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 Information technology equipment has developed so rapidly that it is now possible to have multi-sensory class room environment. Students can experience visual images, text, animation, and sound – all sorts of sensory experiences. The commonly listed advantages include the fact that students: can learn and develop at different rates, can become proficient at accessing, evaluating and communicating information, can increase the quantity and quality of their thinking and writing, can develop artistic expression, become globally aware and access resources outside the school, become more comfortable and familiar with computer tools of Information Age.

   There are now technologies which are revolutionizing learning opportunities in schools still further, such as: computers which translate text-to-speech and speech-to-text, pen-based computing, virtual reality programs, wireless connectivity, and video conferencing using live audio and video on the WWW.

   However, it is important to keep these assertions in perspective. Non-computer based teaching can often be equally effective with students. The aim of learning situations is for students to develop a love of learning, not a love of multimedia per se (Atkins 1993). Also, the initial and maintenance costs for schools to purchase computing equipment are very high. There can be significant equity issues for many schools communities where funding sources are very limited.

   The Internet is a world wide connection of computers that can communicate (Gardner P.1997). Small contributing networks are connected together across the world and they all speak the same language (TCP/IP). Galbreath (1997) contends that the Internet and the WWW are moving at breakneck speed. As noted by Hahn and Stout (1994), the ’Internet is the first global forum and the first global library. Anyone can participate at any time: the Internet never closes’ (p. 4)

  It is a major boon to teachers and students because users can access information and media from all over the world almost instantly or co-operative projects (Jones 2000). Electronic mail can be sent to and received by others on the network. It can be used for exchanging private messages or for group-based communication. Email can also be a very valuable way to maintain interactions between a teacher and student in a different learning setting. When in formation is located on the WWW it can be downloaded onto the hard disk on the computer and then printed.

   The WWW now has a major role as a teaching tool. Internet videoconferencing (Fetterman 1996) is just one example of a development which could be an inexpensive boon for teachers and students. With the WWW Students can log on at any time of the day or night. WWW-based instruction is likely to occur more and more in schools.

   Table-top and laptop computers are present in almost all schools. There is now a huge range of CD-ROMs available including information products such as encyclopedias and reference materials and interactive games.  As an example, ‘Convict Fleet to Dragon Boat’ (Ripple Media 1998) is a CD-ROM which covers a 200-year period of Australian history. It provides video clips, interviews, profiles, music and games about the Aborigines, early Dutch explores, convicts, and recent immigrants from Europe and Asia.  

   Creative teachers will access a wide range of resources to accommodate the diverse range of interests and learning styles of their respective students. A difficulty for all teachers is to make informed choices from the wide range available. An ability to be skilled in searching (information literacy) is crucial. Although computers, CD-ROM disks and videotapes are likely to have a major impact in this new millennium, there are many other important resources including print material and community resources.

 

Atkins, M.J. (1993) ‘Evaluating interactive technologies for learning’, Journal of curriculum studies, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp.333-42.

Fetterman, D.M. (1996) ‘Videoconferencing on line: Enchancing communication over the Internet’, Educational Research, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 23-7.

 

Galbreath, J. (1997) “The Internet, past, present and future’, Educational Technology, Vol. 37, No. 6, pp. 39-45.

 

Gardner, P. (1997) Managing Technology in the Middle School Classroom, Hawker Brownlow, Melbourne.

 

Jones, B.D. (2000) Recommendations for implementing internet inquiry projects, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 271-91

 

The paper examines how context is configured in ESL students' language learning practices through computer-mediated communication (CMC). Specifically, the author focused on how a group of ESL students jointly constructed the context of their CMC activities through interactional patterns and norms, and how configured affordances within the CMC environment mediated their learning experiences. After a brief review of relevant studies of CMC in the literature, the author discussed ecological perspectives of language learning as a core construct of this study, to explain contextual fluidity in relation to learners' agency in their learning. Next, the author presented an ethnographic study of how members of an ESL class constructed a community of social practices through synchronous CMC. The findings indicate that (a) the constructed interactional patterns and norms of the students' CMC activities represented group dynamics among the participants, (b) the participants' roles in joint construction of the activities reflected their language socialization experiences, and (c) the activities provided a way for spousal participants to assume academic identities, while becoming a social space for academic gatherings.

 

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