Teaching writing using Instant Messaging Software Client.docx
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TeachingwritingusingInstantMessagingSoftwareClient
TeachingwritingusingComputer-MediatedToolsinESLcontext
ApplicationsofInstantMessagingSoftwareClients,emailandblogonteachingofwritingforMalaysiansecondaryschoolstudents
YUANSHIZHAN(G76966)
LIXIAOJIA(G73576),JIAFANGZI(G76934)
BAIJIALE(G76902),HUANGFEILU(G76932)
Abstract
Real-timeTextandComputer-basedCommunicationSystem(InstantMessagingSoftwareclients,Email,andblog)hasbeenwidelyusedaroundtheworld.ThecommoninstantmessagingsoftwareclientsareMSNLiveMessenger,ICQ,TencenQQ.SendingemailandwritingblogarealsothedailyactivitiesforNetizens.Theseinternet-basedtoolscouldnotonlyenablepeopletocommunicatewitheachotherfreely,butalsohavewideapplicationsinlanguageteachingandlearning.ThisarticlewilldiscusshowteachersandstudentsusethemtofacilitateteachingandlearningEnglishwritinginanESLcontextinMalaysiansecondaryschool,thefindingisbasedonsurvey.ThisarticlewillalsoputforwardsomenewmodelsofteachingandlearningEnglish-writingbyusing“Text-basedNetworkedCommunicationSystem”basedtechnology.
Keywords:
Real-timeComputer-basedcommunicationsystem,enhancecommunication,applicationinteachingandlearning,ESLcontext,Malaysiasecondaryschool,newmodelsofEnglishteachingandlearning
1Introduction
ComputermediatedtoolssuchasInstantMessagingsoftware(onlinechatting),online-forum,blog,andaudio-visualconferencehavewidelyusedinourdailylifeandtheyaregoodwaysofcommunication.Accordingto“InternetWorldStat”,(ChanFoongMae2002).InMalaysiathereare16.9millionsofinternetusersin2009whichaccountsfor64.6%ofitstotalpopulation(26.1millions).InternethasbecomethemainresourcesforMalaysiantoacquireusefulinformationandimportanttoolsofsocialcommunication.TheapplicationofICTcouldnotonlyenablestudentsandteacherstogetaccesstoallkindsoflearningandteachingmaterialandrevolutionizethewaysofteachingandlearning,butalsohelpsMalaysiansecondaryschoolsmoveawayfrommemory-based,teacher-centeredlearningandteachingtoanewmodelofeducationthatisstudents-centeredandfocusoncreativity,thinking,andcaring,caterstoindividualdifferencesandlearningstyles.
InstantMessagingsoftware,blog,andemailareimportantapplicationsofICT,theyareintriguing,convenient,andfashionablesoalotyoungpeopleespeciallysecondaryschoolstudentsextremelylovetousethem.Accordingtoourinvestigation,alloftheschoolstudentsin2differentsecondaryschoolsin4classesoftenwriteblog,email,andchatonline.So,asEnglishteachersintheInformationAge,theymustusethelatestinternettechnologytofacilitateteachingandstudents’learningtoadapttothechangesofthetimeandmeetdifferentrequirementsofstudents.
ThispaperwillillustratehowsecondaryschoolstudentsintwoMalaysiansecondaryschoolsutilizeIM,blog,andemailinordertopracticetheirEnglishwritingandtheEnglish-writingbehaviorofsecondaryschoolstudents,andwhatimplicationscouldanEnglishteachergetfromstudents’writingbehaviorinordertohelpstudentslearnEnglishwriting.
2Literaturereview
2.1ConventionalEnglishWritingClass
AsforEnglishwriting,theconventionalwritingclassesarelikethis:
allofthelearnersusuallyseatedinthephysicalclassroom,theteacheronlyusechalkandblackboardasteachingaids,andtheteacherusuallyprovidesguidanceforthestudentsonthespotswithinthelimitedperiodofteachinghoursbypassivelydisseminatingandinstillinghisideasandalloftheimportantinformationaboutthewritingtasktostudents,theseinformationinclude:
(1)Howtounderstandaquestionoratopic.
(2)Thepossibletrainofthoughtforatopic.(3)Thematerialthatstudentscouldbeusedtocompletethetasksuchasmodelarticles.Theteacherwilllisttheusefulinformationandstructureofessayontheblackboard.Theteachermayonlygivestudentsaveryshorttimeperhapslessthan10minutestodiscussthetopicsandthecontentofwritingtask.Andalsotheteacherdoesnothaveenoughtimetoanswerallofthequestionsthatstudentsasked.Thenwithouteffectiveideasexchangeandabundantdiscussionthestudentsaregivenlimitedtimetofinishthewritingtask.Whenstudentsfinishtheirwritingtask,theteachergivesstudentsfeedbackontheirwritingbycorrectingandevaluatingstudents’work.WeusedtobesecondaryschoolstudentsinChina,andtraineeteachersinsecondaryschoolsinMalaysia,andwefoundthatthecharacteristicsoftheconventionalclassroomteachingmethodsareasfollowing:
(1)Theteacheristheonlyresourceofinformationforstudents’writingtask.
(2)Chalk,blackboardandmodelarticlesareonlyteachingaids.
(3)Sincealloftheinformationandideasareprovidedbyteacherratherthanstudentsthemselves,studentswillhavelittleopportunitiestothinkoftheirownopinionsandideas.Theirarticlesarealackofcreativityandnovelty.
(4)Lackofeffectiveinteractionandcommunicationbetweenstudentsandteacher,studentsandstudents.
(5)Studentsdon’thaveenoughtimetoreadandunderstandtherequirementofwritingtask,tobrainstormdifferentideas,togathertheirownmaterials,toorganizetheirthoughtsandtoplantheirwritingbecausestudentshavetofinishtheirwritinginagiventimeusuallynotmorethan40minutes.
(6)Thestudentsmayfeelstressfulandboring,sincethereisnotenoughinteraction,andnoactivitiescouldbearrangedtomaketeachinginteresting.
(7)Theclassroomenvironmentarenotconductivetonewideas,forsomestudents,theyareafraidofvoicingtheirideasintheclassroomenvironmentduetotheharshclassroommanagementmethodsmanipulatedbytheteacher.Thestudentsareafraidofmakingmistakesandgettingthepenaltywhentheyspeakouttheirideas.
(8)Teachingandlearningonlyhappenintheclassroom,teachersdonotmakegooduseofstudents’sparetime.
2.2Englishwritingclassusingcomputer-mediatedtool
Itisnotexaggeratedtosaythattheadventofcomputerandinternethasrevolutionizedthelanguagelearningandteaching.Nowadayscomputerandinternet-basedtechnologysuchasmultimediaandcomputer-mediatedcommunication,haveallowedlanguagelearnersandeducatorstodomorethaninthepast.
AsKern(1995,p.457)puts“computernetworks,bothlocalandworldwide,providepossibilitiesfornewinterpersonalcontactsandcommunicativeengagementamonglanguagelearnersastheyexplorethetargetlanguage”,however,notonlythelearnersandteachersareconnectedinthisinformationage,buteverythingandeverybodyisconnectedbytheinternet.Teachersandstudentsteachingandlearningmaterial,differentideasandopinions-everythingareinthismagicweb.
AsDanielLinder(2004)putsinhispaper,theinternetoffersfivebasicpossiblefornetworkingEnglishclassroom:
1)Real-timecommunicationwithothernetworkusers(usinginternetasatelephoneorvideoconferencingdevice,internetchatandothers).
2)Deferred-timecommunicationwithothernetworkusers(email,mailinglists,newsgroupandothers).
3)Sourceofinformation(text,image,voice,sound).
4)Outletforpublication(text,images,voice,sound).
5)Distanceteaching/learning.
Intheprocessoflanguageteachingandlearning,theinternetservesasoneofthemostimportantinstructionaltechnologyforthecommunicationbetweenteachersandstudents,studentsandstudents.
Theinternetbasedcommunicationcouldeitherbeintheformofreal-time(synchronized)suchasonlinechatting,onlinevideoconference,orintheformofdeferredtime(asynchronies)suchasblog,email.TheInternetbasedcommunicationtechnologyallowsthelanguageteachingandlearningnotonlyhappenintheclassroom,butinfact,withthehelpofthelatestcomputerandnetworktechnology,teachingandlearninghasgobeyondtheboundaryandlimitationsoftimeandspace,andlong-distanceeducationmethods(videoconferencing)allowstudentsinthemountainandruralareashavetheequalaccessibilityandopportunitytoreceivehighqualityeducationwhichwasonceonlyenjoyedbythestudentsintheurbanareas,andaslongasyousearchtheinternetyoucanfindenormousteachingandlearningmaterialofanysubject,andyoucanalsowatchonlinevideorecordatanytime.Sotheteachingandlearningcouldhappenatanywhereandanytimeaslongasyouhaveinternetavailability.
Basedonthewidelyapplicationsofcomputerandinternettechnologywehavelotsofnewnotionsandmodelsonlanguagelearningandteachingmethods,accordingtoWikipedia(2008)nowadayswehaveE-learning,Distanceeducation,Computer-basedLearning,Computer-supportedCollaboratedLearning(CSCL),TechnologicalEnhancedLearning(TEL),inadditiontheComputer-assistedLanguageLearning(CALL),Computer-assistedLanguageLeaching(CALT)arealsowhatweoftenheard.
Thereisnodoubtthatthecomputer-mediatedtoolssuchasonlinechatting,blogandEmailcouldalsobeusedinprocessofteachingofwriting.Theadvantagesofthecomputer-mediatedtoolsinteachingofwritingareasfollowing:
(1)Theinstructionandlearningprocesscouldhappenatanytimeandanywhereaslongaswehaveinternetaccessibility.Andthestudentsarenoneedtogotheclassroom,theycanstudyathome.
(2)Studentscancommunicatewithteacherandotherstudentsthroughonlineinstantmessagingsoftware,blogandemail.Theycanshareandexchangetheirideasaboutthecontentoftheirwritingaswellasthewritingstrategies.
(3)Thestudentscouldalsobeabletogath