Advantages of Integration of Multimedia Network and Interactive

English Teaching

Juan Lei

School of foreign languages, Leshan Normal University, Leshan, Sichuan, 614000, China

Keywords: Multimedia Network, interactive teaching, English teaching; integration.

Abstract: Multimedia technology has been widely used in current teaching with a certain progress in the application.

But there are still some misunderstandings. Teaching effect has been undesirable for a long time due to

improper application and heavy dependence on multimedia. With the advancement of science and

technology, multimedia is bound to be more and more used in teaching. Multimedia can play a better role

only with current problems overcome. In this work, advantages and disadvantages of multimedia network

teaching were analyzed at the start. The advantages of integration of multimedia network and interactive

English teaching were then thoroughly researched for the innovation of teaching mode.

1 INTRODUCTION

As a tool of modernization, multimedia has brought

a lot of convenience for teaching. But

misunderstanding existing for a long time has led to

some deficiency in teaching with multimedia.

Efficient classroom can be promoted with these

problems overcome and current interactive teaching

integrated (Zhao Tiantian, 2014).

2 ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES OF

TEACHING WITH

MULTIMEDIA NETWORK

2.1 Analysis based on classroom

capacity

Large capacity is the most obvious characteristic of

multimedia teaching. Large capacity teaching with

multimedia is helpful for control of classroom

rhythm and increase of knowledge quantity.

However, there are also disadvantages of blind

pursue for large capacity in current multimedia

teaching. For example, “The Olympic Games” and

“Computer” can be finished in just one class. But

with ignorance of main body role and acceptance

ability, students cannot actually absorb all, although

teacher passes on the knowledge in great quantities

(Lei Hongyu, 2013).

2.2 Analysis from interesting in

teaching

With a large number of videos, images and cases,

multimedia teaching stimulates the students’ senses,

greatly mobilizing students’ interest in learning.

Students’ learning enthusiasm and efficiency can be

improved to some extent. However, more attention

is paid on the ornamental value of courseware

currently. In order to attract students, some teachers

make the courseware gaudy. What really attracts

students is the courseware instead of imparted

knowledge. The order is reversed. In another words,

students often concentrate on the interesting

pictures, rather than knowledge.

For example, some practical cases, videos or

pictures of winning, fun in The Olympic Games are

used in teaching “The Olympic Games”. Students’

enthusiasm of learning can be mobilized with

advanced multimedia (Song Weichao, 2014). But

too much multimedia materials can make the

secondary supersede the primary. Students can

ignore real learning of language in English teaching,

only pondering The Olympics Games.

107

Lei J.

Advantages of Integration of Multimedia Network and Interactive English Teaching.

DOI: 10.5220/0006444801070110

In ISME 2016 - Information Science and Management Engineering IV (ISME 2016), pages 107-110

ISBN: 978-989-758-208-0

107

2.3 Analysis based on interaction and

students’ participation

The chief requirement of current curriculum reform

is to exert the principal role of students, making

students fully involved in the classroom. The

classroom efficiency greatly can increase with the

help of multimedia courseware. But interaction

between teachers and students is partly limited for

the difficulty of courseware production and

modification. Teachers are hard to timely solve the

emergencies with stiff multimedia courseware,

bringing a rigid classroom.

Modern multimedia classroom or voice

classroom can improve some interaction to a certain

extent. But with disconnection to the Internet,

students are difficult to obtain new knowledge by

using multimedia technology. If connected, students

trend to do something irrelevant to the class.

3 ADVANTAGES OF

INTEGRATION OF

MULTIMEDIA NETWORK AND

INTERACTIVE ENGLISH

TEACHING

Multimedia network is an advanced teaching

method, while interactive teaching is a new teaching

concept. Integration of the both takes their

respective advantages, promoting efficiency of

English classroom.

3.1 Better situation establishment

A situation is often needed in interactive English

teaching for the requirements of the new curriculum

reform. Students can better understand English in a

situation in which teacher and students participating

together. For the big difference between English and

Chinese, there is a certain difficulty on

establishment situation sometimes. But with the aid

of multimedia network, English situation can be

relatively easy to create. Student can better learn

English knowledge through data collection and

interaction.

For example, in the class “I have a dream”,

students are hard to understand Martin Luther

King’s speech for little comprehension of American

racial issues. With multimedia network, racial

discrimination is easy to reappear, making students

immersed in that time. Thus, students can better

realize meaning of the speech through identification

and communication.

3.2 Eliminating communication

barriers between teacher and

students

Being shy or afraid to communicate with teachers

directly makes a big communicational obstacle

between students and teacher. Especially in English

learning, students are usually shy for unskilled

grammar and oral expression defects, fearing to

communicate with teacher. It is unfavorable to

improve classroom efficiency for teacher knowing

just a little about students’ learning. More encourage

from teacher contributes to cultivate students’ sense

of participation and courage. Multimedia network

helps students eliminate obstacles of interaction.

When talking about “Friendship”, teacher asks

some questions, such as “You want to see a very

interesting film with your friend, but your friend

cannot go until he/she finishes cleaning his/her

bicycle, what he do?” Uncomfortableness of

students can be avoided with multimedia network

platform when students talk directly facing teacher

and other students. Thus they can communicate

better.

3.3 Teacher and students playing their

roles

It has come to a common view of the roles that

teacher and students play in class under curriculum

reform. Students are viewed as main body, while

teacher is leading factor. Teacher and students

should fully play the roles, respectively. With

multimedia network applied in classroom teaching,

teacher can easier to control classroom rhythm,

playing roles of guide, inspirator and dominantor.

With intense intellectual curiosity, students have

very strong interest in new things. Students’

curiosity and desire for knowledge can be stimulated

by using advanced multimedia network in

interactive English teaching. So that students are

more willing to be involved in classroom, better

learning knowledge and skills.

3.4 Learning from more teachers

Interactive classroom is not just confined to

interactions of teacher-to-students and students-to-

students. Interaction with more people through

network is also a connotation of interactive

classroom. New Oriental School and Crazy English

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are pacemakers in English education field in China.

But not everyone has the chance to contact with

them. Multimedia network sets up a platform for

improvement of teachers and students.

Teacher can learn peers’ experience on

multimedia network platform, enriching his own

teaching contents. Besides, with communication to

peers, teacher can get resource sharing and effective

solution for teaching. Students can expand their

horizons and enrich knowledge with learning from

English classes in other schools and regions on this

platform.

3.5 Facilitating students to “go abroad”

The earth has become a global village with

development of network. Students can obtain “face-

to-face” contact with people in foreign countries on

multimedia network platform. Thus, students can

really understand English. “Face-to-face”

communication is helpful to overcome phenomenon

of Chinglish(Chinese English) in daily learning.

Students can learn English more authentically.

English cannot be studied without understanding

of western culture. For long time affected by

Chinese culture, students know little about the

western culture. It makes students’ level of English

hard to improve. Establishing friendship with

western students, students in China can know more

about western culture and local conditions and

customs. Thus, English level of students can be

ascended quickly. Meanwhile, interaction between

young people is beneficial for learning knowledge,

as well as deepening friendship between Chinese

and western countries. Spreading Chinese culture

and learning from western cultural do great favor to

students themselves.

3.6 Promoting students’ quality and

ability

It is an era of quality-oriented education currently,

except for English teaching. English knowledge

should be passed on, such as grammar and syntax.

Besides, all-round development of students should

be promoted through teaching. Interactive English

teaching with multimedia network can arouse

students’ interests— actively participating in class.

As a result, students can better master knowledge of

English. Furthermore, students are more willing to

participate and to cooperate, increasing their thirst

for knowledge.

Students’ communication ability can be

cultivated on interactive platform, laying a

foundation for their future development. Students’

ability of expression can also be improved, so that

they can better adapt to society in the future. IQ and

EQ of students can be ascended at the same time.

Voice communications with western students

can exercise Chinese students’ speaking and

listening, while written communications can

improve their writing. Skills of equipment using can

also be better trained. For example, the word “can’t”

is usually typed as “can’ t” for misusing space key.

With more practice of computer, the mistake can be

avoided. Besides, through contact with network and

multimedia, students can correctly understand and

treat network.

4 INTEGRATION WITH

MULTIMEDIA NETWORK AND

INTERACTIVE ENGLISH

TEACHING

Multimedia without network is like water without

source, wood without root. Without necessary

equipment, function of multimedia can be

weakened, either. Multimedia network should be

well combined with interactive teaching in

accordance with the requirement of quality

education.

4.1 Guaranteeing necessary equipment

No housewife can cook a meal without a food and

vegetables. Even with strong ability of theory and

practice, one can be restricted to development

without necessary equipment. The abilities have to

be shelved. For better function in teaching and

combination with interactive teaching, multimedia

network should be guaranteed with necessary

equipments. Schools and related departments should

actively construct modern classrooms, such as

network multimedia classrooms and speech

classroom, with allowed conditions. Multimedia

network classroom is necessarily equipped with

computer and broadband network. These computers

should be connected in a local area network (LAN),

with installed software of demonstration and control.

Thus, teaching becomes lively and controllable,

convenient for interaction and rein.

4.2 Mastering necessary skills

Tool is only a reflection, not an equation to

productivity. Necessary skills are the support for

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equipment for modernization and interaction.

Otherwise, equipment can only be ornament.

Staff of multimedia classroom should

undoubtedly master configuration and maintenance

of hardware and installation of software. It is the

precondition for interactions of teacher-to-students

and students-to-students. Interactive communication

cannot be cut off with advanced software and

hardware technology and unobstructed network.

Classroom rhythm can also be timely controlled.

Teacher should correctly use modern equipment

in teaching, developing the role of advanced

equipment to the maximum. Necessary

communicational skills should be handled well to

interact with students. Courseware production and

oral English skills should be improved as well.

With multimedia network for interactive

teaching, English teachers first of all should practice

skills of courseware making, modification and using.

Input of English words is another necessary skill.

Teacher should also expertly master knowledge of

network and use of software and hardware for

smooth teaching. These skills will be precious

abilities and wealth of teacher himself.

Students, as the main body of class, are required

to grasp equipment operation skills, ensuring to

timely communicate with teacher and students.

Besides, use of some software, online learning and

English expression should also be mastered so as to

communicate with teacher and classmates and online

friends (especially British and American friends).

4.3 Setting up correct understanding

and idea

Only with correct understanding can practice be

guided correctly. As implementer in class, teacher

with correct understanding can implement correct

effective class. Teacher should change the old

teaching idea— teacher is the dominator in

classroom. Classroom should be enriched with equal

and interactive communication of teacher and

students, rather than teacher feeding students.

Furthermore, traditional understanding of

multimedia in English teaching should be changed

for better combination of multimedia and interactive

English teaching.

Students should set up correct understanding of

actively participation. With more interactive

communication with teacher and classmates,

students should improve participation awareness and

team cooperation consciousness. Despite of shyness

or fear, students should actively participate in

English classroom teaching. Moreover, students

should treat multimedia network as a tool for

learning knowledge, instead of a means of

amusement.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Integration of multimedia network and interactive

English teaching is different from traditional

teaching with multimedia. The front can overcome

disadvantage of multimedia teaching. Meanwhile,

the integration can also bring a lot of benefits for

teaching and all-round development of students.

Integration of multimedia network and interactive

English teaching needs joint efforts of schools,

teachers and students, with improvement in two

aspects— software and hardware.

REFERENCES

Lei Hongyu. Empirical research on effect on university

English listening and speaking ability with network

teaching— case in Qinzhou university, Journal of

Qinzhou University, 2013 (13): 54-57.

Song Weichao. Application of multimedia network

teaching in economic law teaching in secondary

vocational colleges, Wen Li Dao Hang, 2014 (3): 6.

Zhao Tiantian. Interactive principle of mode of

multimedia network English teaching in university,

China E-Commerce, 2014 (6): 142.

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