The Use of Multimedia in English Teaching *

The 21st century is an information age as well as knowledge economy age. The rapid development of information technology provides us with advanced teaching means multimedia. It is true that multimedia has many advantages in English teaching. The thesis consists of 4 part.

Due to the conventional teacher-centered and text-oriented teaching. the phenomenon that English learners have low motivation and low efficiency in English learning is very common. Facing the challenges and demand of new century, English is no longer something carried by a single English teacher, standing in front classroom where only have blackboard, chalk and tape recorder, transmitting information to a group of students by using traditional teaching ways. People who are good at multimedia have no idea about English teaching while some English teachers know little about multimedia. There are many questions when some English teachers use multimedia.

  
         The Definition of Multimedia
         Multimedia : the use of computers to present text, graphics, video, animation and sound in an integrated way.
          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.
           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.
           Graphics. It refers to images and pictures, such as chart, diagram and photograph which contain no movement.
           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.
           Sound. It is speech, music, or any other sound that is stored and produced by computers.
           Video. It is the visible part of a television transmission and broadcasts visual images of stationary or moving objects.

         The Setting of 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. 

• MPC - multimedia personal computer
• VCD / DVD player - video compound disk/digital video disk
• Amplifier and Hi-Fi acoustic system
• Overhead / slide projector
• Screen / curtain
• Projecting apparatus
• The Internet access
• Cassette tape recorder
• Camera recorder 

The Necessity of Multimedia in English Teaching. 

•  The Necessity of Development of Modern Education Technology. 

            We can say that modern education technology must lead to development of multi-media teaching. Only multimedia teaching can develop and improve the modern education technology well.

•  The Need of Quality Education

            Multimedia English teaching provides a good educational platform and adds vigor for quality education, enabling students to change and update their thinking from the traditional teaching, thereby enhancing the quality of all aspects.

•  The Need of Students' Cognitive Mental

             Cognitive psychology studies have shown that 94% of the information learned through the visual and auditory access, of which 88% is obtained through the vision 12% through hearing.

4) The Multimedia Teaching

Advantages          

         Arousing the students’ interest. Multimedia is this kind of media which can show a variety of sounds, image, animation, and other effects, firmly grasping the student’s interest. It also can stimulate the students’ interest strong desire to study English actively.

         Improving students’ self-learning ability. 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 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.

         Improving students’ innovative ability. Multi-media teaching can also develop student’s ability to innovate. 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.

         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. We can create real-life scenes in the classroom. 

        Increasing classroom capacity. 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.

Problem

            Multimedia breaks the original traditional model - “blackboard+chalk” model for us to create new modernized teaching methods to overcome the drawbacks of traditional teaching.

            Confusion. Some English classes are totally dependent on multi-media, ignoring the role of teachers. It would only demonstrate the results of other people, and just completely ignore the " teaching-centered " teaching thinking, completely change into a multimedia-centered thinking.

             Performance on behalf of the lead. Students only pay attention to appreciating the picture, and do not pay attention to what they should really master in the classroom. 

             Lack of special skill. There are many multimedia teachers who just have half-baked knowledge. It is a challenge for teachers to use multimedia equipments sometime.

             Over-use of multimedia. They turn the multimedia classroom into a show stage and what they act in class is nothing but a new generation of button-pusher. Because of the teacher’s lack of enthusiasm and creation and his or her dependence on the multimedia technology, the teachers act as sole information-giver to the students.

             Lack of interaction between teachers and students. In the English class it is found the interaction and busy with machine operation—computer, DVD player, overhead projector, course ware - which might even get the proficient teachers busy, let alone those unskilled. The teachers will pay much attention to machine rather than students.

Strategies for Using Multimedia

               Combining Modern Teaching Method With Traditional Teaching Methods 

Teachers should combine their strong points with modern teaching methods, which not only raise classroom teaching quality and efficiency, but also improve teaching and learning environment between teachers and students.

                Viewing Multimedia as the Assistance to Teaching

That mean not every class need multimedia teaching. One important principle is: When simple is best, keep it simple. Therefore, multimedia can only be used as a supplement to classroom English teaching.

                Building the Ideal Relationship Between Teachers and Students

It is more challenging role for teachers now that the expectations are more complex. In other words, in the information age, the role of teachers has evolved, moving from a traditional teaching role (being the "holder" of knowledge) to being "facilitators" when learners take advantages of the true potential of multimedia as learning tools.

                Strengthening Teacher Training 

 It is a challenge for teachers using multimedia because of heavy preparation work and increasing workload. In the light of the  problems the teachers should be trained with the use of modern equipment.

               The Principles of Multimedia-Assisted Teaching

(1) Scientific principles. Namely, courseware design cannot appear any error.

(2) Subsidiary principles. We must always adhere to: Although multi-media teaching has many advantages, it is only a supplementary means, and does not substitute for the role of people.

(3) Interactivity principle. More interactivity between teachers and students, students and multimedia, more effective results we will have.

(4) Combination principle. Combine the advantages of modern teaching and the traditional teaching organically.