This week is the time to do an assignment related to Midterm Test. The question is not complicated but I do need to find some references to find the answers. Here are some points about my Midterm Test:
The Importance of Using Technology in Language Teaching
Almost All of language classrooms have used technology to teach and deliver the material. ACTFL (American Council of Teaching Foreign Language) explains that in recent years, technology has been used to both assist and enhance language learning (https://www.actfl.org/news/position-statements/role-technology-language-learning). Assistance in language learning will help the teachers and students to give and receive the material effectively. Enhancement will help both active subject in education to always develop and upgrade the process of teaching and learning.
There are some advantageous points we can get after applying technology in language learning (http://www.ijissr.org). All of them are divided for the sake of language learners and language educators in the classroom.
To Cultivate Students' Interest in Study
Technology offers many kinds of products that can attract the interest of students to learn language for example video, broadcasting, podcast, etc.
To Promote Students' Communication Capacity
The multimedia technology seeks integration of teaching and learning and provides the students greater incentives, The PPT courseware activate students' thinking; the visual and vivid courseware rand help them to transform English learning capacity cultivation, for example group discussion, debates and some opportunities for communication among students and between teachers and students.
To Widen Students' Knowledge to Gain an Insightful Understanding to Western Culture
Vivid information and authentic material offer students opportunities to be closer and natural with the reality of using language.
To Improve Teaching Effectiveness
Multimedia technology goes beyond time and space, creates more vivid, visual, authentic environment for English learning, stimulates students' initiatives and economizes class information.
To Improve Interaction between Teacher and Student
A major feature of technology is to train and improve students' ability to listen and speak, and to develop their communicative environment. In this process, the teacher's role as a facilitator is particularly prominent. The condition of this classroom provides a language interaction that improves conventional or traditional classroom.
Products of technology are actually varied but they can be categorized into 3 classifications(http://www.elmoglobal.com/en/html/ict/01.aspx):
The sources is used to receive the information in the process of teaching and learning. The examples of these input sources are : computer, tablet, application software, and personal computer, digital recorder.
The source is used to present the information in the process of teaching and learning. There are some examples of the source: projector, monitor, television, interactive whiteboard, etc.
The source is used to receive and present the information in the process of teaching and learning. The example of the source is interactive website.
- INPUT SOURCE
The sources is used to receive the information in the process of teaching and learning. The examples of these input sources are : computer, tablet, application software, and personal computer, digital recorder.
- OUTPUT SOURCE
The source is used to present the information in the process of teaching and learning. There are some examples of the source: projector, monitor, television, interactive whiteboard, etc.
- OTHER SOURCE
The source is used to receive and present the information in the process of teaching and learning. The example of the source is interactive website.
There are some computer hardware used for teaching and learning activities (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_hardware). Here are the example of them:
- Keyboard
In computing,
a keyboard is a typewriter-style device, which uses an arrangement of buttons
or keys,
to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. A keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on
the keys and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol.
However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys
simultaneously or in sequence. While most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or
signs (characters), other keys or simultaneous
key presses can produce actions or execute computer commands.
- Speaker Active
Speakers are one of the
most common output
devices used with computer systems. Some speakers are designed to
work specifically with computers, while others can be hooked up to any type of
sound system. Regardless of their design, the purpose of speakers is to produce
audio output that
can be heard by the listener.
- LCD
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that
uses the light modulating properties of liquid
crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly. LCDs are
available to display arbitrary images (as in a general-purpose computer
display) or fixed images which can be displayed or hidden, such as preset
words, digits, and 7-segment displays as in a digital clock.
They use the same basic technology, except that arbitrary images are made up of
a large number of small pixels, while other displays have larger elements.
- Projector
An LCD projector is a type of video
projector for displaying video, images or computer data on a
screen or other flat surface. It is a modern equivalent of the slide
projector or overhead projector. To display images, LCD (liquid-crystal display) projectors
typically send light from a metal-halide
lamp through a prism or
series of dichroic filters that separates light to
three poly silicon panels – one each
for the red, green and blue components of the video signal.
- CD
Compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format. The format was
originally developed to store and play back sound recordings only (CD-DA), but was later adapted for storage
of data (CD-ROM).
Several other formats were further derived from these, including write-once
audio and data storage (CD-R),
rewritable media (CD-RW),
Video Compact Disc (VCD),
Super Video Compact Disc (SVCD), Photo CD, Picture CD, CD-i, and Enhanced
Music CD.
Software for Teaching English in the Classroom
Teaching process
consist of three major part. They are process of delivering information,
process of exercising, and process of giving assessment
(http://www.usingenglish.com/links/Computers_and_Language/Software/Software_For_Teaching/).
Those three process has been provided in the form of software. Here are the
software:
- Software for delivering information
There are some software
provided for conducting online classes and completed by some materials, for
example edmodo.com, interactive publisher (Prezi), and microsoft
powerpoint.
- Software for doing exercise
After delivering the
material, the teacher may give exercise. The process of giving exercise can be
presented by some software for example interactive game (bubble game for
exercising vocabulary mastery), English language proficiency test provided by
IELTS, TOEFL, and TOEIC.
- Software for giving assessment
The last process of
teaching is giving assessment. There are some software that enables the teacher
to create test. For example hot potatoes.
CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) & MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning)
Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is an
approach to teaching and learning in which the computer and computer-based
resources such as the Internet are used to present, reinforce and assess
material to be learned(http://elt.wikia.com/wiki/Computer_assisted_language_learning). It usually includes a substantial interactive element.
It also includes the search for and the investigation of applications in
language teaching and learning. Except for self-study software, CALL is
meant to supplement face-to-face language
instruction, not replace it. Software used in a CALL environment can be
designed specifically for foreign/second language learning or adapted for this
purpose. Most language textbook publishers offer educational software of some
sort, whether it is meant to support a paper textbook or to stand alone for
self-study. Most programs designed for language learning are tutorials. These
generally are drill programs that consist of a brief introduction plus a series
of questions to which the learner responds and then the computer gives some
kind of feedback. With these kinds of programs, the material to be learned may
already be programmed in by the publisher, which is more common, or may allow
the instructor to program in the material to be learned.
Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) describes an approach to
language learning that is assisted or enhanced through the use of a handheld
mobile device. MALL is a subset of both Mobile Learning (m-learning)
and computer-assisted language learning (CALL).
MALL has evolved to support students’ language learning with the increased use
of mobile technologies such as mobile phones (cellphones), MP3 and MP4 players, PDAs and devices such
as the iPhone or iPad. With MALL, students
are able to access language learning materials and to communicate with their
teachers and peers at anytime, anywhere. Today, due to the growth of wireless
and emerging technologies, MALL is available through numerous devices including
mobile phones, iPods, tablet PCs,
hand-held computers, PDAs, MP3 players, Smartphones and
more. The following are examples of collaborative learning using mobile
devices:
- Collaboration on a mobile phone can be achieved by asynchronous text messaging and instant messaging or a phone conversation. In each instance learning can take place but the phones serve only as the delivery method for that information.
- A tablet PC or a PDA can allow learners to collaborate on documents while at different locations, find information from multiple sources to build ideas with partners, and make information about learning activities portable and easily accessible.
