On New Technologies in Language Learning

【Abstract】How can we make good use of such modern means of education as computers， multimedia， Internet for English learning？ The paper will try to answer the questions based on analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of modern means used in English learning.

【Key Words】English modern means teaching methods

new technologies are more and more used in English learning？ Does it make learning more accessible？ Does it promote improved learning？ Do technologies truly "work”？ School and higher education administrators， governments， and the public are demanding answers to these questions. The use of the modern means is inevitable， and it is worth paying more attention to those questions.

Ⅰ Advantages：Access to learning

Each of us probably has a different interpretation of what “access to learning” means， although most will agree that it means making education more attainable by more people； that is， providing educational opportunities in the workplace， community， or home， for those unable to attend school or college because of cultural， economic， or social barriers. Dedicated distance learning institutions and traditional colleges and universities have for some time provided opportunities to students unable to get to the campus. Until recently， they relied mainly on correspondence， traditional printed instructional materials， and perhaps audio and videocassettes or television. That is starting to change now as educators devise new ways to capitalize on Web-based technology. An inviting， graphical screen layout， interactive multimedia learning materials， simplified access to and searching of new resources around the world， and open technical standards that allow any modern computer to access the Web are some of the advantages institutions see in the Web to make learning more accessible. Some examples follow of how the Web is being used today to provide increased access to education.

Britain’s Open University is a prime example of a dedicated distance education institution that uses the Web to support its mission of providing accessible education. The institution normally requires students to spend some time on campus in residence； however， there are always some students who cannot fulfill this requirement. In the summer of 1994， it experimented with an advanced psychology course aimed at such students， using the Web and other Internet tools. Students reportedly relished the opportunity to be able to continue their studies without interfering with family commitments； instructors found the experience exhausting yet exhilarating； and the project evaluator wrote that the level of contact and interaction among students and instructors was very similar to regular summer classes. The following year the Open University offered two computer science courses to students throughout the world via the Web. It intends to continue to expand its list of offerings， and even has a Web form on-line， which students can complete to suggest courses they would like to see offered over the Internet.

Ⅱ Disadvantages

What then are the potential disadvantages of using new technologies for English learning？ We focus on two aspects： investment of money， investment of time.

1.nvestment of money

“Uses of new technologies in the long run tend to result in higher productivity， at least in the economic sphere” （Crystal 160）. Productivity in education is certainly harder to measure， but it is not unreasonable to assume that over time new technologies will help create more effective education （bearing in mind the earlier point that the goals and nature of education are changing in the information age， thus making direct comparisons difficult）. In any case， whatever results may be achieved over the long term， there are definite startup expenses related to implementing new technologies in education. For college language learning programs， such expenses usually entail hardware， software， staffing， and training for at least one networked computer laboratory where students can drop in and use assigned software and one or more networked computer laboratories where teachers can bring whole classes on an occasional or regular basis. Intelligent use of new technologies usually involves allocations of about one-third for hardware， one-third for software， and one third for staff support and training. It is often the case in poorly-funded language programs that the hardware itself comes in via a one-time grant （or through hand-me-downs from science departments）， with little funding left over for staff training， maintenance， or software.

2.Investment of time

Time demands are caused not only from learning how to master the technology， but also from the changing dynamics of the online classroom. As indicated earlier， new technologies create excellent opportunities for long-distance exchanges， but such exchanges can be extremely complicated in terms of coordinating goals， schedules， and plans， especially when involving teachers from different countries or educational systems. Also， another benefit of electronic communication， that it provides opportunities for student-initiated communication， can also create a time burden， as a teacher's e-mail box becomes flooded with messages from previously-reticent students.

Works Cited

[1]Warschauer， Mark. and Carla， Meskill. Technology and Second Language Teaching. Beijing： Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2002

[2]许恩美.新英语教学法吉林.吉林科学技术出版社，2002