Technology-Based Constructive Language Learning Environment

The aim of this paper is to come to a conclusion that the use of new technologies - computers and Internet - in the classroom can help create a constructive language learning environment, and thus can add new dimensions to the language learning situation in the light of constructivist learning theory.Constructivist learning theory has emerged as one of the greatest influences on the practice of education in the last twenty-five years. Though the meaning of constructivism is so rich and varies according to one's perspective and position, its core meaning can be generalized as: the learners actively construct their own knowledge and meaning from experience. Not like the traditional education which transfers knowledge from the mind of teachers to the notes of students, constructivism emphasizes learner-centered, the active exploring, discovering, and constructing of knowledge by learners. The ideal constructive learning environment should include situation, co-operation, exchange, and meaning construction. Learners' knowledge should be acquired under a certain situation, by dint of the co-operation, exchange, and information utilization with others.The increasing number of computers and ready access to the Internet at schools and homes make it possible to use computers and Internet to facilitate foreign language teaching and learning. A complementary relationship exists between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each benefit the other. In this paper, a number of different online technologies and resources are presented to show how they have been used to help create a constructivist language learning environment.Finally, this paper attempt to analyze the potential problems and difficulties on the realization of this technology-based constructivist language learning environment.