Technology-enhanced language learning: A case study

Abstract

Abstract This study explores participant views regarding the integration of Internet tools in language learning activities. The descriptive study has illustrated the perceptions of a class of senior high school students regarding language learning in a technology environment. The subjects were 44 10th-grade male students and their teacher who together joined a technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) project in Taiwan known as “Advanced Joint English Teaching” (AJET). The students participated in six Internet-based teaching activities; group e-mailing, a Web-based course, an e-mail writing program, English homepage design, video-conferencing and chat room discussion. This study found that the AJET project provided the students with an opportunity to experience new technologies; learners experienced the pleasure of learning and thus increased their learning possibilities. The students liked and approved of learning English using the Internet, but had differing opinions about its benefits. The study demonstrated that learners bring different perspectives to TELL, and that learners who are passively oriented towards Internet English learning require careful guidance from pedagogical applications to this approach. Making students aware that learning English through multimedia technology demands new learning strategies and self-directed learning is a crucial first step. Some pedagogical suggestions are provided for effectively using computer networking in second- and foreign language classrooms.