ROLES FOR COMPUTERS AND MOBILE DEVICES IN TEACHING
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Computers and other new information technologies such as video,
telecommunication, and speech synthesis have important role in teaching the
English language and arts. The computers are used for a device to drill and
basic skills.
Computers are used for giving instruction in teaching English language
and arts, whether in composition, literature, decoding, reading comprehension,
spelling, vocabulary, grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization,
brainstorming, planning, reasoning, outlining, reference use, study skills,
rhetoric, handwriting, drama, and virtually every other area of language arts.
Possible
responses of how computers should be used:
a.
Tutors
The
computers can distinguish instruction, serve the learning material for the
students, and record students’ progress.
b.
Tools
The
computers became aid for reading, help students make texts easily, provide
revision of texts, and check the errors spelling.
The
computers as tools for:
- Assistance in reading, the computers serves as
tools for writing and reading, they can help the readers help to find difficult
words
- Generating ideas and planning, some application
software in computer help to planning and generating ideas.
- Finding information, the computers also help the
students to browse information in simulating their reading and writing.
- Viewing a Text, the students not only can view a
text from book, or paper but they can view it from the computers.
- Viewing the writing process, with text being
produced and stored on the computer, there arise new possibilities for examining
the writing process.
c.
Ways to explore language
The
computers help students in learning the material in new ways. They make
students to think deeply about language patterns, conceptual relationships, and
the structure of ideas.
d.
Media
The
computers become a new interesting media for students to learn material which
provided by tables, charts, graphs, pictures, sounds, video, and text. The
computers also can crate webs for related information.
e.
Environment for communication
The
computers can be as a tool for communication between students and teachers. Electronic
networks are being used increasingly for communication among students and
teachers. For example, the Computer Chronicles News Network allows children to
share news items from around the world. Teachers are also beginning to use
electronic networks for communicating by using electronic mail.
Nowadays, there are many language teachers using computers in teaching
English. The technology has become a part of daily life. But, some research
find that there are still a few of teacher who do not use the technology in
their teaching and learning in classroom, they are called traditional teachers
who do not feel comfortable using computers in teaching English. The computers
give many benefits for teacher in teaching English, such as the internet that
offer much material for teaching in classroom. Moreover, teaching English also
can be done by using DVD, from the DVD teacher can get many resources and
information as materials for the students.
But, when you as
a teacher want to use the computers in lesson, there are few things that should
be noted:
- Always have backup plan, it means that you as a teacher
has to prepare if there is immediate accident happened, for example if the site
is unavailable to opened, error internet connection, etc., so, you have another
plan for teaching the material to the students, you don’t waste time to prepare
another plans.
- Accept the fact that everything will take longer than
usual at the beginning. You have to know that you will need more time to
prepare your computer lesson if you are a less experience teacher.
- You have to explain clearly to the students if they
have task in their computer classroom, so, they have a clear focus in learning
the material, they are not using computers for gaming in classroom.
-
Monitor the students’ work, you have to monitor the
students, so they are not doing anything except doing their work in the
computer.
- Be a wise teacher in facing a student who hates
computers or has problems using them.
- Always set a time limit on the task, in order to make
the students focus doing works.
-
The teacher should always have something for the
students to finish their task early, for example game, a fun reading passage,
etc.
- Always be careful and monitor the students in doing
their work, because some of the students might have advanced computer skill,
so, they might be able to hack others computer.
- Acknowledge the students’ knowledge that expert in
internet skills and thank them for their willingness to help but stick to your
plan.
- Always share the links with your students.
- In your website, always differentiate the link for
friends and family; and the links for your students, because the things you
want to share with your friends are different with the things you want to share
with your students.
But there is a lack of the roles for computers teaching language and
arts, the current programs and models for computer-based activities are clumsy
to use or difficult to integrate with other learning. The costs using computers
for teaching language and arts are still high, because there are some resources
that have to pay.
The English learning
material can be learnt by the students in effective ways, not only by using
computers but they can learn the English material from their mobile devices,
the device can be operate in three main operational systems, such as Apple iOS,
Android, Windows phone. the studies of using mobile device in learning English
in classroom is called MALL, Mobile Assisted Language Learning.
The main function of
edtech for teaching English language:
a.
A tool for teacher to enhance the teaching and learning
experience.
b. It available in many purposes of EFL class, such as
Listening, Voice recognition, Pronunciation checking, Monolingual dictionaries,
e-Vocabulary book (Lexical Book),qr code readers, e-flashcards, etc.
c.
As a tool for students in learning in the classroom.
d.
It is effective tool for students in learning English
language outside classroom.
e.
Enhance the accessibility of content for impaired students
how to use the application.
f.
Give the students feedback.
On 26 March 2013, there was Mobile Symposium which is held by The British
Council with MENA (Middle East and North Africa) in Cairo, Egypt discussed
about the impact of digital and mobile learning in English language education. The
symposium created business opportunities to partner with the British Council in
the field of mobile learning. The British Council has developed LearnEnglish Mobile
resources that are designed to be accessesed vua mobile phones or computer
devices. The LearnEnglish Mobile contains of games, audio material and learning
tools that support on interactive content for mobile phones. The application
can be downloaded from iTunes and Android Application store.
Sources and adapted from :
.PNG)
.PNG)
