Week 5: Language Learner Behavior in a Virtual Environment

My Reflection

This article is to compare different human behavior when people communicate online and a face-to-face situation. The research has stated that people show fewer inhibitions, display less social anxiety, and reduce their public self-awareness when they communicate online. Honestly, I have the same experience with the research. When I communicate online, I really feel less anxiety and I am willingly to talk. I agree online learning or a virtual learning is one of good method for second language acquisition. Online learning is good to motivate some shy students to learn second language.

I think the skill of a face-to-face conversation is more difficult than online communication. It is not only about the accent, but also the grammar, the content and the time. For example, if the native-speaker speaks very fast, the second language learner may not catch the meaning. Then, the second language learner may be no respond or may be respond wrongly to the native-speaker. It may create some hinders for their face-to-face communication.

Different second language learners may have different behaviors on online learning. They may well benefit from computer based language learning tasks or the learning outcome is poor.

Though there are many advantages of the online learning, I think a face-to-face conversation is better for second language acquisition. For example, if a native speaker talks with me, I will try my best to communicate with him. I feel a face-to-face communication could attract me and motivate me for second language acquisition. I may take the online learning is a supplementary method for second language acquisition. I also agree at least the virtual environment can work as scaffolding for second language acquisition

Finally, this article gives me an alert of students’ behavior changes and the perception of students’ behavior when students are online learning.