Introduction
The advance
in technology has made it quite possible to take advantage of many modern
facilities in different facets of communication. The language learning/teaching
process is no exception, since language in its strict technical sense
is a means of communication.
Audio-visual devices such as tape-recorders and video-tapes have frequently
been used effectively in language classes. However, since both human nature
and the language learning/teaching process are dynamic phenomena, the
need for the newest techniques and technological devices is felt.
Similarly, a computer stores as much information as its capacity allows.
Thus, this is a good opportunity to utilize it as a complementary device
to other audio visual aids in teaching language to learners. In fact,
it is a sort of Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) which is, as Cook
(2003:126) says, "…communication via a computer network. It
may be one-to-one or one-to-many, and synchronous (in which participants
are on-line simultaneously) or asynchronous (in which they are on line
at different times)."
In the following, some functions of the computer in language classes will
be illustrated. It is worth noting that each letter of the word "computer"
is used to represent some key terms relevant to the teaching situation.
C: Check,
copy, comprehend
A Computer
gives the learners an opportunity to check their spelling, grammatical,
and comprehension problems. Learners may be given some easy-to-difficult
passages to read. Following each text, some multiple choice questions
will appear on the screen and the learners will then be required to select
the best choice in accordance with the ideas given in the passage. In
this exercise, the only thing the learners have to do, as far as the computer
accessories are concerned, is to use the mouse. However, in more advanced
language activities, the learners may be asked to give short and/or complete
answers to the questions. Thus, they will have to use the keyboard to
write longer phrases and sentences.
In other cases, learners may be asked to copy the original text on a new
file and make required changes to some particular parts of the material.
For instance, they are asked to change the subjects, verbs, adjectives,
etc. to the ones they have been assigned. Even in a more advanced situation,
the learners may see a text in which the order of sentences has been violated.
Then, they have to read the passage carefully and put the sentences in
their correct order.
O: Options,
observation, organization
Learners
may be given various options to manipulate any aspect of the language.
For example, the category related to the four language skills as the main
option preceded by the level of difficulty overshadows the other subcategories
as follows:
1. levels of difficulty [elementary] [intermediate] [advance] [none]
2. skills [listening] [speaking] [reading] [writing]
3. components [words] [sentences] [stories] [dialogues]
4. words [animals] [plants] [cities] [more]
5. sentences [idioms] [proverbs] [expressions] [others]
6. narratives [history] [science] [psychology] [others]
7. dialogues [bookshop] [restaurant] [pharmacy] [others]
8. stories [comic] [jokes] [drama] [others]
9. puzzles [words] [pictures] [shapes] [others]
10. presentation [picture] [figure] [diagram] [none]
Since the options are quite flexible, they will help the learners to have
access to various aspects of the language and the related materials and
exercises to improve their language proficiency.
During the computer-based language activities, learners will observe several
structural changes occurring to words, sounds, rules and meanings of the
language they are learning. In addition, they can manage to organize all
this information in a separate file and save it for further reference.
For example, they create a directory called "Rome" in which
the information regarding the word Rome from the "cities" option
plus a picture of the city selected from the "picture" option
have been put together. From the "proverbs" option, also, "When
in Rome, do as the Romans do." could be picked up and added to the
directory of "Rome". All directories made in this way can be
put in an alphabetical order for further use.
In the case of grammatical structures, too, learners may elicit the related
rules from the many examples presented in the "sentences" option
and insert them in a certain file called, say, "rules". Later,
should they wish to test their knowledge of grammar, they will open the
"rule" file and under the subdirectory of, say, "passive"
make as many sentences as they can.
M: Memory,
manipulate, motivate
The big
advantage of using the computer is that it gives the learners more confidence
and freedom to manipulate the learning program. Unlike other audio-visual
devices where the learners have to listen to the same dialogues, music,
etc. and/or watch the same cartoons, movies, etc. this advantage is supported
by the extensive memory of the computer. Taking the chance to work partly
on their own and to get involved in the process of language learning/teaching,
the learners will become more and more motivated and interested in learning
the language.
P: Puzzle,
picture, practice
Since problem-solving
as a communicative activity is very effective in directing the learners
towards authenticity and automaticity, puzzles can best be introduced
with the help of the computer.
The puzzles can be presented in the form of either putting the letters,
words, sentences, pictures, etc. in their right order or solving a problem.
Puzzle games like "Hugo" are also good examples in which learners
have to order the character to follow certain directions to solve the
problem.
U: Use, understanding,
universality
The learning
program if designed carefully on special software can familiarize the
learners with a variety of activities and exercises. This program is supposed
to have a binary function. Firstly, it should be written in such a way
that the learners understand the properties and functions of language
and the objectives of the program via practical situations rather than
theoretical explanations. On the other hand, with the help of this program,
learners will be expected to use the language as properly as possible.
As mentioned earlier in this paper, the entire learning program may be
divided into two sections: use and usage. For instance, learners first
listen to a dialogue; then they are asked to take part in the presentation
of the same dialogue by recalling and repeating the original statements
uttered by the main characters. Up to here, the learners' activities are
semi-controlled. From this point on, they will be ready to use, in the
real situations, as many statements as they have learned.
Since the computer is originally a blank machine, if well-programmed with
suitable, consistent, and serial procedures, it can be utilized to teach
all languages of the world together with their cultures. This is due to
the universality of function of the computer.
T: Teach,
think, test
Depending
on the program, the computer can teach many aspects of language and culture
to the learners of different levels. For example, regarding sounds, the
position of the tongue in producing the vowels could easily be taught
to university students majoring in the language they are practicing, say,
English. Animation plus sound effects will best help the learners to learn
many facts about the language phenomenon. They will also become motivated
to think with amazement about the language they are using in their every
day life. This will assist them even to search and think about other languages
of the world and ultimately the universal properties of language. Having
been motivated, encouraged and assisted by this knowledge, now, learners
will try to care about almost perfect, if not native-like, pronunciation.
As a result, they will not think of language as a means of trivial communication
but as a phenomenon with wider perspectives and greater expectations.
As another piece of evidence, intonation seems to play a very important
role in conveying different meanings in any language; the patterns, however,
are sometimes different in some languages. A statement with the primary
accent on the negative marker and a falling tone at the end is supposed
to be a normal utterance in Persian. Nevertheless, the same characteristics
will denote an emphatic representation in another language, English. Some
people may think that this difference could be taught by books on intonation,
language teachers, practical handbooks, etc. But as mentioned earlier,
using the computer, learners will have the opportunity to organize their
own learning program with the help of the many options they have.
Another effective function of the computer is that it can test the learners'
knowledge of language rules and language use in interesting ways. For
details about the software which, motivating the students to participate
in an on-line learning activity, test and mark the assignments see Luck
and Joy (1995). Currently, most widely standardized tests are computer-based
(Brown, 2001: 146). When one selects the "test" option, s/he
may confront the same subdivision as mentioned under "O". Selecting
a specific aspect of the language, s/he can test the materials s/he has
learned previously. S/he can also be credited with special marks during
a series of tests at the end of which s/he will be able to observe his/her
rate of achievement on curves, diagrams, percentages, etc. concerning
different aspects of the language. Then, s/he can make a comparison between
different stages in his/her own proficiency.
E: Edit,
exercise, encourage
Opening
new avenues, the computer gives the opportunity of self-evaluation to
language learners. They can edit as many exercises as they require in
various aspects of the language. This will encourage them to copy, paste,
delete, add, and make many other changes. For example, punctuation can
best be practiced as an important phase in writing. In this type of exercise,
learners are asked to apply appropriate punctuation to a certain text.
They will be permitted to make other changes to the entire passage as
long as the grammatical and the lexical restrictions are not violated.
At the end of the exercise, they will see if they have made any mistake(s).
This activity will go on until the learners have fewer or no mistakes
in the area to be practiced.
R: Reassure,
reinforce, refresh
Working
with computerized language learning programs reassures the learners of
their every-minute progress in the process of learning. For learners feel
that they have enough time and sufficient access to many options to work
with to improve their language ability.
Another function of the computer as a variety of electronic facilities
in language learning is to reinforce the learners to have more contact
with the language in different situations. Thus, the combination of the
two functions, i.e. reassurance and reinforcement, refreshes the mood
of the learner and the spirit of learning only if the computer is considered
as a supplementary device to a long term program and not as the main goal
of the learning course. The computer doesn't think; it can only execute
the directions of a thinking man (Best 1977:204).
Conclusion
The following
considerations are presented as the concluding remarks to the above discussion.
1. The functions
mentioned above are applicable to situations where both native and non-native
speakers of the language are involved. However, since in the former case,
language is normally acquired but in the latter it is formally learned,
the role of the computer will be adequately effective for second language
learners of any age, linguistic background, level of proficiency, etc.
In Sokolik's words (2001), "…it is clear that computers are
providing instructors and students alike with a new battery of tools with
which language can be learned more effectively (p. 486).
The reason behind it is that the native speakers of a language will benefit
from the computer learning programs, e.g. spelling, grammar, etc. up to
a certain age, i.e. year six or so. Later, if they require to use the
computer, it will be with the aim of seeking more knowledge about different
disciplines including language itself. But non-native speakers even up
to the university level have to manipulate the second language in order
to become more and more competent in the four skills, i.e. listening,
speaking, reading and writing. So, concerning the latter group, computer-based
exercises on "reading" appear to be an effective requirement
for the learners, even those majoring in English.
2. It should
be kept in mind that despite the many benefits of the computers (see Warschauer
and Healey, 1998), they are only machines that can only facilitate the
formatting. They can neither think nor create. Therefore, a language class
must not be computer-centered because this may eliminate the outstanding
role of the teacher, who is the real creator of the programs and the thinking
leader of the class.
3. The design
and selection of any computer program will definitely depend on the learners'
level, age, etc. Therefore, it can be utilized for both individual and
group learning. In the case of the former, classes with a multicultural
atmosphere in which learners come from different linguistic backgrounds
will benefit much from the computer as a complementary activity to the
regular learning schedule. For more information about the factors to be
considered in designing educational software focusing on teacher-student
interaction criteria see McDougall and Squires (1995).
4. The messages
could either appear in written form, pictures, caricatures, etc. on the
screen or be heard via the speakers depending on the learners' choice.
5. The internet
and World Wide Web have created a growing body of text and images that
can now be searched by anyone with access to a computer and modem (O'Grady
et al. 1997:665). For example, the following are some sample sites on
the internet which manipulate learning and teaching English through online
services:
- http://www.syvum.com/online/english.html
- http://www.roseofyork.co.uk/learning.html
- http://www.worldwidelearn.com/language-courses/learn-english.html
- http://www.english-to-go.com
- http://www.eslgo.com
- http://www.usingenglish.com
- http://www.globalenglish.com
- http://www.rong-chang.com
- http://www.eleasten.com
- http://www.englishclub.com
- http://www.english-at-home.com
- http://www.edunet.com
- http://www.abcasiapacific.com
- http://www.1-language.com
- http://www.bellenglish.com
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