Teach English in Huangdun Zhen - Rizhao Shi

Computers have caught the world by storm. They are used everywhere. Even the easiest tasks are done by computers nowadays. Computers, in fact, do make our lives easier. One does not have to tire oneself by thinking, remembering or doing calculations. However, there is also a drawback to this: namely the human aspect. People, nowadays, prefer spending their leisure time on the computer - playing games, chatting or surfing the net - to meeting friends and relatives. This is also the case with students. Students tend to spend their times on the computer even if they have homework to do or have to study. That is, they come to school for some hours and the rest of the day is mostly computers. Since computers are so popular with students the teachers should take advantage of this. This could be done by having the students do their homework on the computer which would assist them in learning writing or, perhaps, do a project presentation by surfing the net which would encourage them to speak. Doing homework using computers has a lot of advantages. Firstly, the students will start to feel more confident in themselves because they not only learn the language but also adapt it to their interest which is spending time and communicating using the computer. Secondly, there are certainly a number of topics, especially in the high-speed developing technology, that require but are also best taught using computers. Writing emails, sending text messages via social media, commenting or writing reviews would definitely best work if done using a computer. Therefore, instead of asking the students to write an email or a review on their notebooks, teachers might just as well have them send emails to him/her. Even stories could be sent as an attachment via email. This way the students will not only be learning how to write but also some do’s and don’ts of using computers to communicate. When doing a project presentation using the internet, students actually will practice presentations in English as well as communicate their opinions in public. However, teachers should keep in mind that while on one hand internet contains a lot of information which is not necessarily correct, on the other hand students can copy the information just as it is. Therefore, before giving the assignment, teachers should explain to their students what exactly they are asked to do so that the students will not have to waste time and energy in searching, probably finding, everything about the topic but will know what exactly to look for. Another important point is to make it clear to students that they have to look through different sites and compare the information they find and finally choose the one that would best suit the purpose. This way the students will have to work through and will not just copy and paste and sit back. Moreover, it is crucial to explain to students that they should, in no way, write down every piece of information they find. They should select the most important points and note them down. They should also include as many pictures as possible so that their project paper would not look blank or dry. Afterwards comes the presentation. Having the student present the project is the best way of evaluating their work. For a student to be able to present the project properly, it is absolutely necessary that they do the project/presentation on their own or at least study it. The students should be able to explain all the notes they have taken or the pictures they have used in their presentation. Furthermore, the presentation part should involve also "questions from the audience" or a debate, that is, the other students will have some time to think and ask questions about anything they would feel like they have not understood (about that particular topic, obviously) or perhaps contradict the point of view of the student presenting the project. Therefore, the student presenting the project should be prepared, before hands, and be able to answer the questions put to them or convince the others about their own point of view. During the whole presentation part, the teacher should only observe and make mental notes. They should not take notes in their books since this will discourage the students. They could, perhaps, take some minor parts in the debate or ask a question or two, just to make their students understand that they are listening. To conclude, since computers have become like a part of our lives why not use them in our lessons. Moreover, having a student do a project by using the computer or send an actual email will certainly be quite a good experience for the student, and it will definitely make the lesson or correction easier for the teacher and more pleasant for the other students.