How to Achieve Effective English Learning in Net Age.doc

网络时代如何达到有效的英语学习how to achieve effective english learning in net agecontentsabstract .1key words.1i. introduction.1ii. the benefits of internet and foreign language education.22.1 technology and foreign language education: a brief history.22.2 what is the internet? .32.3 the internet as a teaching and learning tool .3iii. the effects of multimedia on language learning .5iv. how to make full use of internet to assist english learning 64.1 internet and language learning .64.2 e-mail as instructional or learning tool.64.3 video& foreign language learning.84.4 movies and english learning.8v. computer-assisted language learning (call) .95.1 why use call? .95.2 what can we do with call? .105.2.1 vocabulary development 115.2.2 reading 12vi. using powerpoint for esl teaching .13vii. conclusion 14references .15摘 要： 21世纪是网络教育的时代。网络为人们提供了语言和知识资源，信息又是人们获取知识的主要来源。事实上，新的信息和通讯技术已成为现代社会的基础，网络与教学的结合是必然的发展趋势。多媒体计算机和万维网已经使计算机成为娱乐、信息、通信和教育的来源。而且，在最近的几年期间，因特网已作为一种显著的新技术出现，而“网络”被这新的技术的影响所激发。 因为对因特网的使用在无数的领域是普遍的，毫无疑问，它并且运载巨大潜力至于教育使用, 尤其是第二外语的使用。因特网的潜力是巨大的，因此我们应该充分利用网络来取得有效的英语学习。关键词：网络教育 多媒体计算机 万维网 因特网 计算机辅助语言学习 有效的英语学习abstract: the 21st century is the age of net education. the network provides language and knowledge resources for us. information is also a main source for people to gain knowledge. as a matter of fact, new information and communication technology has become the base of modern society; it is the tendency to combine the network and teaching. multimedia computers and the world wide web (www) have made computers a source of entertainment, information, communication and education. whats more, over the past few years, the internet has emerged as a prominent new technology, and “the net” was sparked by the impact of this new technology. because the use of the internet is widespread in numerous fields, without a doubt, it also carries great potential for educational use, specifically second and foreign language education. the internets educational function is immense, so we should make full use of the network to achieve effective english learning. key words: network education multimedia computers internet call effective english learningi. introductionwith the development of computer technology, computer has been widely used in language learning and teaching. computer assisted language learning (call) gives the learner the control in his own material selection and the pace of progress. it can provide virtual environment for the learner and also allows the instant feedback. learners are actively involved in the process of learning. students sitting in the multimedia language lab can use all kinds of interactive cd-rom or vcd titles including tutorials, exercises, games, encyclopedia, movies and so forth. students can learn the target language from kinds of authentic input including texts, graphics, animation, sound and videos. in particular, learners can explore these extremely rich learning materials. the interactivity of the computer makes the learner gain control over learning and, therefore, becomes an active participant in the language learning process.over the past few years, the internet has emerged as a prominent new technology. the influence of such a powerful technological tool has pervaded all aspects of the education, business, and economic sectors of our world. regardless of ones familiarity with the internet, it is repeatedly made reference to. news broadcasters and commercials, for example, will now provide web addresses, and even the recent movies; “the net” was sparked by the impact of this new technology (mike 1996). regardless of whether one uses the internet or not, one must be clear about the fact that we have entered a new information age and the internet is here to stay. ii. the benefits of internet and foreign language education2.1 technology and foreign language education: a brief historytechnology and foreign language education are no stranger to one another. in the sixties and seventies, language laboratories were being installed in numerous educational settings. the traditional language laboratory was comprised of a series of booths, each providing a cassette deck, and accompanying microphone and headphone. teacher monitored their students interactions by using a central control panel. the basic premise behind this technology was that if verbal behavior was modeled, and then reinforced, students would quickly learn the language in question. the language lab activities were therefore grounded in a stimulus-response behavior pattern. the more drill practice the students encountered, the faster they would learn the second language. while the language laboratory was a positive step in linking technology and language education, it was soon recognized that such activities were both tedious and boring for learners. furthermore, the amount of student-teacher interaction was minimal, and individualized instruction was irrelevant. besides the pedagogical deficiencies, the audio equipment was cumbersome and prone to breakdown, and had only one function to disseminate auditory input. these factors put together led to a shift between the communicative approach and second language education, namely, computer assisted language learning.microcomputers and quality call software provided yet another medium for language learning. its potential as both a teaching and learning tool are widely written about in the educational literature. at present, there are a variety of computer applications available including vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation tutors, spell checkers, electronic workbooks, writing and reading programs, as well as various authoring packages to allow instructors to create their own exercises to supplement existing language courses. computers can provide immediate feedback to students and students can work at an individualized pace. software can be designed to include sound, graphics, video, and animation. 2.2 what is the internet? while the computer is now used in some form or another in most language classrooms, and is considered standard equipment, the internet is also gradually being introduced in the second language classroom as teachers become more familiar with it. the internet is a confederation of thousands of computers from various sectors of society such as education, business, government and the military. it is a network of thousands of computer networks (lewis, 1994). each individual system brings something different to the whole (databases, library services, graphs, maps, electronic journals, etc), and the end result is a vast accumulation of information. it is a worldwide network of computers that interact on a standardized set of protocols that act independently of particular computer operating systems, allowing for a variety of access methods to the internet. 2.3 the internet as a teaching and learning toolin addition to the communication benefits of the internet, the internet can also be used to retrieve and access information. the world wide web is therefore a virtual library at ones fingertips; it is a readily available world of information for the language learner. while the internet offers numerous benefits to the language learner, a few such possibilities are examined here, in the context of language learning. perhaps one of the most essential pedagogical principles of language teaching is one that emphasizes the study of language in a cultural context. many other language instructors discuss that language and culture are inseparable and interdependent; understanding the culture of the target language enhances understanding of the language. to this end, the internet is a valuable resource to both language teachers and learners. as discussed previously, e-mail on the internet allows language learners to communicate with native speakers. in this manner, the internet facilitates the use of the specific language in an authentic setting. the internet can also be used to acquire information from language resources for a variety of purposes. for example, students can access current information from countries around the world. they can obtain geographical, historical, social/cultural, economic, and political information from the countries in which the target language is spoken. students can read web versions of daily newspapers and same-day news reports from sources such as voa, 5151english and so on. such experiences can allow learners to participate in the culture of the target language, which in turn can enable them to further learn how cultural background influences ones view of the world. the internet also serves as a medium for experiencing and presenting creative works. while students can go over the information on the net, they can also use it as a platform for their own work such as essays, poetry, or stories. numerous public schools, for example, are making use of the world wide web for publishing student work that can be accessed by other web users. students therefore become not only consumers of content, but in fact generate the content. as mike (1996) describes, the use of the internet has also been shown to promote higher order thinking skills. a language teacher, for example, may instruct learners to search for specific information. searching the web requires logic skills. once information has been obtained, the results must be reviewed which requires scanning, discarding, and evaluative judgment on part of the learner. the information must be put together to make a complete and coherent whole that entails the synthesis process. such an endeavor permits students to practice reading skills and strategies. the internet also promotes literacy for authentic purposes, as stated previously. in addition to being a supplement to reading materials, especially current information, when students are exploring the net, they are essentially exploring the real world. such browsing or exploration can also lead to incidental learning as they encounter a variety of information in this way. communication with native speakers furthers literacy development for authentic purposes, enables language learners to compare student perspectives on an issue, and allows them to practice specific skills such as negotiating, persuading, clarifying meaning, requesting information, and engaging in true-life, authentic discussion. promotion of literacy also occurs within a social context. the interaction that results from the above situations can lead to cooperative projects and increased communication between students from all over the world, in turn leading to the development of social skills. finally, the use of the internet can promote computer skills and the technical and conceptual experiences of using a computer. lastly, the internet provides supplementary language activities that can provide students with additional practice in specific areas of language learning. these include reading tests and comprehension questions, grammar exercises, pronunciation exercises possible through the available multimedia capabilities, cloze tests, vocabulary exercises, and so forth. students can search the web for such sites, or teachers may recommend specific sites on the web. published lists are also available from various sources. for example, paramskas (1993) offers a list of sites for both language teachers and language learners, some of which relate to issues of language learning, others that use language as a medium for discussion of culture or current affairs, and others that assist in locating native speakers.iii. the effects of multimedia on language learninginvestigations of language learning through the use of multimedia report learning-gains in a variety of knowledge and skill areas. the use of video has been found to develop grammar and listening skills effectively. it has also been found to have added affective and attentional advantages. studies into the effects of subtitles also report gains. the use of subtitles raises the question as to whether learners are reading, listening or doing both either simultaneously or alternatively. if they are just reading then such a provision could be argued to be distracting from any development of the listening skill. the effects of computer feedback also have been shown to be positive. it appears that the use of video, tasks, subtitles and of feedback, when used outside of the multimedia environment, positively enhances comprehension. brett investigated listening performance in a computer-based multimedia environment, comparing learner success rates on comprehension and language recall tasks while using the three different input options of audio, video with pen and article and multimedia. results on the exact same tasks showed more effective comprehension and recall while using multimedia than the other media. the reason proposed were efficiency of delivery with all the media for input and learning tasks in one place, together with the supportive nature of on-going feedback in guiding learners to the correct understandings of the message and into the constant monitoring of the understandings of the message. multimedia as a useful language-learning environment can also provide opportunities for the learners to have interactive negotiations. this multimedia and negotiated interaction of english acquisition can underpin the potential of multimedia and doughty has outlined the link with multimedia. language input is a prerequisite of acquisition. it is comprehensible input that provides the richest source of language for acquisition and it is the process of the negotiation of comprehensibility that facilitates acquisition. researchers such as hutch and long noted that instructional moves such as clarifying, checking, repairing and confirming meanings all developed mutual understanding. it is the use of these strategies, which, as is supposed, facilitates the comprehension of input and therefore acquisition. pica has further suggested that the relationship of negotiation and language acquisition. negotiation during interaction affords access to language forms, and it is this access to form that then in turn leads to comprehension. multimedia may provide an environment rich in opportunities for learners to negotiate their understanding.iv. how to make full use of internet to assist english learning4.1 internet and language learningjosu sierra (1997) says we saw some of the capabilities of the internet in the field of language learning. we took a look at the pedagogical possibilities of e-mail, web sites, chat sessions or video conferencing. we specifically quoted muehleisens reasons (muehleisen, 1997) for using the internet in the language classroom:the use of the computer for language learning is very motivating.the internet puts the language being learned in an international context.projects based on the internet are interactive.it is increasingly easier to use the internet.4.2 e-mail as instructional or learning toolbruce cohen says, “e-mail is the killer application on the net, and will continue to be so because e-mail is the unifying force of the global village. without e-mail, the wired world would untangle and wither.” (1998:6)by using computers, students become better problem solvers and better communicators. over a network, using e-mail and sharing files, students have the chance to collaborate and work together with other classmates, peers, and teachers. networking electronically can help learners create, analyze, and produce information and ideas more easily and efficiently. networking people puts an inspiring, enticing, and usable set of tools within reach of the mass of computer users, empowering them to go beyond simply processing information to repurpose, design, publish, and express (mello, 1996). through this increased electronic access to the world around them, students social awareness and confidence increases. networking frees them from the limitations of traditional writing tools that often inhibit and restrict writing processes. learning is then transformed from a traditional passive-listening exercise to an experience of discovery, exploration, and excitement. students can begin to realize their full potential when they are empowered to contribute and collaborate as a team to accomplish their writing tasks more effectively.using e-mail in a writing class can occur over any kind of network as long as workstations with e-mail software are readily available to the students. this could be in a lab, over a campus network, or across the internet. there are many reasons why using e-mail is advantageous for the student and the teacher in the writing class.first, by using e-mail in the writing class students became familiar with a communication tool that is vital to their survival in the 21st century. what was once considered a fad is new becoming the communication tool of choice of many white-collar workers in industrialized countries? in the world of business, education, politics, and technology, electronic mail is quickly taking the place of voice, paper, and fax communication. employers will require this vital skill for their employees of today and tomorrow.second, a teacher can interact with a student or a group of students working on a project at times that are more convenient to the student, group, and the teacher. the vital interaction and feedback takes place between a teacher and student over a writing task is not limited to the c