In our independent and developing country, an important priority is education. Everyone knows that the future lies in hands of well-trained and educated specialists. High indices of globalization growth and the world market shows how knowledge of foreign languages are important for the economic and cultural sphere. This is a reason why learning English is so activity around the world, as it comes one of world languages and gives freedom and wide choice of opportunities as well as all other languages.
Moreover, out of my English teaching experience I can tell with confidence that expressing the own ideas and thoughts publicly, especially in a foreign language, is a difficult process, from both with linguistic, and the psychological point of view for pupils. Occasionally, they can`t accurately formulate their thoughts, pick up necessary language means, as well as feel guilty and nervousness during their performances.
In recent years, teachers of a foreign language have considerable independence in a choice of tutorials, creative judgment of the contents and ways of implementation of program requirements. It should be mention is that, leading position of training in a foreign language is held by the methods and technologies based on personally focused approach by recognizing existence of various methods in modern process
Modem education system more and more actively uses information technologies and computer telecommunications. Distant education system is dynamically developing followed by number of factors, first of all — the fitting out of educational institutions with powerful computer technology and expansion of Internet community.
The development of information technologies has given a new unique show in teaching — introduction of distant education system. This system firstly lets the student choose individually the time and place for study, secondly, gives the opportunity to study the people who are unable to get the traditional knowledge due to some reasons, thirdly, use of new and modem information technologies, the fourth, reduces education expenses in some certain degree. On the other hand, the distant education increases the ability of education individualization.
It is well-known that electronic books are used in distant education. The advantages of these books to our opinion are firstly in their mobility, secondly, in their availability with development of computer nets, and adequacy to the level of modem science progress. Again, usage of electronic books leads to the solution of such problem as constant information updating. These books can contain a great number of exercises and samples, different kinds of information can be illustrated in detail. Besides that, electronic books help to take computer testing.
Electronic books usage has proved the qualitative learning as test results have shown. Thus, information technologies development gives big opportunity to form new methodics in education and hereby improve its quality.
Hypertext is a non-linear representation of textual information. There are somehow accented text prices in hypertext which are connected with the certain parts of text. Thus, user does not just look through pages consequently but he can choose another path following some links, i.e. he manages information retrieval process himself There can be images, video and sound stored in hypermedia system.
Hypertext technology answers the structure and usability requirements for learning materials. This material as a book can be easily uploaded to any server and it can be easily edited. However they often exhibit flaw design, not W'ell-organized structure and etc.
Nowadays we can number many hypertext formats, among them are HTML, PHP, DHTML and many others.
Creation of world-wide computer network called “Internet” (literally “international network”) is one of the most revolutionary achievements of last decades which has greatly influenced educational processes throughout the world. Using cyberspace for educational purposes is a totally new direction of general didactics and methodics, because ongoing changes in educational process affect everything from work styles and methods to the educational level requirements.
Modern computers are efficient tools for optimization of mental labor of any kind; this is the reason for total computerization of education.
“Computer’s lack of soul is mostly noticed when using it as an education tool for transferring knowledge. Machine can interact with user in “friendly” manner and support him; however, it never becomes irritated or bored. Computers are probably mostly useful in this sense for individualization of certain aspects of education”, say R. Williame and K. Mackley, “Computers in school”.
The main purpose of learning foreign languages in primary school is creation of communication skills, while every other aim is achieved as secondary in this process.
Communicative approach assumes learning to communicate and development of inter-culture relations capability which is the basis of Internet.
Internet is useless without communication. It is international and cross-cultural society based on electronic communication of millions of people throughout the world speaking simultaneously. This is the greatest conversation. Plugging into which we create a real life conversation model at the lessons of foreign language.
Communicating in real lingual surroundings provided by Internet students find themselves in real life situations. Involved in solution of significant, realistic, interesting and approachable tasks students learn how to react them spontaneously and adequately which stimulates the creation of original statements, not stereotyped lingual forms manipulation.
The primary importance is attached to understanding, rendering of the meaning and expressing the sense. This one gives the reason to study foreign language structure and vocabulary. Thus, students' attention is concentrated on the using of grammar forms more than on the forms themselves, and learning grammar is performed indirectly, by means of immediate intercourse, excepting abstract grammar rules learning.
Computer is loyal to the variety of students’ answers, it doesn’t accompany students’ work with laudatory or censuring comments, it develops their independence and creates a good social- psychological atmosphere at the lesson, providing them with self-confidence, which is considered to be an important factor of developing their identity.
The development of today’s education is organically related to the rise of its information potential. This property determines a great extent of both the direction of education’s evolution and the future of the whole society.
For the most successful orienting in the world-wide information space it’s necessary for students to acquire the information culture as well as the computer-display culture, as the priority of information searching is more and more often given to Internet.
As an information system Internet offers to the users varieties of resources and information. A basic service set may include e-mail, teleconferences (Usenet), videoconferences, the ability of publishing own information, creating own homepage and hosting it at a web-server, information resources access, reference catalogs (Yahoo!, InfoSeek/UltraSmart, LookSmart, Galaxy); search systems (Alta Vista, HotBob, Open Text, WebCrawler, Excite), conversation in the network or chat. These resources can be actively used at the lesson. Acquiring the communicative and intercultural competence is impossible without communication practice, and using Internet resources at foreign language lessons in this sense is indispensable: the virtual media of Internet allows passing through time and space limits giving to its users the ability of authenticable communication with real speakers on topics actual for both sides. However, it is necessary to remember that Internet is only a subsidiary technical feature of learning and in order to achieve the optimal results its use should be competently integrated in the lesson process.
References:
1. Composition in convergence the impact of new media on writing assessment Diane Penrod, Netlibrary, Inc Mahwah, NJ; L. Elbaum, 2005
2. Using blogs to enhance literacy: the next powerful step in 21st century learning Diane Penrod Laham, Md. Rowman and Littlefield Education, 2007
