Đánh giá và ứng dụng một số phần mềm trình chiếu đa phương tiện trong thiết kế bài giảng môn tiếng

PART A: INTRODUCTION

I. RATIONALE:

It goes without saying that technology is all around us and it is inevitable to get in

contact with it in every single action of our lives. Whether we like it or not, we can hardly

deny the fact that technology has bettered our lives in an unprecedented way. Since its

appearance in our lives, technology have changed the way we live, the way we work, the

way we think, the way we entertain ourselves and the way we learn.

In education, particularly in the area of language teaching and learning, new terms

have been coined along with the arrival of technology. CALL (Computer Assisted

Language Learning), TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning), "educational

software", MPS (Multimedia Presentation Software) are now buzzwords in ELT. They

could be easily caught in publications, language websites, online forums and daily

conversations among language teachers. It is impossible for language teachers to carry on

their jobs without technological applications. Consequently, the question left is not

whether to accept technology or not but how to make the best of it.

It is partly for this deep-rooted reason that the author decided to conduct a study on

how to better the technological application, especially educational software to design

lectures. As a teacher of English at Faculty of Information Technology - Thai Nguyen

University (FIT -TNU) working with IT students, the author enjoys the advantages of IT in

her job. Investigating CALL applications in ELT has long been pursued by her. As a

matter of fact, this issue has been discussed a lot in literature but such research into MPS

applications in English teaching and learning at TNU is quite few. Furthermore, the credit￾based training system has been adopted at FIT -TNU, which allows more outside

classroom self-study and less in-class lessons. Therefore, teachers of English need to

increase in utilizing technology to make the best use of in-class hours. All above￾mentioned reasons have motivated the author to carry out the research in evaluating MPS

to design English lectures for second- year students at FIT - TNU.

ii. Aims of the study

The study aims at the following targets:

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 Studying the influence of CALL applications in English teaching and learning in

general and the extent to which MPS can assist English learning and teaching.

 Evaluating the uses of some MPS in English teaching and learning, especially the

use of Microsoft Producer in comparison with Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe

Presenter and Articulate Presenter.

 Applying and assessing Microsoft Producer in designing English lectures at FIT -

TNU.

iII. Research questions

In order to achieve above-mentioned aims, the study focuses on answering the

research questions: Do MPS facilitate the design of English lectures at FIT - TNU? More

specifically, it aims to address the following sub-questions:

(i) Research sub-question 1: How has MPS been exploited in designing English

lectures?

(ii) Research sub- question 2: How has Microsoft Producer software been evaluated

in comparison with other MPS?

(iii) Research sub- question 3: How has Microsoft Producer software been applied

and assessed in designing English lectures at FIT - TNU?

IV. Methods of the study

The subjects for this study are four representative MPS: Microsoft Producer,

Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter 7.0 and Articulate Presenter 09. Based on

methodological framework created by reliable software evaluators, these MPS are

compared and analyzed both objectively and subjectively on the author's real experiences

of teaching General English for the second-year students learning at FIT - TNU.

After these MPS evaluations, an application and assessment of the best-evaluated

MPS, Microsoft Producer, will be implemented in designing English lectures at FIT -

TNU.

V. Scope of the study

It would bee too ambitious for this minor thesis to cover all aspects of CALL in

English teaching and learning. Thus, the author would like to focus only on evaluating four

MPS: Microsoft Producer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter 7.0 and Articulate

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Presenter 09. Especially, Microsoft Producer software will be evaluated to be applied and

assessed in designing English lectures for second-year students at FIT - TNU.

VI. Design of the study

The study includes three main parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion.

Introduction presents the rationale, the scope, the methodology and the design of

the study.

Development consists of three chapters:

 Chapter I gives the theoretical background of the study with the theories related to

CALL software in EFL in general and multimedia presentation software (MPS)

used in designing English lectures in particular.

 Chapter II details the evaluation of MPS in English teaching and learning and

Microsoft Producer applications in designing English lectures at FIT - TNU.

 Chapter III is centered on Microsoft Producer software applications and

assessment in English teaching and learning at FIT - TNU.

Conclusion provides the main findings of the study and proposes the limitations of

the study and suggestions for further research.

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

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