English teaching in the digital age 网络时代学英语_英文版.doc

《English teaching in the digital age 网络时代学英语_英文版.doc》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《English teaching in the digital age 网络时代学英语_英文版.doc（6页珍藏版）》请在淘文阁 - 分享文档赚钱的网站上搜索。

1、English teaching in the digital ageIn this article, Edward draws on his experience of English teaching and Internet consulting to discuss the future of English teaching as the world enters an increasingly digital age. This article was written for English teachers who have a growing sense that the In

2、ternet is becoming more and more important for their professional careers. It tells them why the Internet is important to their profession, what they can expect in the years to come, and how they can prepare themselves as English teachers in the digital age.On a spring day in 1992 in Philadelphia, I

3、 pressed my Enter key and listened to the familar string of tones from my modem as it logged into the Temple University computer. This was nothing new for someone who had grown up with computers. But this day was one I will never forget: it was first day I ever logged into the Internet.As an English

4、 teacher, my Internet connection back in 1992 meant that I could send a grammar question out to 500 English teachers around the world and have at least 10 replies in my mailbox the next morning. It meant that I could sit at my desk in Philadelphia chatting with a colleague at Purdue, she typing on t

5、he top of the screen and I typing on the bottom, at no cost. It meant contacting the Amerika Haus in Berlin via E-Mail which led to a teaching position at Potsdam University. It meant finding information on almost any topic for the courses I was teaching.Yes, the Internet is good for English teachin

6、g. And it is going to get better-exponentially. In this article, I want to tell you why, and make some forcasts on what the digital age holds for English teaching.My forecasts for the future of English teaching are based on three hypotheses:1. That which can be digitized, will be digitized.2. Englis

7、h instruction can be almost fully digitized.3. English instruction is more efficient when teachers use a digitized medium.1. That which can be digitized, will be digitized.Nicholas Negroponte in his book Being Digital draws a distinction between atoms and bits. A book, for instance, is composed of a

8、toms whereas an E-Mail is composed of bits. The difference between atoms and bits is that atoms take a long time to be sent from place to place and are relatively expensive to duplicate. Bits, on the other hand, can be sent around the world in a matter of seconds and cost nothing to duplicate. If yo

9、u want to send a book from Berlin to New York, it will probably cost you about $10 and will probably take about 7 days. If you want to send a digitized book from Berlin to New York, it will cost you nothing and will get there in 5 seconds. For English teachers, the benefits are enormous. For the bus

10、iness world, the profit margins are unbelievable. This is why everything that can be digitized, will be digitized.2. English instruction can be almost fully digitized.What can be digitized and what can not? Text, pictures, voice, and video can all be digitized. Text can be typed in, pictures can be

11、scanned in, and voice and video can be recorded digitally. But this is not all. Interactive conversations can be digitized. Interactive environments, for instance, a classroom, a train station, or a business meeting can be digitized. Since English instruction consists primarily of text, pictures, vo

12、ice, video, conversation, and interactive environments, English instruction can be almost fully digitized.3. English instruction is more efficient when teachers use a digitized medium.Digitalization increases student-centeredness. If a student writes a digitized document and gives it to you to corre

13、ct, you can add notes to the document just as you can to a regular paper document. The difference is that the student can then click on your digitized notes, e.g. use present perfect here which takes him to an interactive, multi-media lesson teaching him about the present perfect tense and when to u

14、se it. Connected to this is a grammar chat room with students and tutors who discuss and answer questions about grammar. The student learns what he needs to know when he needs to know it.Digitalization increases accessiblity. Particularly in English for Specific Purposes, and more particularly in no

15、n-English speaking countries, specific material in English is fairly hard to come by. For instance, let us say you are teaching English at a company here in Berlin which produces flags. They need to learn vocabulary which has to do with flag production. You simply need to log into the Internet and t

16、ype in the key words flag production. You will get a number of web sites of English-speaking flag production companies with information on their products. Print these out and use them in your class. Write an E-Mail to the company and ask them to send you a catalog. Ask them what else is available on

17、 the Internet regarding flag production. Also, send an E-Mail to the 13,000 teachers in the English teachers news group and ask if anyone has experience teaching English at companies involved in flag production.Digitalization removes geographical barriers and saves time.For those of you who teach bu

18、siness English here in Berlin, how long does it take you to commute to work? How long does it take your students to travel to class? If both you and your students could switch on your PCs and conduct your English lessons via video conference from your homes and offices, how much total time would it

19、save all of you? And if you could do this, why not add students in Japan and Singapore as well? Digitized English teaching removes the geographical barrier which frees up time for both the teacher and the students.Digitalization brings like minds together.Back in the 17th century, Leibniz and Newton

20、 developed Calculus independently of one another. If they had lived today, they would have met by now in a newsgroup and would already be exchanging ideas via E-Mail. The ease which the Internet provides to meet people with similar interests, professions, backgrounds, and experiences is unparalleled

21、 in human history. There are people in the world who are teaching the same kinds of classes you teach, have similar students, and are working on similar projects. The Internet makes it possible for you to meet, communicate, and work on projects together with them.So what is the function of an Englis

22、h teacher in the digital age?The function of a English teacher in general is to communicate to students the concepts and skills necessary to function well in situations which involve reading, writing, speaking, listening, and social skills. Anyone who has seen virtual reality interactive-CD language

23、 programs such as Who is Oscar Lake can imagine that as these products improve, they will soon be able to convey the basics of language instruction quite efficiently to any student who is privileged enough to have access to a well-equipped computer. And with the exponentially increasing speed at whi

24、ch bits can be pumped through the rapidly multiplying fiber optic cables and satellites of the Internet, more and more English students world-wide will be able to interact with language teaching videos and virtual worlds which will bring them to a relatively high level of proficiency, especially sin

25、ce other people will be running around through these virtual worlds as well, talking to each other, getting help from each other, and practicing language functions in contextual situations. These services will be paid for through advertising-students will learn the phrase I would like a Coke, please

26、 because Coca Cola sponsors the program. This means that high quality computer language instruction will be free for anyone who has a fast enough Internet connection.When I mention these visions to English teachers, some of them are afraid that computers will someday replace English teachers. This w

27、ill not be the case. There will always be a human on one side of English teaching and another human on the other, it is just that the computer between us is getting more and more effective, which improves our teaching and improves the students learning abilities. Humans are powerful and computers ar

28、e powerful, and together, they are are extremely powerful.My point in this article is that if you are an English teacher, you need to get more and more involved with computers in order to continue to improve your teaching skills. The following are my suggestions for English teachers in order to prep

29、are themselves for the digital age (ranked in order of importance):1. Get access to a computer with an Internet connection.2. Learn how to search for information on the World Wide Web.3. Learn how to send and receive E-Mail.4. Learn how to join and participate in news groups, and find colleagues wit

30、h similar interests.5. Learn how to attach documents and other files to E-Mail.6. Learn how to create, publish, and update a home page.7. Learn how to type with both hands without looking at the keyboard英语谚语警句100句精选Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience.谚语是日常经验的结晶。1. Look before you leap./Se

31、cond thoughts are best. 三思而后行。/再想而后行。2. Great minds think alike; (heroes have similar views.) 英雄所见略同。 3. We shall never have friends if we expect to find them without fault.欲求完美无缺的朋友必然成为孤家寡人。4. What you sow, you must mow. 种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。5. A beggar can never be bankrupt.天无绝人之路。6.A friend in need is a fri

32、end indeed.患难见真情。7. No news is good news. 没有消息就是好消息。8. No cross, no crown. 不经历风雨,怎么见彩虹。9. The more haste, the less speed. /Haste makes waste.欲速则不达。10. Victory belongs to the most persevering. 坚持就是胜利！11. A young idler, an old beggar. 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。12. Put ones foot in ones mouth. 说话不得体。13. It is no use

33、 crying over spilt milk.覆水难收/悔恨已晚/木已成舟,回天乏力。14. Content is better than riches. 知足常乐。15. No gains without pains. 没有辛苦就没有收获。16. The more a man knows, the more he is inclined to be modest. 大智若愚。17. All roads lead to Rome .条条大路通罗马。18. A snow year, a rich year. 瑞雪兆丰年。19. Never say die! 永不言败！20. The best

34、mirror is a friends eye. 朋友的眼睛是最好的镜子。 21. Faith will move mountain. 精诚所至，金石为开。 22. A life without a friend is a life without a sun. 人生没有朋友，犹如生活没有了太阳。 23. Great wits have short memories.贵人多忘事。 24. Do well and have well. 善有善报。25. A bad thing never dies. 坏事传千年。26. Four eyes see more than two. 人多识广/集思广益

35、。27. Diligence is the parent of success. 勤劳是成功的根本。28. Water dropping day by day wears the hardest rock away.滴水穿石。29. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. 抱最好的愿望，做最坏的打算。 30. While there is life, there is hope. /Debt is better than death. 留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。/有生命就有希望。31. Where there is a will, there

36、is a way. 功夫不负有心人。/有志者事竟成。32. Where there is great love, there are always miracles. 哪里有真爱存在，哪里就有奇迹。33. Where there is smoke, there is fire. 无风不起浪。34. One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy.一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。35. A stitch in time saves nine. 及时缝一针能省九针。/小洞不补，大洞吃苦。36. Never too o

37、ld to learn, never too late to turn. 亡羊补牢，为时不晚。37. Dont claim to know what you dont know. 不要不懂装懂。38. Do in Rome as Roman do. 入乡随俗。39. Rome was not built in a day. 冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。40. Sharpening your axe will not delay your job of cutting wood. 磨刀不误砍柴工。 41. Things of a kind come together, people a mind fa

38、ll into a group. 物以类聚,人以群分。 42. One mans meat is another mans poison. 萝卜白菜,各有所爱。43. like author like book.文如其人。46. Like for like. 惺惺相惜。47. Like teacher like pupil. 有其师必有其徒。48. Gods that run many hares kill none.贪多必失。49. Practice makes perfect. 熟能生巧。50. Actions speak louder than words. 行胜于言。51. You c

39、annot eat your cake and have it. 鱼与熊掌，不可兼得。52. One loses by pride and gains by modesty. 满招损,谦受益。53. Love me, love my dog. 爱屋及乌。54. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. 每日一苹果远离医生。55. Time past cannot be called back again. 时光不倒流。56. A drop of water cannot make a sea, and a tree cannot make a wood. 滴水

40、不成海，独木不成林。57. If you venture nothing, you will have nothing. 不入虎穴,焉得虎子。58.The tree is known by its fruit. 观其行知其人。59. All work no play makes Jack a dull boy. 只会用功不玩耍,聪明的孩子也变傻。60. The pot calls the kettle black. 五十步笑百步。61. Unkindness often reacts on the unkind person. 恶有恶报。62. Todays work should never

41、 be left over till tomorrow. 今日事今日毕。63. Nothing so bad but might have been worse. 塞翁失马,焉知非福。 64. God helps those who help themselves. 自助者天助。65. Complacency is the enemy of study. 学习的敌人是自己的满足。66. A fox may grow gray, but never good.江山易改，本性难移。67. A friend without faults will never be found. 没有十全十美的朋友。

42、68. A good beginning is half done. 良好的开端是成功的一半。69. A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever. 一本好书，相伴一生。70. A good medicine tastes bitter. 良药苦口。71. A leopard cannot change its spots.积习难改。72. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. 一知半解，自欺欺人。73. All good things come to an end. 天

43、下没有不散的筵席。74. Justice has long arms. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。75A man becomes learned by asking questions. 不耻下问才能有学问。76. A man can do no more than he can. 凡事都应量力而行。77. A man cannot spin and reel at the same time. 一心不能二用。78. Diamond cuts diamond. 强中自有强中手。79. Doing is better than saying. 与其挂在嘴上，不如落实在行动上。80. Do it now

44、. 机不可失，时不再来。81. It is the unforeseen that always happens. 天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福。82. Dont put off till tomorrow what should be done today.今日事，今日毕。83. Do well and have well. 善有善报。84. Easy come, easy go. 来也匆匆，去也匆匆。85. Every advantage has its disadvantage.有利必有弊。86. Every day is not Sunday. 好景不常在。87. Every man h

45、as his faults. 金无足赤，人无完人。88. Every man has his weak side. 人人都有弱点。89. Every potter praises hit pot. 王婆卖瓜，自卖自夸。90. Experience must be bought. 吃一堑，长一智。91. Far from eye, far from heart. 眼不见，心不烦。92. First come, first served. 先来后到。93. Judge not from appearances.人不可貌相，海不可斗量。94. Gold will not buy anything.黄

46、金并非万能。95. He laughs best who laughs last.谁笑到最后，谁笑得最好。96. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. 想不犯错误，就一事无成。97. Learn not and know not. 不学无术。98. It is never too old to learn. 活到老，学到老。 99. It takes three generations to make a gentleman.十年树木，百年树人。100. It is the first step that costs troublesome. 万事开头难。