Multimedia for Teaching English in the Classroom

By Muhammad Farkhan Fauzi

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Multimedia is related to technology. It has significant role in teaching English. When we talk about multimedia, a term CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) should be used. Since the media can be integrated by using computer, the multimedia has close relation with CALL. Sometimes people even use CALL to stand for multimedia. Although the definition of multimedia is very simple, making it work is very complicated.

A study conducted by Kasper (1997) illustrate that teaching English using multimedia such as print, film, video, Internet to students encourage them to write a critical analysis on assignments. Overall, the students’ achievement increased significantly 92 % of the students passed on departmental reading and writing examinations. In addition, their feedback on discussions is very positive. They express confidence in their ability to use English. They attribute this improvement to the multimedia model that the texts teach them English and provide helpful information in other courses and the film and Internet help them make material easier to understand because they see, hear, and read about the topic.

Components of Multimedia.

Multimedia is composed of various components: text, graphics, animation, sound, and video. These components can contribute differentially to the learning of material

a.   Text.

It is fundamental element in all multimedia applications. It conveys most information (Vanghan, 2004). We can use ordinary text or various typographic effects for emphasis or clarification in English teaching. In order to catch the reader’s attention, teachers can use different font size, color, and style to present information;  emphasize a certain word or phrase.

b.  Graphics.

It refers to images and pictures, such as chart, diagram, and photograph, which contain no movement. According to Andrew Wright’s Book Picture for Language Learning, graphics can stimulate interesting and motivation, improve understanding ability of language, and offer especial reference object and topic (Wright, 2003). Graphics plays a very important role in language teaching process.

c.   Animation.

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence  of images of 2-D or  3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. Simply speaking, it ranges scope from the basic graph with a simple motion to a detailed image with complex movements. Assisted by the use of animation, teachers can  highlight key knowledge points and heighten students’ motivation (Vanghan, 2004).

d.   Sound.

It is speech, music, or any other sound that is stored and produced by computers. It has more advantages than tape recorder. In multimedia, teacher can use more vivid and fruitful sound to help students’ English learning.

e.   Video.

It is the visible part of a television transmission and broadcasts visual images of stationary or moving objects. Compared with animation, video can offer more vivid information. But it will consume more storage space than animation (Vanghan, 2004).

The Setting of Multimedia Classroom

In traditional classroom, most English teachers are used to using some conventional equipment, such as blackboard, chalk, tape recorders, and so on. However, we can find more modern equipment in a multimedia classroom. To ensure that readers can obtain a better understanding of multimedia English teaching, an illustration of a typical one-multimedia-PC classroom setting is vital and necessary.  

1)  MPC—multimedia personal computer;

2)  VCD/DVD player—video compound disk/digital video disk;

3)  Amplifier and Hi-Fi acoustic system;

4)  Overhead/slide projector;

5)  Screen/curtain;

6)  Projecting apparatus;

7)  The Internet access;

8)  Cassette tape recorder;

Many studies have shown that many students are tired of traditional English classes, and are interested in new style learning. They have positive attitude towards computer technology used in the classroom, and such technology does have a positive impact, because multimedia teaching have many advantages over other media in English teaching. 

Advantages

a.   Arousing the students’ interest.

Famous scientist Albert Einstein had a famous saying: “Interest is the best teacher”. So the interest has always been seen as the best helper to learn the knowledge. The traditional teaching method is that teachers talk from the beginning to the end with a chalk and a mouth. Such teaching is very single, which makes students lose interest, until weariness. Leo Tolstoy said: “The successful teaching is not to force, but rather to stimulate student’s desire” (Tolstoy, 2008, p. 212). In other words, if student have no interest or desire on teaching subject, then, even if the teacher talk how carefully, the results are fruitlessly. Therefore, teachers should try their best to get students to become interest in one topic of knowledge point, and make the students with a strong passion and enthusiasm to participate in teaching. Multimedia is this kind of media which can show a variety of sounds, images, animation, and other effects, firmly grasping the studen’s interest. It also can stimulate the students’ strong desire to study English actively. Multi-media teaching can not only greatly stimulate students’ interest in learning, but also make teaching becomes vivid and lively.

b.  Improving students’ self-learning ability.

The purpose of teaching in the classroom is not only to impart knowledge to students. The most important thing is teaching students how to learn and making students change from “want me to study” to “I want to learn” in thinking, from passive learning to active learning. Therefore, students are free from the passive learning environment, take initiative at learning, and develop their own self-learning good habits gradually. It also can enable students to tap into a good way of learning English independently, keep the cultivation of motivation and interest in learning English so as to make students really love the English, really free from the passive learning environment in English learning .The use of multimedia will be conducive to transition for students from the traditional passive learning to active state for independent study. For example, teachers can select the appropriate E-work arrangements to the students from the multimedia courseware after class, so that they can complete the relevant extra-curricular work, and send message to the teacher through their own e-mails, the teacher via electronic E-mail marking responses to student. In this way,

students can not only see their learning outcomes in the shortest period of time, but also continue stimulating interest in their own learning through the multimedia network. 

c.   Improving students’ innovative ability. 

Meanwhile, multi-media teaching can also develop student’s ability to innovate. Things need to innovate, Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge, and is a source of knowledge”. In teaching, the teachers should pay attention to tap the imagination of students. To use multimedia can achieve the desired results and find unlimited resources in textbooks.

d.  Cultivating students’ communication skills.

Chinese students learning English often lack a certain language environment and opportunities for practicing language, but the actual language teaching is often to focus only on words and sentence structures of learning, ignoring its specific application. Thus, many students get a fixed, isolated knowledge points from textbooks, but the ability of using these knowledge points to the real life of the capacity is relatively poor. When encountering with the reality of different occasions, they will be helpless. Through multi-media teaching, we can create real-life scenes in the classroom. It is not only to shorten the distance between teaching and practice and give students the opportunity to use English to communicate, but also to satisfy their curiosity in psychology and stimulate the expression of desire.

e.  Increasing classroom capacity.

With only a tiny mouse, teachers can avoid using of multiple exchange of tape recorders, video recorders, overhead projectors, etc., greatly increase the output of information, speed up the pace of the classroom, increase the density of the classroom, and save a lot of time which teachers spend on writing on the blackboard. Multi-media teaching rhythm is adapted to the needs of modernization to meet thestudent’s desire for knowledge. It can expand text-related materials. The use of multimedia technologies can make students notice a clear knowledge and a new expansion by huge information capacity which shows by all kinds of media.

Mind Mapping

 

References :

Kasper, Loretta F. (1997), “The Impact of Content-Based Instructional Programs on the Academic Progress of ESL Students”, English  for Specific Purposes, vol.16. Pp. 309-20. Kasper, Strategies”, PostScript, vol. 16. No. 2, pp. 5-17. 

Tolstoy, L., & CAO, Y. (2008). Childhood, boyhood, and youth. Shanghai: Shanghai literature and Art Publishing House.

Vanghan, T. (2004). Multimrdia: Making it work (8th ed.). Beijing: QingHua University Publishing House.

Wright, A. (2003). Picture for language learning. Tianjin: Nan Kai University Publishing House.