ABSTRACT
This paper is intended to discuss how computer-mediated communication, focusing on emailing and chatting platforms can work in assisting process of learning and teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL).
Through a comprehensive study on some related literatures combined with writer’s empirical experiences in using them, it is found that emailing and chatting can help teachers and students in teaching and learning ESL/EFL both in its lingual and non lingual aspects. In lingual aspects, teachers may use them in teaching writing and speaking skills as well as social cultural values or customs of those speak the language. In non lingual aspects, furthermore, teachers may immersed teaching computer operating skills to the ESL/EFL teachnings so that the teacher’s and student’s computer literacy may get improved.
Although the implementation of the two sophisticated virtual tools can be of a help to teach both lingual and non lingual aspects of ESL/EFL, the use of these tools may not optimally work in teaching them due to the disappearance of human’s non verbal language, students’ tendency to deviate the use of the language and the occurance of computerizing technical problems when implementing them. It is, therefore, sugested that the use of the tools is to be implemented in upper elementary classes in which the students’ English proficiency is adequate enough to support the teaching and learning process, and under such circumstances; proper guidelines in language use and having the mediating tools technically well prepared.
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the potential use of computers as an aid to mediate a language teaching and it has been implemented in a wide range of applications such as ‘stylistic studies ‘, ‘lexicography’, ‘textual editing’ as well as the ‘preparation and presentation of language teaching material’ (Butler,1985, p.29-35, Cook, 1985, p. 13,). In teaching English as a second/foreign language-ESL/EFL, for instance, the use of computers is relatively new for some ESL/EFL teachers and it might be manifested interactively in some different ways. One of them is that by employing what it is called as ‘computer-mediated communication-CMC’ (Bonnet, 1997 p. 146, Almeida d’Eca, 2003).
WHAT IS COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION ?
In order to deeply comprehend what a computer-mediated communication is, it is very important to firstly make a clarification about the two terms; computer and communication. Gilmour (1995, p. 174, 179) explains that computer is “an electronic device that process data according to a set of instructions”. Communication, in addition, is an action of “exchanging (thoughts) or make known (information or feelings) by speech, writing or other means”. In relation to the definitions, Hornby (1995, p. 230, 235) defines the two terms similarly to what Gilmour interprets. He states that computer is “an electronic device for storing and analysing information fed into it, for calculating, or for controlling machinery automatically”. Communication, furthermore, is “the action or process of communicating”.
Having understood the two terms, it is clear now that computer-mediated communication is used to refer to an action or process of communicating, exchanging or making known of thoughts, feelings or information by speech, writing or other means which is mediated by an electric device based on a set of instructions given to it. As it is an action or process of communicating or exchanging information which is primarily done by speech and/or writing, the electronic device used to create it needs to have minimal functions; to mediate the users in creating the messages and as a network(s) for sending and receiving the messages at any time and across distances (Johnson, 1991, p. 74) The technology that makes it possible to occur is known as “internetworking; it creates a universality among disparate systems, enabling the networks and computers to communicate” (Laquey, 1994, p. 5).
Internetworking consists of a set of application programs that enables ESL/EFL teachers to optimize its use in teaching English as a second or foreign language. Two of the internet application programs are ‘electronic mail’ and ‘synchronous communication tool which is commonly known as chat platform’ (Gilster, 1993 p.21, Almeida d’Eca, 2003, p.1).
ELECTRONIC MAIL AND ITS APPLICATION IN ESL/EFL TEACHING
Electronic mail or it is often called email is a ‘software programme’ which is able to deliver visual or digital written-based messages from senders to receivers using computer internetworking as its medium. There are basically three categories of an emailing system is currently used; ‘facsimile’, ‘communicating word processors’ and ‘computer-based message system’. Each of the system has its own functions and communicating word processors nowadays get most attention from users. It is because they can be implemented in ‘intra office’ and ‘inter office’ so that it enables the users to send messages locally and around the world (Caseel & Jackson, 1981, p. 541-542, Gilster, 1993, p. 129-131, Barta, 1993 p. 325, Laquey, 1994, p. 47, Kurshan, 1994, p. 11-13).
As emailing is a ‘fast and efficient’ way of communicating visual or digital written-based messages using worldwide computer internetworking system as its mediator (Caseel & Jackson, 1981, p. 542, Quarterman & Mitchell, 1994, p. 1), its functions might be more than just sending and receiving mails but there must be a possibility to use it in assisting ESL/EFL teachers and students to teach and learn particular writing skills in an authentic way in which it involves interest, motivation and societal and cultural values of theirs. Liaw (2003, p. 7-8) reported that the use of email correspondence between Taiwanese EFL student teachers; those who are being trained to be EFL teachers, and ESL pre-service teachers in the U.S. had fostered cross cultural understanding among them.
In teaching particular skill like writing English application letters, for instance, the use of email as a part of computer worldwide internetworking system might assist teachers and students to work on an authentic teaching and learning materials and in an authentic way; efficient and effective so that it produces better output (Zarnuji, 2003, p. 17). It is quite reasonable as in a particular situation, the teachers and students are not only supposed to teach and learn how to write but also how to reply the application letters using authentic materials. As it is fairly difficult to find such materials in countries where English is not spoken as a first or formal language, many ESL/EFL teachers and students find difficulties in accessing the materials. By using email in which at the same time the internetworking system is online, the teachers can ask the students to access some sorts of job occupancy advertisements from any websites and take them as references for practising to write and reply application letters.
Another sort of email application in ESL/EFL teaching might exist in students’ involvement in an English ‘mailing list’ group. In this virtual correspondence club, the teachers’ control might be very limited so that the students can freely share whatever they want to such as their hobbies, interests, study plans and even personal feelings with others using English as a medium of communication. As what the students communicate is not limited in a particular area, but it spreads at a wide range of fields and disciplines and it is closely related to their lives, the use of email in this particular way might give additional values on the ESL/EFL learning and teaching.
CHATTING AND ITS APPLICATION IN ESL/EFL TEACHING
Basically there is no significant distinction on the use of a ‘chat platform’ compared to the implementation of email in teaching English as a second or foreign language. The difference is only relying on the computer-based operating modes belong to them. Unlike email, chat platform can be operated not only in a ‘text chat’ mode but also in ‘audio’ and ‘video’ modes. Chat text-based mode, however, is faster in its speed compared to email and the most widely used in education nowadays (Almeida d’Eka, 2003, p. 2). As each of the three modes has its own eases and difficulties to operate and video is the latest and the most ‘complicated’ one to work with, the discussion about this will be focused only on the two modes; text and audio-based chatting.
Text and audio-based chatting is a ‘two-way form’ of computer-mediated communication which involves minimally two people as writers and speakers who interchangeably keyboard and converse a dialogue in every time they want to, using online internetworking system. Since the communication can be done by writing and speaking to native or non-native English speakers and in every time they need to through worldwide online internetworking system, the use of chat platforms might assist ESL/EFL teachers to teach ESL/EFL writing and speaking effectively and efficiently.
One of the implementation of using text and audio-based chatting to teach the two skills might be manifested in doing assigned task of ‘collaborative writing’ (Johnson, 1991, p. 72-73, Light & Littleton, 1998, p. 12, Almeida d’Eka, 2003, p. 3). It is not uncommon for an EFL teacher to teach particular skills of English in more than one school and give the students same tasks about them. In term of doing collaborative writing, the teacher, under some circumstances, might suit the instruction in order that the students do the task collaboratively with others from different schools. To facilitate them to fast and efficiently share and brainstorm the ideas they are going to write, the text and audio-based chatting might be employed.
Similarly to the use of email in a mailing list group, text and audio chatting can also be implemented in an English ‘independent’ chatting group; a group in which the students create it by themselves and get involved in it under teachers’ guidance but without strict rules or controls from them. In this sort of virtual chatting club, the students can share whatever they want to, write and speak to other people at any parts of the world and at relatively the same time they can respond or receive responses from them.
ADVANTAGES
In teachers and students perspective, the use of emailing and chatting platforms in teaching English as a second or foreign language can bring some advantages. One of them is associated with authenticity of teaching materials. As they are virtually accessible just in a particular time but in plenty number of choices, there must be a guarantee that at the moment some or even many of them are becoming parts of our lives. In accessing the materials, moreover, the students can mostly do it themselves independently so that they can choose whatever the materials that suit their real lives, interests and motivation to work with them. Preparing teaching materials in this way, therefore, can create authenticity of the materials in which it is one of the very important aspects to consider in teaching English as a second or foreign language.
As the authenticity of the materials is guaranteed and the way the teachers and students teach and learn them is different from the conventional one, many or even most of them might put great interest on the particular lessons. The teaching and learning process through this way, therefore, can give good impact on the improvement of the students’ language writing and speaking skills.
In accordance to the use of emailing and chatting platforms, the students might also acquire additional skills other than language skills. As the main parts of assisting tools used in emailing and chatting are computers and internetworking systems, the students might coincidently study some computerizing and virtual skills when they are working with them. As a result, they are not only capable in English writing and speaking but also in computer literacy.
Another advantage of using the virtual programmes exists in cross cultural understanding. It is undeniable that many teachers might get difficulties in introducing the students a certain value of cultures or customs of those who speak English as their native language. It is due to the limited access to get appropriate literatures or references particularly in the countries in which English is thought as a second or foreign language. Apart from it, it is believed that the best reference for studying these particular things is by socializing with those who speak the language. For that reason, emailing and chatting, therefore, can create opportunity to socialize with them without having to physically contact them and finally the values of their cultures and customs can be learned authentically.
DISADVANTAGES
The disappearance of human’s non-verbal language is one of the disadvantages of using emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching. Because the two virtual communication facilities are operated in text and audio-based modes, it is impossible for the students to fully understand what their corresponding or speaking partners are communicating about. In term of managing oral communication, speaking while employing eye contacts, mimes, gesture or body movement will certainly give better impact in understanding what is being communicated, compared to the audio-based one. Consequently the communicators have to accurately and clearly state what they manage to communicate.
Another disadvantage of using emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching is associated with students’ tendency to deviate the language use from the standard or norm. When the students get involved in this virtual lines, their privacy is confidentially protected so that they can express whatever they want. Besides that, communicating with these two facilities need them to work fast. As a result, the students might create particular language symbols as they like and try to speculate or experiment ‘uncommon’ ways of using the language. Using too many slangs and over simplifying words or phrases are two of them. Amaida d’Eka (2003, p. 5) reported that A 13 year old Scottish girl, for example, once wrote a composition to her teacher stated as “My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-o kds FTF.ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc.” (Decoded text : “ My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and three screaming kids face to face. I love New York, it’s a great place.”
In addition, technical problems might also be categorized as disadvantages of implementing emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching. As the two virtual communication facilities are complimentary tools and operated in a ‘fairly’ complicated technology, it would be possible that while the teaching and learning process is in progress, the tools do not work as they are instructed to. As a result, it will trouble the teaching ‘scenario’ that the teachers have prepared (Skehan, 1985, p. 5)
CONCLUSSION
The use of computer-mediated communication, focussing on emailing and chatting platforms has been significantly implemented in a wide range of English as a second or foreign language teaching. Some of the implementations might be found in linguistic and non-linguistic aspects. In linguistic aspects, emailing and chatting can be used to teach writing and speaking skills; whereas, in non-linguistic aspects, they are applicable to introduce and teach the students particular social values and customs of those who speaks the language. As the teaching and learning process is mostly done on the basis of person-to-person computer-based interaction, the students might acquire not only English language skills but also computer literacy.
The implementation of the two sophisticated virtual tools does not only bring advantages to the ESL/EFL teaching but also disadvantages which are associated with the disappearance of human’s non verbal language, students’ tendency to deviate the use of the language and computerizing technical problems. Realizing these phenomena, it is, therefore, recommended that the use of these tools might work optimally if it is implemented in upper elementary classes in which the students’ English proficiency is adequate enough to support the learning process, and under such circumstances; proper guidelines in language use and having the mediating tools technically well prepared.
REFERENCES
Almeida d’Eka, T. 2003, ‘The Use of Chat in EFL/ESL’, Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language [online], vol. 7 no. 1, Available from URL: http;//writing.barkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej25/int.html [Acessed 10 June 2003]
Barta, B.Z. (ed.), 1998 Computer Mediated Communication of Information Technology Professional and Advanced End-Users, Elsevier Science Publisher, Amsterdam.
Bonnet, M. 1997, Computers in The Classroom : Some Values Issues in McFarlane (ed.) Information Technology and Authentic Learning, Routledge, New York.
Butler, C. 1985, Computers in Linguistics, Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford.
Cassel, D. & Jackson, M. 1981, Introduction to Computer and Information Processing, Reston Publishing Company Inc., Virginia.
Cook, V.J. 1985, Bridging the Gap Between Computers and Language Teaching in Brumpit, C.J. & Philips, M. (ed.) Computers in English Language Teaching, Pergamon Press and The British Council, Oxford.
Gilmour, L. (ed.) 1995, Collin Coincise Dictionary & Theasaurus, Harper Collins Publishers, Great Britain.
Gilster, P. 1993, The Internet Navigator, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Canada.
Honrby, A.S. 1995, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, 5th Edn, Oxford University Press, Great Britain.
This paper is intended to discuss how computer-mediated communication, focusing on emailing and chatting platforms can work in assisting process of learning and teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL).
Through a comprehensive study on some related literatures combined with writer’s empirical experiences in using them, it is found that emailing and chatting can help teachers and students in teaching and learning ESL/EFL both in its lingual and non lingual aspects. In lingual aspects, teachers may use them in teaching writing and speaking skills as well as social cultural values or customs of those speak the language. In non lingual aspects, furthermore, teachers may immersed teaching computer operating skills to the ESL/EFL teachnings so that the teacher’s and student’s computer literacy may get improved.
Although the implementation of the two sophisticated virtual tools can be of a help to teach both lingual and non lingual aspects of ESL/EFL, the use of these tools may not optimally work in teaching them due to the disappearance of human’s non verbal language, students’ tendency to deviate the use of the language and the occurance of computerizing technical problems when implementing them. It is, therefore, sugested that the use of the tools is to be implemented in upper elementary classes in which the students’ English proficiency is adequate enough to support the teaching and learning process, and under such circumstances; proper guidelines in language use and having the mediating tools technically well prepared.
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the potential use of computers as an aid to mediate a language teaching and it has been implemented in a wide range of applications such as ‘stylistic studies ‘, ‘lexicography’, ‘textual editing’ as well as the ‘preparation and presentation of language teaching material’ (Butler,1985, p.29-35, Cook, 1985, p. 13,). In teaching English as a second/foreign language-ESL/EFL, for instance, the use of computers is relatively new for some ESL/EFL teachers and it might be manifested interactively in some different ways. One of them is that by employing what it is called as ‘computer-mediated communication-CMC’ (Bonnet, 1997 p. 146, Almeida d’Eca, 2003).
WHAT IS COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION ?
In order to deeply comprehend what a computer-mediated communication is, it is very important to firstly make a clarification about the two terms; computer and communication. Gilmour (1995, p. 174, 179) explains that computer is “an electronic device that process data according to a set of instructions”. Communication, in addition, is an action of “exchanging (thoughts) or make known (information or feelings) by speech, writing or other means”. In relation to the definitions, Hornby (1995, p. 230, 235) defines the two terms similarly to what Gilmour interprets. He states that computer is “an electronic device for storing and analysing information fed into it, for calculating, or for controlling machinery automatically”. Communication, furthermore, is “the action or process of communicating”.
Having understood the two terms, it is clear now that computer-mediated communication is used to refer to an action or process of communicating, exchanging or making known of thoughts, feelings or information by speech, writing or other means which is mediated by an electric device based on a set of instructions given to it. As it is an action or process of communicating or exchanging information which is primarily done by speech and/or writing, the electronic device used to create it needs to have minimal functions; to mediate the users in creating the messages and as a network(s) for sending and receiving the messages at any time and across distances (Johnson, 1991, p. 74) The technology that makes it possible to occur is known as “internetworking; it creates a universality among disparate systems, enabling the networks and computers to communicate” (Laquey, 1994, p. 5).
Internetworking consists of a set of application programs that enables ESL/EFL teachers to optimize its use in teaching English as a second or foreign language. Two of the internet application programs are ‘electronic mail’ and ‘synchronous communication tool which is commonly known as chat platform’ (Gilster, 1993 p.21, Almeida d’Eca, 2003, p.1).
ELECTRONIC MAIL AND ITS APPLICATION IN ESL/EFL TEACHING
Electronic mail or it is often called email is a ‘software programme’ which is able to deliver visual or digital written-based messages from senders to receivers using computer internetworking as its medium. There are basically three categories of an emailing system is currently used; ‘facsimile’, ‘communicating word processors’ and ‘computer-based message system’. Each of the system has its own functions and communicating word processors nowadays get most attention from users. It is because they can be implemented in ‘intra office’ and ‘inter office’ so that it enables the users to send messages locally and around the world (Caseel & Jackson, 1981, p. 541-542, Gilster, 1993, p. 129-131, Barta, 1993 p. 325, Laquey, 1994, p. 47, Kurshan, 1994, p. 11-13).
As emailing is a ‘fast and efficient’ way of communicating visual or digital written-based messages using worldwide computer internetworking system as its mediator (Caseel & Jackson, 1981, p. 542, Quarterman & Mitchell, 1994, p. 1), its functions might be more than just sending and receiving mails but there must be a possibility to use it in assisting ESL/EFL teachers and students to teach and learn particular writing skills in an authentic way in which it involves interest, motivation and societal and cultural values of theirs. Liaw (2003, p. 7-8) reported that the use of email correspondence between Taiwanese EFL student teachers; those who are being trained to be EFL teachers, and ESL pre-service teachers in the U.S. had fostered cross cultural understanding among them.
In teaching particular skill like writing English application letters, for instance, the use of email as a part of computer worldwide internetworking system might assist teachers and students to work on an authentic teaching and learning materials and in an authentic way; efficient and effective so that it produces better output (Zarnuji, 2003, p. 17). It is quite reasonable as in a particular situation, the teachers and students are not only supposed to teach and learn how to write but also how to reply the application letters using authentic materials. As it is fairly difficult to find such materials in countries where English is not spoken as a first or formal language, many ESL/EFL teachers and students find difficulties in accessing the materials. By using email in which at the same time the internetworking system is online, the teachers can ask the students to access some sorts of job occupancy advertisements from any websites and take them as references for practising to write and reply application letters.
Another sort of email application in ESL/EFL teaching might exist in students’ involvement in an English ‘mailing list’ group. In this virtual correspondence club, the teachers’ control might be very limited so that the students can freely share whatever they want to such as their hobbies, interests, study plans and even personal feelings with others using English as a medium of communication. As what the students communicate is not limited in a particular area, but it spreads at a wide range of fields and disciplines and it is closely related to their lives, the use of email in this particular way might give additional values on the ESL/EFL learning and teaching.
CHATTING AND ITS APPLICATION IN ESL/EFL TEACHING
Basically there is no significant distinction on the use of a ‘chat platform’ compared to the implementation of email in teaching English as a second or foreign language. The difference is only relying on the computer-based operating modes belong to them. Unlike email, chat platform can be operated not only in a ‘text chat’ mode but also in ‘audio’ and ‘video’ modes. Chat text-based mode, however, is faster in its speed compared to email and the most widely used in education nowadays (Almeida d’Eka, 2003, p. 2). As each of the three modes has its own eases and difficulties to operate and video is the latest and the most ‘complicated’ one to work with, the discussion about this will be focused only on the two modes; text and audio-based chatting.
Text and audio-based chatting is a ‘two-way form’ of computer-mediated communication which involves minimally two people as writers and speakers who interchangeably keyboard and converse a dialogue in every time they want to, using online internetworking system. Since the communication can be done by writing and speaking to native or non-native English speakers and in every time they need to through worldwide online internetworking system, the use of chat platforms might assist ESL/EFL teachers to teach ESL/EFL writing and speaking effectively and efficiently.
One of the implementation of using text and audio-based chatting to teach the two skills might be manifested in doing assigned task of ‘collaborative writing’ (Johnson, 1991, p. 72-73, Light & Littleton, 1998, p. 12, Almeida d’Eka, 2003, p. 3). It is not uncommon for an EFL teacher to teach particular skills of English in more than one school and give the students same tasks about them. In term of doing collaborative writing, the teacher, under some circumstances, might suit the instruction in order that the students do the task collaboratively with others from different schools. To facilitate them to fast and efficiently share and brainstorm the ideas they are going to write, the text and audio-based chatting might be employed.
Similarly to the use of email in a mailing list group, text and audio chatting can also be implemented in an English ‘independent’ chatting group; a group in which the students create it by themselves and get involved in it under teachers’ guidance but without strict rules or controls from them. In this sort of virtual chatting club, the students can share whatever they want to, write and speak to other people at any parts of the world and at relatively the same time they can respond or receive responses from them.
ADVANTAGES
In teachers and students perspective, the use of emailing and chatting platforms in teaching English as a second or foreign language can bring some advantages. One of them is associated with authenticity of teaching materials. As they are virtually accessible just in a particular time but in plenty number of choices, there must be a guarantee that at the moment some or even many of them are becoming parts of our lives. In accessing the materials, moreover, the students can mostly do it themselves independently so that they can choose whatever the materials that suit their real lives, interests and motivation to work with them. Preparing teaching materials in this way, therefore, can create authenticity of the materials in which it is one of the very important aspects to consider in teaching English as a second or foreign language.
As the authenticity of the materials is guaranteed and the way the teachers and students teach and learn them is different from the conventional one, many or even most of them might put great interest on the particular lessons. The teaching and learning process through this way, therefore, can give good impact on the improvement of the students’ language writing and speaking skills.
In accordance to the use of emailing and chatting platforms, the students might also acquire additional skills other than language skills. As the main parts of assisting tools used in emailing and chatting are computers and internetworking systems, the students might coincidently study some computerizing and virtual skills when they are working with them. As a result, they are not only capable in English writing and speaking but also in computer literacy.
Another advantage of using the virtual programmes exists in cross cultural understanding. It is undeniable that many teachers might get difficulties in introducing the students a certain value of cultures or customs of those who speak English as their native language. It is due to the limited access to get appropriate literatures or references particularly in the countries in which English is thought as a second or foreign language. Apart from it, it is believed that the best reference for studying these particular things is by socializing with those who speak the language. For that reason, emailing and chatting, therefore, can create opportunity to socialize with them without having to physically contact them and finally the values of their cultures and customs can be learned authentically.
DISADVANTAGES
The disappearance of human’s non-verbal language is one of the disadvantages of using emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching. Because the two virtual communication facilities are operated in text and audio-based modes, it is impossible for the students to fully understand what their corresponding or speaking partners are communicating about. In term of managing oral communication, speaking while employing eye contacts, mimes, gesture or body movement will certainly give better impact in understanding what is being communicated, compared to the audio-based one. Consequently the communicators have to accurately and clearly state what they manage to communicate.
Another disadvantage of using emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching is associated with students’ tendency to deviate the language use from the standard or norm. When the students get involved in this virtual lines, their privacy is confidentially protected so that they can express whatever they want. Besides that, communicating with these two facilities need them to work fast. As a result, the students might create particular language symbols as they like and try to speculate or experiment ‘uncommon’ ways of using the language. Using too many slangs and over simplifying words or phrases are two of them. Amaida d’Eka (2003, p. 5) reported that A 13 year old Scottish girl, for example, once wrote a composition to her teacher stated as “My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-o kds FTF.ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc.” (Decoded text : “ My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and three screaming kids face to face. I love New York, it’s a great place.”
In addition, technical problems might also be categorized as disadvantages of implementing emailing and chatting platforms in ESL/EFL teaching. As the two virtual communication facilities are complimentary tools and operated in a ‘fairly’ complicated technology, it would be possible that while the teaching and learning process is in progress, the tools do not work as they are instructed to. As a result, it will trouble the teaching ‘scenario’ that the teachers have prepared (Skehan, 1985, p. 5)
CONCLUSSION
The use of computer-mediated communication, focussing on emailing and chatting platforms has been significantly implemented in a wide range of English as a second or foreign language teaching. Some of the implementations might be found in linguistic and non-linguistic aspects. In linguistic aspects, emailing and chatting can be used to teach writing and speaking skills; whereas, in non-linguistic aspects, they are applicable to introduce and teach the students particular social values and customs of those who speaks the language. As the teaching and learning process is mostly done on the basis of person-to-person computer-based interaction, the students might acquire not only English language skills but also computer literacy.
The implementation of the two sophisticated virtual tools does not only bring advantages to the ESL/EFL teaching but also disadvantages which are associated with the disappearance of human’s non verbal language, students’ tendency to deviate the use of the language and computerizing technical problems. Realizing these phenomena, it is, therefore, recommended that the use of these tools might work optimally if it is implemented in upper elementary classes in which the students’ English proficiency is adequate enough to support the learning process, and under such circumstances; proper guidelines in language use and having the mediating tools technically well prepared.
REFERENCES
Almeida d’Eka, T. 2003, ‘The Use of Chat in EFL/ESL’, Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language [online], vol. 7 no. 1, Available from URL: http;//writing.barkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej25/int.html [Acessed 10 June 2003]
Barta, B.Z. (ed.), 1998 Computer Mediated Communication of Information Technology Professional and Advanced End-Users, Elsevier Science Publisher, Amsterdam.
Bonnet, M. 1997, Computers in The Classroom : Some Values Issues in McFarlane (ed.) Information Technology and Authentic Learning, Routledge, New York.
Butler, C. 1985, Computers in Linguistics, Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford.
Cassel, D. & Jackson, M. 1981, Introduction to Computer and Information Processing, Reston Publishing Company Inc., Virginia.
Cook, V.J. 1985, Bridging the Gap Between Computers and Language Teaching in Brumpit, C.J. & Philips, M. (ed.) Computers in English Language Teaching, Pergamon Press and The British Council, Oxford.
Gilmour, L. (ed.) 1995, Collin Coincise Dictionary & Theasaurus, Harper Collins Publishers, Great Britain.
Gilster, P. 1993, The Internet Navigator, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Canada.
Honrby, A.S. 1995, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, 5th Edn, Oxford University Press, Great Britain.
Australia, 17 November 2003
Penulis,
Syamsul Aematis Zarnuji
Student of Gradcert. in TESOL-Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages
Student of Gradcert. in TESOL-Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages
The University of Southern Queensland-USQ
Toowoomba, Australia
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