A Study Of Features Of English Classes Delivered On Networks

With the development of computing technology and telecommunications, the coming Information Age has had an important impact on the field of TESOL. One of the most significant areas of innovation in language education-computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has come of age. Computers have been used for language teaching since the 1960s. It is the rise of computer-mediated communication and the Internet, more than anything else that has reorientated the uses of computers for language learning at the end of the 20th century. With the advent of the Internet, the computer-both in society and in the classroom-has been transformed from a tool for information processing and display to a tool for information processing and communication. The networked computer, like the other new technologies, does not itself bring about improvements in language learning. We must therefore look to particular practices of use in particular contexts.In this thesis, through the presentation of TEFL in a network-integrated classroom, specific questions explored include the following: How the use of networked multimedia computers enhances English learning in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)? How do the instructors control and manage the teaching process by using multimedia network-based computers in EFL classroom? What are difficulties in using multimedia network-based computers in EFL classroom? What are issues that arise in the use of multimedia networked computers in EFL classroom? This thesis approaches such questions through the exploration of therelationship between theory and practice. Specifically, these questions are explored incorporated with constructivism theory (Piaget, Vygotsky), Bruner's discovery learning theory, also cooperative/collaborative learning in conjunction with a research design which focuses on the exploration of network-integrated classroom teachingmodel.Pedagogically speaking, there are some potential problems to consider before one starts using the networked classroom. Using networked classrooms is usually a more complicated process and often requires more technical support and teacher training. The cost of software and hardware is usually high and can add burden to either the department or the students. Investment of a large amount of time and money seems unavoidable.