INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON ENGLISH INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT
Webheads and CMC in Taiwanese
EFL Classrooms: Weaving it Together in Borderless
Education
Presenter: Aiden Yeh,
Ph.D candidate, Uni. of Birmingham
Affiliation: National
Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology
Abstract
Learners of English usually do
not acquire English simply by obtaining knowledge
about the language; they need practice and opportunities
to use the language. Teachers find themselves trying
to move away from the teaching of rules, patterns
and definitions towards teaching students how to communicate
genuinely, spontaneously and meaningfully. However,
providing experiences for contact with language in
context may prove difficult for foreign language teachers.
This is where CMC or Computer Mediated Communication
and Webheads, an online community of language learners
and educators, play a crucial role. Integrating technology
via CMC tools into the curriculum may provide a more
stimulating environment for students to experience
the target language. In this workshop, I will discuss
the relative roles and implications of CMCs and how
Webheads aid in the process of enhancing students’
communicative skills and motivation towards learning
English as a foreign language. I also intend to webcast
this workshop to allow Webheads members to join the
presentation online and will interact and share their
experiences with the live audience. The only way to
show how online tools can be applied in language classrooms
is by doing it.
Keywords: Computer-Mediated Communication, English
as a Foreign Language Instruction, Blended Learning,
Teaching methodology, Communicative competence, Online
communitie
