I. What is Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Learning?
No one can deny that the computer is a vigorous workhorse that, unlike teachers, can be run endlessly. The interactive nature of any multimedia software and its ability to provide tasks enhance learner enthusiasm and stimulate him to be engaged in the learning process.
The computer mediated communication provides a suitable platform where foreign language learners can go beyond the borders of the classroom via the internet. The communicative aspect of technology offers the learners a high level of interactivity as it allows one-on-one personal exchanges. Several educational approaches have insisted on the importance of learning languages through personal exchanges that mainly require direct interaction between the learners and native speakers.
Many experts in the field of education state that computer-aided learning is to convey a huge amount of information in a very short period of time. In fact, it is an efficient way of reinforcing concepts and especially the topics first introduced through textbooks, and classroom discussions. Computer-assisted learning gives the opportunity to students in an effective way to comprehend intricate concepts.
Educational technologies are improving the methods in which we teach and learn. As these technologies continue to ameliorate our communication with each another, computer-aided language learning has provided more powerful ways and methods of communication between different languages.
II- Traditional foreign language learning:
Traditional learning basically means a teacher deciding how the class is to be run, what will be learning and what is to be tested with tiny input from students.
The main goal of traditional education is to tra...
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...rs and learners and between students themselves, as well.
Information-Communication Technologies (ICT) has given a new dimension to learning and proved that virtual learning is a unique and fundamental learning option. Online schools are in fact an alternative for learners to help them reconcile between their personal life, work, and education. It is the most flexible and dynamic forms of learning that reduce dependency on time and space.
Virtual learning environments assisted by ICT are everywhere throughout the word, nowadays. Collaborative learning doesn’t contradict with online learning. Collaborative learning can take place during classes or when doing homework, as well as within a virtual environment. Virtual Collaboration takes place via computer, making interaction among learners, teachers, and experts easier and allowing a faster exchange of information.
In the last decade, increasingly powerful technologies have begun to make their way into classrooms across the nation. Many classrooms are now equipped with personal computers that run educational software to help teach students facts and concepts in a more engaging way than a traditional lecture. Advances in telecommunications technologies have led to almost universal access to the Internet, allowing students and teachers to communicate with people from around the world and gain access to a wealth of educational materials. New ways of obtaining and presenting information have given students powerful new methods for understanding the world around them. However, while use of technology in the classroom has been shown to be highly beneficial for students, it is important to note that without a well-planned technology support system, this expensive educational technology often goes under- or mis-utilized..
Argues that we must do more to ensure that computers are fully integrated into all our schools. Suggestion that there is no limit to the possibilities of computers; Topic of distance learning; Ways that the Internet can make schools more effective; Call for schools to develop innovative budgeting to acquire the funds for te...
Education and computers go hand and hand, the introduction of computer based instruction has enhanced learning and school and in the labor force. When computers were put into schools they were initially going to be used as a new learning tool, but they eventually became the actual class setting. Computer Based Instruction (CBI) after developing new technologies, educational computing created new instructional applications in education. At this time, hundreds of research studies were performed attempting to prove that using computers to teach something is better than using books, teachers, films or traditional methods. CBI has been advocated by reviews of these studies (Kulik & Kulik,).
The popularity and availability of online schooling, also referred to as virtual schools, cyber schools, e-learning, and distance learning, is growing rapidly throughout the U.S. I think the idea of virtual schools is wonderful, especially for those who are home bound or have medical conditions. Students at virtual schools can learn at any time and any place about any number of subjects, which is quite convenient. Students from rural areas can have the wide selection of courses usually only available to students in large suburban or urban schools.
Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of the internet in recent years, the world has become more connected each day. The increased use of the web on a daily basis has opened the doors for teachers to give their students the opportunity to connect with people around the globe without leaving their home country. The internet allows teachers to link their students with students of other cultures in distant countries by utilizing online communication tools. This kind of teaching method is called telecollaboration and has been employed using different formats in classes all over the globe with the aim of developing intercultural competence and foreign language skills, such as e-tandem, virtual online exchanges, collaborative online international learning, and many others. According to Helm (2009), telecollaboration is “an approach to intercultural learning that uses internet technology as a tool to facilitate intercultural communication between classes of learners in different countries.” Numerous studies have shown that telecollaboration has been one successful teaching method to assist foreign language learners in developing this combination of language skills and intercultural awareness (Belz, 2003; Chun, 2011;
In less than a decade, computer use progressed from programming classes for a few of the better students, to literacy classes for all students, to the integration of computers and technology into the curriculum. Now, there is a goal for educators to use technology as a tool in efforts to teach more effectively by using a variety of strategies to meet different needs in a diverse classroom. This will take training and commitment to keep up in an area that changes quickly, but the benefits to teachers and students are greater that the effort it will take to stay informed; computers increase productivity of students and make learning a fun experience. They help students become better problem-solvers instead of just rote learners.
People have a lot of options in educating themselves online in today’s time and technology. Online education has improved a lot in the past twenty years. Even though it has had its setbacks, it continues to show promising results. Online education has many benefits with little to no disadvantages. It provides flexibility in scheduling and offers various options in educational online programs. In the past decade, education has evolved into a more technological-driven world.
Thus, the value of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has been increased in education. It has helped solve many problems of students and teachers, in conjunction with the increasing importance of EFL, as it is the language of communication all over the world according to different field needs in Saudi Arabia. As a result,
Technology has had a large impact on the field of education. The proliferation of multimedia resources and limitless amounts of information available through the Internet has fundamentally affected the learning process. Students no longer search through cards and stacks for magazine articles; almost everything is at the click of a finger. Multimedia resources are increasingly utilized in the classroom to help instruct students. Some professors are making conscious efforts to use new technology, so as to introduce and familiarize their students with it. The significance of technology in education is now being elevated to a new plateau. Education through the Internet, the great equalizer, may make it more widely distributed through the phenomenon of online courses. It is the thesis of this paper that online courses are not an effective means to educate traditional undergraduate college aged students (people from 18-22 years old).
Today’s generation is like no other. The nation as a whole has completely evolved from past times, with technology being one of the greatest improvements. Traditionally, schooling takes place in a classroom setting, but, with the many modifications in our world’s system, we are able to assimilate more modern means of education, such as online learning. However, with many changes comes differences and requires adjustments. The online learning system has proven to be just as effective as traditional learning, with some minor differences, however, nothing of great significance. A few of those insignificant differences include online learning being convenient, especially for the non-traditional students,
Online education is a booming trend in the education world. It is something different than the traditional classroom. It is allowing student around the world the opportunity to get an education. Online education allows student to have a more proficient and cheaper way of learning. Having multiple ways to give a student an education allows all learning types to find their own way of learning. Education changes lives but it can be difficult for students to get to a classroom to sit through an hour class 4 times a week, this can be for many different reasons. There are many doubts about online education, but this a new world without borders it is a new opportunity for people from all over the world to get an education.
Call in language teaching involves the use of computer technology to help in the process of presenting, reinforcing, and assessing learning materials that places emphasis on interactive elements. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) involves the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in learning and teaching a second or foreign language ranging from research to course development. Many researchers have investigated the effectiveness of CALL in improving language skills and have found it to be very effective for both language learners and teachers (Warshauer and Healey, 1998). Some studies have indicated a recent increase in the integration of
The introduction of technology into education has revolutionized the teaching quality and learning outcome in the last ten years. The integration of technology into lectures by teachers in classroom has become so natural that both teachers and learners consider computers and their related applications for instruction are “a routine component of the classroom and educational processes in general” (Nuldén, 1999 cited in Buzzard et al., 2011, pp.131-139).
Computer technology is one the most innovative advancements in modern-day education. Technology has made its way into the world of teaching practice and principle by expanding the way we approach instruction in the classroom. We are no longer confined to pencil and paper, but have the ability to project and present knowledge in an enhanced way to capture the minds of a generation of students whose society is built around ever expanding world of computer technology.
Over the years it has been seen that education has taken up several forms. With the advent of technology, education has also been integrated with technology. Previously it was seen that education was achieved through written forms of paper with pen or pencil. The use of pen and pencil can be dated back to the Roman Empire. However, with the developing pace the traditional means of attaining education are changing. The introduction of information technology has brought forth a new way of learning through the internet. E-learning is the new form of education introduced by IT which helps people to attain knowledge through the use of their computers. A portal is introduced by the use of information technology which the students are able to access and to take tests. However, this new technology also brings with it other ethical issues of plagiarism and social contact. Online education is an inadequate alternative for traditional, classroom-based teaching for several reasons: there is no interactive communication between the student and the instructor, potential employers do not value online course work, class offerings are limited, instructor feedback to the student might be delayed for days, and group projects are nonexistent.