Abstract
While the use of the Internet in EFL is gaining popularity in universities across Japan, there has been no one unified method of instruction which has gained a wide following. Foreign language instructors, most often, experiment in various approaches and methods, seeking to integrate the new technology into their present curriculum. This is natural as the introduction of the technology is new to the EFL classroom, and requires constant investigation and experimentation. The aim of this paper is to put forth a method of instruction which has yielded favorable results in improved language production especially in written English, giving consideration to student needs and teacher goals. The paper will detail how a one-year composition course utilized the computer facilities at a major university in Japan. The course set out to familiarize students with basic typing skills and general computer usage, and went on to help them understand the Internet with the ultimate goal of using it to create well-designed, well-written and interesting home pages.Students were involved in tasks and projects that required them to participate in newsgroup discussions via an intranet system, to learn how to use the Internet for general research purposes, to create home page maps, and to create text and materials for personal home pages. The course called on students to use written English in every aspect of the creation of their home pages. The balance between writing instruction and computer instruction was met with promising results in students gaining competence in both areas of instruction.
Then e-mail was in the forefront with instructors setting up key pal connections; emphasis was, thus, placed on authentic communication and the speed of production for written text. The next area of interest was Intranet systems. Intranet systems provided students with an opportunity to have written discussions with their fellow classmates, to write on various topics, to state their opinions within a familiar framework, peers writing to peers for the purpose of sharing and exchanging thoughts and ideas. In general, the instructor served as a facilitator, monitor, and commentator--providing students with relevant writing topics, making sure there is equal participation, and being a higher authority on the issues discussed.
Presently, the production of home pages has gained immense popularity in foreign language writing instruction. It allows for the integration of the many different facets of computer technology--basic word processing: e-mail and key pals, Internet searches, and Intranet communication projects--into the writing processes. And most importantly it provides an opportunity for students to enjoy writing in English with the role of the instructor being not only a facilitator and writing instructor, but also a web technician.
Such a model is based on the notion that students do in fact, whether consciously or otherwise, bring to class a set of personal needs, and that teachers often have a goal oriented agenda for the students. It suggests that the relationship between the two factors need not be mutually exclusive, and that greater flexibility can be allowed in a web-based course. A web-based writing course creates a natural atmosphere in which students realize the experience of producing authentic and creative texts for a real audience, something new for most of them.
The following describes a general approach to computer and writing instruction. It has been met with favorable results in that students are eager to create their own home pages, are eager to produce written text for an authentic audience, and are eager to display their own individual talents which might not otherwise be recognized in a traditional classroom. The description will be made chronologically following a one-year syllabus. The contact hours were one and half hours per week over two 15 week semesters. There were 30 second year students in the class. Each student had access to an individual computer during class and unlimited access to a computer room outside of class.
Students will write simple profile files which will later be included in their home pages. Germane to the understanding of computers and file creation is task repetition; that is to say, students receive a demonstration of certain usage techniques and then those techniques are repeated frequently. Task repetition allows all students to master the required computer functions for the class. Task repetition is also emphasized in gaining typing skills.
While HTML is easy to follow, it is indeed cumbersome to write each time a new file or internal link is created. So for our classes a template has been set up for students to copy. This provides students with a basic home page which they can modify as they like . Through simple modification of the index file the color of the home page can be changed, pictures can be inserted, font size can be changed, tables can be created and the like. Here simple illustrations and a few handouts will provide students with the knowledge they will need to experiment in their own way making their pages come to life. This is the preliminary stage in making a home page.
The first area is helping students understand the basic commands for operating the web browser, the software that accesses the web. The software is limited to two or three major competitors and all have compatible features. A simple demonstration will provide students with enough knowledge to understand general navigational techniques.
The next area is obviously more important, and that of course is of what to use the web for. Some have termed the web as the ultimate resource location with infinite searching capabilities. While that may true in part, the question of what is most beneficial for the classroom objectives must be asked. The objectives for our classes focus primarily on composition and home page production. So searching, or net surfing, is somewhat limited in scope. A distinction between internal and external searching needs to be made. An external search for classroom application, or sometimes refereed to as a treasure hunt, is where a teacher guides the students on a web hunt for a particular piece of information. The rationale is that students will gain Internet competence through practical experience under the careful watch of the instructor. An internal search is concerned with information located on the instructor's home page.
The distinction being that an internal search will be limited in scope and will provide students with an obtainable example of what can be put on a home page. Finally, it can be noted that web searching has a two fold purpose: on the one hand, students are looking for information; and, on the other, they are finding home page examples which they may try to replicate. In short, web searching should be the sole activity of a web-based course; rather the inspiration for student development.
Related to classroom management, it would have course schedules, posting on course requirements, student/teacher evaluation forms, ...everything which would normally be distributed in handout form. It is essential for teachers to also post personal essays, stories or poems as assigned to students, adding a dimension of personal involvement to the class. The instructor's home page is the bulletin board of the classroom.
The first project is a group project. It entails students in working together to create a small business in which they must produce a commercial home page with store descriptions, business hours, product/service description and all the things you would expect to find in a real commercial home page. Recent home pages have included such interesting ideas as second language spelling services, restaurants, travel agencies with regional descriptions, hotels, airlines, term paper writing services, used car sales and so on. What is required of each group project are not just visual items, but written text providing descriptions and general things related to their business, perhaps an exaggeration of what would expected in a real commercial home page.
The second project is more academic related. Students are asked to investigate some topic of interest on the Internet and include their findings on an internal link on their home page. Topics ranch from cultural comparisons to biological interests. The topics are open and the students are to follow the guidelines set forth by the instructor. The number of possible home page projects is as great as one can imagine and are met with enthusiasm by the students.
The idea of public displaying of student text has never enjoyed a true following; students simply object to their work being show to other students despite all the inherent benefits. In this regard, the creation of student home pages breaks through that bearer, and students feel comfortable about writing for a public audience. Another area in which the Internet motivates students is that of creativity and the 'packaging' of their work. A poem or short story with a picture has more appeal then just written text. Students become keenly aware of this and try complement writing with a picture or background color. The web class is also communal in sense: the reading audience has widened; the audience has become authentic; peer response is becoming more common and easier; compositions also have a greater attraction with their aesthetic appeal and students search to produce attractive work. The advantages of conducting a composition on an Internet environment are numerous, and the future holds many bright innovations in instructional approaches and research projects.
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