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floor in the same matrix as the seat arrangement in a traditional classroom. All
of sudden the teacher
has the difficulty reaching students. A multimedia laboratory is far larger than a traditional
classroom. Thus, the teacher needs to talk to students through the broadcasting system. The
"intimacy" between the student and the teacher is gone. All students can see is a teacher hiding
behind the control console.
Also, the communicative activities are different. In a traditional classroom, the teacher
provides the topic-specific situation for students to make use of language as much as they can.
Since the traditional classroom is far from any similarities to the real life situation, the teacher has
to tell students to use their imagination and place themselves in that situation. Nevertheless, the
multimedia laboratory offers the opportunity for students to visualize the situation. The computer
software creates a virtual world that is very similar to the real world. It is a world that you can see.
The role of teachers and students apparently change. The teacher assumes the role of coach or
director. He or she orchestrates the flow of communication for the whole class. However, the
teacher must realize that to some extent a teacher has been shared with the computer. In this study,
the computer software is not designed for teaching. Therefore, the intervention of computer in a
teacher's teaching is not very obvious yet. In case that learning-oriented computer software is used
in a multimedia laboratory, teachers have to be aware that students no longer depend on the only
source of knowledge. The computer software will "teach" students the knowledge that teachers are
supposed to teach. As a result, a teacher must transform his role from a coach or a director under the
communicative framework to a coordinator. The teacher coordinates the flow of communication
between the teacher and the student as well as between the student and the computer.
On the other hand, students should elevate their learning motivation and independence on
learning. Students' higher motivation is reflected by the interest of participation. When the
communicative task requires the student and his partner to complete the town building task on the
computer, the negotiation is initiated. Although they might not necessarily speak English when they
negotiate about the town building, some students felt the need to communicate in English. Also,
they felt that they could set the pace of learning. They did not have to finish the town building in
one hour. Rather, they would discuss with the partner and built the town according to their pace of
learning.
First, the choice of appropriate computer software that fits into the setting of a multimedia
laboratory is one of the keys to success. As discussed above, the setting of a multimedia laboratory
is different from a traditional classroom. Computer software is not used at all in a traditional
classroom. Textbooks and audio-tapes are the main teaching sources. They are still very helpful
teaching tools in a multimedia lab. However, the medium of teaching ought to go along with the
computers. The other dimension that should be taken into consideration is that the teaching tool is
also different in a multimedia laboratory. Chalks and blackboard are obsolete. The computer is the
most appropriate teaching tool in a multimedia laboratory. Accordingly, using computer software in
a multimedia laboratory should be fun and interactive.
Second, orientation is import. The problems come from two aspects. One is the computer
software itself. One extra job that students have to do is to learn how to manipulate the computer
software. For the first few weeks, students have to become familiar with the manipulation of the
computer software so that they can begin to make use of the software. Teachers should be aware of
the possible frustration resulting from the unfamiliarity of computer software. The student's
difficulties in the manipulation of the software usually undermine the students' interest in the class.
The computer software is completely new to students. Consequently, negative interactions between
students and the computer proved to be very frustrating for most students. They must experiment
playing with it. However, the teacher assistance will help them smooth out the difficulty and they
will be very glad to engage in all communicative activities based on the computer software.
The significance of the language laboratory has been much felt in the domain of
communication. We live in a multilingual and multicultural world, which is being shrunk to the
size of a village by the advancement of science and technology. The language laboratory exists to
help one to use technology effectively to communicate. It is not merely for learning a single