4. Multimedia & ICT in English Language Education

Introduction

Globalization has created the need of a common language to work efficiently and effectively. The personal computer has one Microsoft’s operating system, windows. The internet has another TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol & Internet protocol), its transmission protocol allows computers anywhere, in the world to hook into it CALL (computer assisted language learning) is one tool we use to enable and empower students in their quest for language acquisition. The article attempts to view on multimedia material as a viable environment for language learning and has sought to examine the following aspects.

• • How comfortable students feel about working in a web-based environment?

  • How enjoyable they find such an environment?

  • Whether perceptions of comfort or enjoyment change after prolonged use?

  • Whether students find it useful to work with web-based materials?

  • Which elements of the defined web resources are most useful?

  • Which mode of delivery do they prefer?

Recently, the definition of educational technology has evolved and included the term “edutainment” which is point to mean the integration of “education” and “entertainment”. The term edutainment promises fun and learning together. One of the most pervasive outcomes of technology used is that students acquire the belief that learning should not be a struggle and that good teaching will make learning enjoyable and easy. The tendency of learners to learn without any struggle forces the teacher and educational software designers to present the instruction with full of fun elements like games, quizzes and other visuals.

Here the need for critical awareness by educators and parent of the deeper understanding of the role of edutainment software is essential. Such awareness demands that before voluntarily adopting edutainment software as a symbol of innovation, they need to question the pedagogical and didactic philosophy of the software design incorporates. The following list of questions might help teachers, learners and educational designers when trying to select or design educational software.

• • What is the point of having this subject /activity/ exercise on computer?

  • Is the content of the software complying with what is intended to be taught?

  • Do the activities in the software really provide gains to the learners? Or they are just robotic.

  • Do the activities support learners to ask questions or create new insight?

  • Does the software fit the level of the learner?

Liberty with CALL

No doubt CALL/Software enables learners to keep personal information and to assess it through the web at any time and any place. User can adapt the liberties and tools exit a variety of activities and purposes accordingly to the needs and preferences. The system of learning or teaching through books has several limitations. CALL on the other hand has complete flexibility of time, pace and place, solid though somewhat unobtrusive support from the learner/adviser.

It is of high economic viability. The learner has the full liberty to start with any point of his/her choice. There is no limitation of age or background, and also cuts down the boredom of listening to a monotonous lecture. It is learning through sense of sight and hearing. Students might not be able to copy the notes accurately or completely, everyone does not get equal chance to ask questions or clarify doubts. The active students get more opportunity than the others.

The CALL software varying in type and purpose, may offer some guide as to what might make up a good suit of software for a well resourced CALL The tool we select must offer one to one communication which controls /monitors student’s activities when assessing student’s learning, application and the ability to lock student’s computers for through the web at any time and any place.

The integration of CALL into a foreign language program can lead to great anxiety among language teachers. Researches consistently claim that CALL changes the role of teachers but does not eliminate the need for teacher altogether. Instead of handing down the knowledge to students and being the center of students’ attention, teachers become guide as they construct the activities students are to do and help them as students complete the assigned tasks. In other words, instead of being directly involved in students’ construction of the language, the teacher interacts with students primarily to facilitate difficulties in using the target language (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) that arise when interacting with the computer or other people.

Learners must also learn to interoperate new information and experiences on their own terms. However, because the use of technology redistributes teachers’ and classmates’ attentions, less-able students can become more active participants in the class because class interaction is not limited to the directed by the teacher. Moreover shy student can feel free in their own student centered environment. This will raise their self –esteem and their knowledge will be improved.

Role of Teacher in CALL

The role of teachers has been changed with new technology. The teacher assumes the role if coach or director. He or she orchestrates the flow of communication for the whole class. However the teacher must realize that to some extent a teacher has been shared with the computer.

• 1. The computer software will "teach" students the knowledge that teachers are supposed to teach. As a result, a teacher must transform his role from a coach or a director under the communicative framework to a coordinator. The teacher coordinates the flow of communication between the teacher and the student as well as between the student and the computer.

  2. Teacher should be familiar enough with the resources to be used to anticipate technical problems and limitations. Students need the reassuring and motivating presence of a teacher in CALL environments. Not only they need during the initial learning curve, they are needed to conduct review session to reinforce what was learned. Encouraging students to participate and offering praise are deemed important by students. Most students report preferring to do work in a lab with a teacher’s or tutor's presence rather than completely their own.

  3. Teachers must clearly state the goals and linguistic skills are expected by students to attain by playing the computer simulation. Students had to keep in mind their purpose for playing the simulation. Otherwise, they would tend to indulge themselves in simply playing.

  4. Teacher should prepare them for the use of modern computer technology. Foreign language training will not always take place in a traditional classroom. With the help of a setting such as a multimedia lab, foreign language training will be more efficient. Teacher should have the clear idea of how a traditional classroom is different from a multimedia lab.

  5. Teachers using CALL should be computer literate and trained continuously. Ideally each Foreign Language Department using CALL should hire an experienced Computer Scientist who could assist teachers.

Criticism of the software includes somewhat patchy coverage of grammar, arbitrary explanation and feedback on language points such as modal verbs and the odd actual error within the program. We may worry about computer-generated false alarms. Efficient key boarding skills are essential in a CALL program where amounts of writing are to be done.

New technologies present challenges in making correct selection for specific learning task. This is further complicated by the existence of a wide range of software. The problems come from two aspects. One is the computer software itself and the other is the extra job that students have to do for learning how to manipulate the computer software. For the first few weeks, students have to become familiar with the manipulation of the computer software so that they can begin to make use of the software. Teachers should be aware of the possible frustration resulting from the unfamiliarity of the computer software. The students' difficulty in the manipulation of the software usually undermines the students’ interest in the class. The computer software is completely new to students. Consequently, negative interactions between students and the computer proved to be very frustrating for most students.

A number of studies have been done on concerning how the use of CALL affects the development of language learners’ four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).Most report significant gains in reading and listening and most CALL programs are geared toward these respective skills because of the current state of computer ecology. However, most reading and listening software is based on drills. Gains in writing skills have not been as impressive as computers cannot assess this well.

Difference between multimedia and the conventional system of learning

A fundamental difference between multimedia based and the conventional system of learning is that in the conventional system, the book has basic material which follows its own step by step structures and the content are accordingly structured. Some of the benefits of the classroom learning are:

• • It develops oral communication skills.

  • It develops social interaction skills.

  • It creates an environment of active, involved exploratory learning.

  • There is greater ability of students to view situations from others perspective.

  • It promotes innovation in teaching classroom techniques.

  • It uses a team approach to problem solving while maintaining individual accountability.

  • It encourages student’s responsibility for learning.

  • It involves students in developing curriculum and class procedure.

  • Stimulate critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion and debate.

  • It establishes an atmosphere of cooperation and helping college wide.

  • It promotes higher achievement and class attendance.

In multimedia, on the other hand the content structuring has to be altered so as to incorporate the self paced and non liner interactive exposition possibility besides the fact that the audio / visual material plays a greater role in multimedia than in a book.

Right now, there are two fairly successful applications of automatic speech recognition (ASR) or speech processing technology where the computer “understands” the spoken words of the learner. The first is pronunciation training. Learners read sentences on the screen and the computer gives feedback as to the accuracy of the utterance, usually in the form of visual sound waves. The second is the software where learner speaks commands for the computer to do.

Is conventional learning better than e learning? It is up to each student based upon individual need and preference. The truth is that whether your own personal best will be achieved in live classroom or via learning software. It depends mainly on your own study habit.