Using Technology to Learn to Speak Chinese

Abstract

Taking a holistic approach to the teaching/learning of speaking skills, this chapter attempts to demonstrate how technology can support the development of speaking skills in Chinese. It briefly discusses common difficulties experienced by CFL learners. It then presents how technology has been used to help CFL learners to develop speaking skills, following the framework proposed by Warschauer (2000) and Bax (2003). This article points to future developments in the area of technology-enhanced CFL teaching with more, collaborative projects, synchronous online tutorials, use of mobile devices; and crucially, the need for more technology-aware pedagogical training for CFL teachers. The authors, therefore, propose a new framework integrating technology, teacher presence, and authenticity of speaking opportunities.