to that of tool. This is certainly the case in the field of second or foreign language teaching in which ICT now has implications not just for the methods used for teaching and learning English but also for the ways in which that learning may be implemented by the teacher to complement their other resources and aid in the communication of concepts and practices to the pupils. Computer supported learning environments are those in which computers are used to either maintain a learning environment or used to support the student learner in the Vygotskian sense (DeCorte,1990) that Glickman (1991) argues have been ignored or failed to be implemented widely in the past. Additionally, with much of the information on the Internet appearing in English, the web offers an abundance of English language teaching resources. Also, the information available on the Internet is frequently updated and current; making students aware of global issues and concerns (Frizler 1995, p.72). THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In the current atmosphere of state school's English policies in IRAN, the pedagogical role of ICT as an aid in the communication of concepts and practices in English language teaching is underestimated in that too many schools now have computers that are being used ineffectively, either by running programs that do not actually require pupils to learn effectively or by not using them at all and this is in case that English language is taught in schools as a component of national curriculum for the purpose of equipping pupils with the foundations of Trinidad and Clarkson (2002) declared that during the 1980s, computers became more affordable to schools, permitting a rapid decrease in student-to- computer ratios. While tutorial software continued to be developed (Chambers & Sprecher, 1984), a range of other educational software was developed that was not based on the premise of teacher replacement, for example, simulation software, modeling, and tool software. However, the major argument used to support the introduction of greater amounts of computer hardware into schools concerned the perceived need to increase the level of computer A ————————————————  Assistant Professor of state research institute of higher education in Rodaki. Tonekabon, Iran. Dr. Morteza.Khodabandehlou@Gmail.com  Assistant Professor of state research institute of higher education in Rodaki. Tonekabon, Iran. ShahrokhJahandar@gmail.com.  *Correspondent Author. Department of Foreign Language, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. Seyedig@yahoo.com  An MA student in TEFL. Mazandaran Science and Research Branch. Rm14aaa41@Gmail.com