CMC in ELT

CMC in ELT: Theories and Practices1
Dian Toar Y. G. Sumakul

Abstract
The internet has changed the way people communicate. Particularly after the introduction of
Web 2.0 technology, which triggered the emergence of various Social Networking Sites (SNSs), the rate of online interactions has increased. Now, people write more in the internet. This online writing is known as CMC, or Computer-Mediated Communication. Harnad (1991) labels CMC as th the 4 revolution in human communication, after language, writing, and print. Furthermore, incorporating both spoken and written communication features, Beauvois (1998) labels it as
‘conversation in slow motion’, while Crystal (2001) calls it ‘netspeak’. Correspondingly, it is also considered as the hybrid (Kost, 2008) and bridge (Handley, 2010) of the two traditional modes of communication: speaking and writing. This nature of CMC is then the starting point of the idea to bring CMC at the foreground of ELT (English Language Teaching), particularly of EFL (English as a
Foreign Language) Teaching. This paper is intended to provide theoretical framework that support the application of CMC in ELT. For this purpose, theories on CMC will be reviewed and findings from relevant research about the advantages of CMC in language learning will also be discussed. The second aim of this paper is to present practical suggestions of how CMC could be integrated in ELT. Within this scope, examples of the use of CMC in ELT, through a number of online tools, will also be elaborated.

INTRODUCTION
Despite the fact that there have been studies looking at how to use CMC (Computer Mediated
Communication technologies into classrooms, one criticism to the idea of bringing these technologies into the classrooms is the nature of the CMC use itself. Although it is true that the internet has been part of our students life, some studies suggest that the use of CMC tools for educational purposes is still minimum (Bosch, 2009; Selwyn, 2009; and Hew, 2011).

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