THE "LINKO V 8.3" SOFTWARE WAS PRESENTED
On December 29, at the initiative of the rector of the university, Professor Elkhan Huseynov and organization of the Department of Foreign Languages, there was held a presentation of software "Linko V 8.3" for Linguaphone rooms.
The presentation was attended by the rector of the university, Professor Elkhan Huseynov, pro-rectors, deans, professors and teachers of the Department of Foreign Languages.
In the presentation, rector Professor Elkhan Huseynov spoke about effective reforms implemented as a result of President Ilham Aliyev's successful policy, as well as public care for the development of science and education. He noted: “At the end of 2018, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the approval of the "State Program for Increasing the International Competitiveness of Higher Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019-2023". The purpose of these documents is to increase the international competitiveness of the Azerbaijani higher education system. Comprehensive development of human capital becomes a necessity during the growing period of the economy and non-oil sector of our republic. In this regard, education development and increased international competitiveness are among the priorities of our education system development strategy. Modernization of the higher education system and the use of digital technologies also meet the requirements of the global labor market. In this direction, education in our university has been modernizing from year to year. Classes are held with the most up-to-date programs”.
Speaking at the event, Professor Nigar Isgandarova, head of Foreign Languages Department, gave general information about the “Linko V 8.3” program. She said that this program is one of the important steps towards modernizing teaching of foreign languages. Professor Nigar Isgandarova also said that since 2014 new specialties have been announced for admission to Sumgayit State University like Foreign Language Teaching (English). More than 50 specialists have graduated and two Linguaphone cabinets have been handed over to students since that year. This is really a very important learning opportunity for foreign language teaching at our university. Professor also noted that these cabinets, created at the initiative of rector Elkhan Huseynov, are one of the factors that distinguishes Sumgayit State University from others.
Then the floor for the presentation of the program was given to Aynura Khanlarova and Lamiya Heydarova, teachers of the Department of Foreign Languages. Both teachers emphasized the importance of the “Linko V 8.3” in the development of science and technology, and said it was invaluable in learning a foreign language. They noted that the software allows grouping students in the classroom, organizing questionnaires, evaluating questions, preparing tests, exams, and discussing the topic. During the presentation of software "Linko V 8.3" for Linguaphone rooms, the mechanism of operation of "Linko V 8.3" was explained in detail. Thus, at least one student's computer must be connected to a teacher's computer within a single network to enable program functions. The teacher’s Control Panel is very functional. Functions include: 1. Screen broadcasting; 2. Student screen display; 3. On-line video; 4. Camera 5. Digital recorder; 6. Remote control of the learner's computer; 7. Organization of work with groups; 8. Conversation on the subject; 9. Examination; 10. Inquiry; 11. Quiz; 12. Sending files; 13. Collection of files. These features allow the instructor to organize the lesson in groups or individually. There is also an active panel called "floating panel" on the student's computer. Using this panel, the student will be able to ask the teacher questions about the subject, raise hands, read the document send by the teacher and send the exercises to the teacher at the same time. Another interesting and useful feature of the program is the ability to create an electronic textbook. A teacher can create an e-lesson on the topic beforehand so that the teacher can prepare his/her own video / audio record and save time. This feature opens up new opportunities for distance learning in the future. One of the main functions of the program is to record video lessons. This means that the teacher can record audio and video of the course and then send this file to the student's computer. In this way, students can revisit the new theme at home. The “Linko V 8.3” program allows the teacher to manage not only the classroom, but also the lessons of another group connected to a single network. The program is also very useful in terms of the psychological factor, because a student who has difficulty communicating, with this program can communicate with the teacher individually. The program can also facilitate inclusive students. The function of the group work includes screening the leader of a group leader on other members of the group, selecting a group leader, displaying multimedia files to other group members, sending camera pictures from one student to another, and switching group members' computers to silent mode. The teacher may use the "exam" function. With this feature, the teacher can prepare test questions such as "open question", "multiple choice question", "true-false", "fill in gaps". The main feature of the function is that the teacher can conduct statistics so that he/she can identify the topic that students are difficult to master by looking at the proportion of correct and incorrect answers given on each question.
The presentation of the “Linko V 8.3” program was of great interest and the participants of the event addressed the speakers with numerous questions. During the discussion it became clear that the use of this Program may be also appropriate for teaching other subjects.
At the end of the presentation, the rector Professor Elkhan Huseynov highly appreciated the presentation of the program and the hard work of the teachers, especially Professor Nigar Isgandarova, and wished them success.
Translation: Linguistic Center