Educational Technology and Language Teaching: Research on the Application of Videos and Computers

One of the major problems with the use of educational technology in China is the lack of qualified teachers who know their academic field and the application of instructional technology as well. This problem inhibits the improvement of the Chinese instructional environment and the development of the Chinese educational cause. The purpose of this research paper is to present some of the most current research in the effective use of educational technology in foreign language teaching with the focus on two technologies: video and computer. Concerning video technology, different learning styles and the implications for language learning are analyzed; the benefit from using videos and applications involving videos used in semantics teaching and videos used in culture teaching in the second language classroom are presented. Regarding computer technology, the teaching /learning philosophy of computer assisted language learning (CALL) is discussed. After that the overall computer uses in CALL are described with capabilities of computer-based technology, and then CALL material design and CALL applications to the teaching of writing are explored. Some suggestions are given on how to fit educational technology into foreign language teaching in China in order to create a rich instructional environment and to achieve ,optimum learning