19th May 16.30-18.00
Venue: MB554
Professor David Nunan (University of Hong Kong)
Abstract
Technology has supported second language pedagogy for many years. In the 1960s and 1970s, language laboratories provided drill-based practice to support audiolingualism; the dominant methodology of the day. In the 1980s, videotapes became increasingly common, and computers made their first appearance in the classroom . However, it was in the 1990s, with the explosion in Internet use and the emergence of the World Wide Web that technology became ubiquitous.
In this presentation, I want to look at the ways that Internet can support programmes for teaching foreign languages through distance learning. In particular, I will focus on technology as a provider of content, as a learning management tool and as a communication tool. I will also examine models of classroom organization, and suggest that technology has forced us to redefine our concept of the ‘classroom’. Finally, I will present and elaborate on seven areas of second language pedagogy where technology is demonstrably superior to face-to face instruction.
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