Abstract.Introducing the network into the English language teaching is the inexorable trend of the development of the English language teaching. This paper is to explore the application of network technology into the English language teaching. The author points out that the network English teaching will surely motivate the learners’ interest, create a better English communicative environment for students, improve the efficiency of class teaching and improve the teaching mode in the English language teaching. However, as a new teaching mode, the network English teaching also has some disadvantages, such as financial barriers, students’ difficulty in adapting to this new teaching mode, and some English teachers’ vexation and so on. In order to apply this new teaching mode to serve the English language teaching more effectively, we should make good use of the advantages and avoid the disadvantages to achieve a better teaching effect.
Key words: network technology；English language teaching；advantages and disadvantages
1.Introduction
With the development of multimedia and network technology, great changes have taken place in the field of education. Such inundated speed of development requires schools or teachers to reconsider the teaching methods from all sides. That is to say, the traditional teaching mode can not adapt itself to the 21st century teaching any more. So the multimedia and network technology have been applied into the English language teaching and learning gradually and play an important role in the English language teaching and learning. In recent years, the application of multimedia and network technology into the English language teaching and learning also becomes an important means in the reform of teaching methods step by step. It’s being used increasingly to enrich the teaching contents, raise the teaching efficiency and promote the renovation of educational concepts. However, in practice, it is also believed that it has its own limitations. Thus the study and discussion of the network English teaching is necessary and practical. Then this paper makes a primary research on the advantages and disadvantages of employing the multimedia and network technology in the English language teaching through practical investigations and explores a number of problems that teachers should pay attention to when they use the multimedia network technology in the English language teaching.
2.Network English Teaching Exploration
Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is the new trend in the development of the English language teaching. CALL lays emphasis on guiding students learning language by means of computers. It is a rapidly evolving academic field that explores the role of information and communication technology in language learning and teaching. It also has more than 30 years’ history. This stage of CALL makes good use of multimedia technology and network technology and then seeks both to integrate the four skills of language learning and teaching.
It is a new educational mode that the multimedia network has been applicated into the English language teaching and learning. It has a deep effect on the English language teaching and learning. On the other hand, the application of multimedia network technology provides an effective teaching media in the teaching process, enriches the teaching methods, expands the teaching scale, improves the teaching effect and advances the teaching modernization. From the aspect of the teaching system, the application of multimedia network technology in the English language teaching makes a series of changes in the teaching content, teaching method, teaching structure and even causes the basic changes in the teaching thought, teaching principle and teaching policy .
3.Investigation of Network English Teaching
In the first investigation for students, there are twelve questions with multiple choices. I choose the English majors who are studying in Hunan University of Technology as the subject. They are from different classes and different Grades. In the second investigation for teachers, there are ten questions, eight of which are questions with multiple choices and two of which are open questions for free answers. Teachers involved are all from the English department of the Hunan University of Technology, their teaching ages vary from one year to more than twenty years. Maybe the investigations are limited to the member and space, this data still could say something about the application of the multimedia network technology in the English language teaching.
From these two investigations, the author finds that:
First, according to the investigation for students, the author finds that 76% of the students like the network English teaching better compared with the traditional teaching mode. They want to search information, to chat, to study on the Internet. And when they need to search the information whether about life or about learning, 66% of them firstly think out the method of surfing the net, they take a positive attitude for the network English teaching and learning.
Second, for teachers. The application of multimedia network technology in the English language teaching has developed for several years, most of the teachers also own their computers and can surf the Internet freely, but 20% of the teachers need other people’s cooperation when they make courseware. Maybe some people consider that there are many kinds of courseware in the market, the teachers can choose them. While, in fact half of the teachers think the courseware that sold in the market can not fit their lessons. However, most of the teachers have a positive attitude about multimedia network teaching. They think such a new teaching mode has certain inestimable advantages in the language teaching compared with the traditional ways of training students’ skills in class.
From all the above, the author could say the network English teaching is a double-side sword. The consideration of advantages as well as disadvantages of applying multimedia network technology in the English language teaching is practical and helpful for the English language teaching, which is also what the author tries to focus on in this thesis.
4.Advantages and Disadvantages of Network English Teaching
A number of applications of network technology have been utilized in the English language teaching such as multimedia, email, World Wide Web, chat, electronic journals, databases and so on. The author will investigate both advantages and disadvantages of incorporating such technology in the English language teaching.
4.1.The advantages of network English teaching
Through the discussion of the application of multimedia network technology in the English language teaching and research of the practical investigations about the multimedia network teaching, the advantages of network English teaching are revealed.
4.1.1Creating a better English communicative environment for students
With the application of the Internet and the WWW, students can attend the foreign language classes from the network at home. They don’t need to go to the country where the mother tongue is English. Such communicative environment is much closer to students and also helpful for students to learn English.First, teachers can use multimedia software that provides authentic situations where authentic English is spoken to give the students a lot of practice. It can not only bring the real life and real English close to the students but also make the learning process more enjoyable. Second, the communication that based on the computer gives the learners an opportunity to interact with others without interruptions, time pressure or social anxiety. And the network English teaching also takes each student as a unit which is especially suitable for the unconfident students who are always too shy to speak in public. For instance, chatting room in network English teaching system can offer a good language environment for students to have speaking and listening practice lessons. In this way, students may practice their communicative ability without being affected by some subjective factors. What’s more, the web also has created the capability of distance teaching and learning, which does not refer to the students’ afford to study abroad and explore the language cultures.
4.1.2 Improving the efficiency of class teaching
Excellent and effective teaching efficiency means “high consistency” and “fast rhythm”. High consistency is considered as “the capacity of language practice is large and extensive”, while “fast rhythm” drives at “the fast teaching pace, flexible and practical conversion and compact teaching steps” . So, in the limited class, the teachers can design more activities to practice. At the same time, multimedia network is a rich treasure-house of educational resources whether the teachers or students can find whatever information they need for the English language teaching and learning. That is to say, they can conveniently share whatever useful material through the Internet. There are also many software programs to accompany the course-book. To sum up, the network English teaching can make the lessons more effective and efficient.
4.1.3 Improving the teaching mode
With the development of education and the multimedia network technology, the educational system has been changed from the teacher-centered method of teaching into the student-centered learning mode gradually. It modifies the role between teachers and students in the teaching process. In the traditional teaching mode, teacher controls the teaching process and communicates with students through lectures in the classroom environment to fulfill the test-passing quality. In such a process, the students are passive and obedient recipients of information, they take little part in the learning process. But now, the network English teaching creates a student-centered learning environment which has students develop critical thinking skills, experiential learning and the ability of problem-solving, team skills and interdisciplinary knowledge, with technology being integrated to their learning. It is a teaching mode where the students are active participants in the learning process. In order to identify teaching aims, teaching difficulties and emphasis teachers also should design their teaching based on students’ ability of apprehending materials, distinguishing words, comprehending passages and training language communication.
4.2.The disadvantages of network English teaching
The multimedia network technology has changed the traditional teaching mode and the students’ traditional innate mode of thinking and habit of learning. It also has brought forth an unprecedented vitality for the English language teaching reform. It can be an educational tool, but it is not a panacea for the problems of tertiary education. At present, it has its own disadvantages. So this part will discuss the shortcomings or obstacles related to the issue of using multimedia network technology in the English language teaching from several points.
4.2.1 Financial barriers
When we want to make the issue that having the network English teaching successfully come true, we should ensure that students have computers and internet access. Using this advanced technology in teaching will need a lot of money to support. According to the current situation of the economy in China, it is impossible to make it common from city to the rural area. Furthermore, the financial barriers also include the investment in training. Using the advanced technology in the English language teaching requires teachers and students to know the technological knowledge and computer skills. At present, some teachers don’t use the technology in teaching well so that they are reluctant to have lessons with this, because they will be at a loss if the computers have any problems, even make the lesson turn out contrary to the teacher’s expectation. The students who do not understand how to master such new technology also require the school to train themselves. It may be also beyond the current capacity for schools in the English language teaching.
4.2.2 Students’ difficulty in adapting to this new teaching mode
According to a report (Wu Minghua, 2003) on the research of the multimedia English language teaching, what is covered in a 45-minute period via multimedia would take 60 to 65 minutes in a conventional classroom. The computer screen changes very quickly and nothing stays there, so some students may find it is difficult to follow the teacher, they also don’t have much time to copy the important points as in the traditional class. Even though they get some notes, they still do not understand them normally because they just pay attention to the words on the screen and try to follow the ever-changing screens.
Sometimes, students’ attention may also change into elsewhere if the courseware is designed too aesthetically. As we know, the courseware may integrate the sound, pictures, animations and others in a whole so as to bring people some artistic taste. Students may be too absorbed in the beautiful scenery on the screen or the pleasant music from the loudspeakers to keep concentrated on learning, and then they may discuss others in a disorder conversation. The teaching quality may go down.
4.2.3 Some English teachers’ vexation
Through our practical multimedia network class, it is not difficult to find that network English teaching may be an vexation for some English teachers (Kearsley, 2000). At present, the use of multimedia is very common, but some teachers just only have a superficial knowledge about it. When they have lessons, they will run to ask for help from the technical personnel once they touch a wrong key. If no one can give a hand, the class will disrupt even stop. So the teachers who give the network English teaching should not only prepare the lessons by making courseware with a good knowledge of operating computers but also give guidance to students in operation of computers. It is an immense challenge for the English teachers.
So the teachers who can not manipulate the computer efficiently are anxious when they have the multimedia network lessons. Even though the teachers have much experience in this aspect, they still feel annoyed when they design their own courseware. They should spend a lot of time in searching materials, decorating the contents or others.
5.Conclusion
As an information carrier, multimedia and network technology in the English language teaching is more and more concerned by the teachers and students. It can make the learners gain the most ideal effect in the shortest time according to the study requirements to succeed in the English language teaching and learning. The network English teaching mode is employed to exert the learners’ initiative and creativity and lead the learners to carry on some good exercise on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Therefore, the learners can not only gain some basic knowledge, but also cultivate the ability of thinking and expressing in class, which is the real purpose of using the Multimedia and Network technology in the English language teaching. But in the history of foreign language teaching, each emergence of teaching school will not totally abolish the formers’, it will adopt the strong points of others to make up its weak points in order to improve itself. The network English teaching is the same. It will absorb the effective methods of the traditional teaching mode, then combine the multimedia network technology with the English language teaching skills so as to promote the integration of teaching contents, teaching aims, teaching ideology and then to fulfill the transformation from technical modernization to multimedia teaching process modernization. While in the real class, the network English teaching also has its own shortcomings to be improved. Hence, some strategies should be taken into the multimedia network teaching.
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