The difficulties and Challenges of Teachers’ Integrating Computer Assisted Instruction into Teaching.

The difficulties and Challenges of Teachers’ Integrating

Computer Assisted Instruction into Teaching

ABSTRACT

This project aims to investigate and discuss the effect of teacher’ integrating computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and multimedia into teaching. 

However, how to use instructional technology to practice English teaching successfully and efficiently is not an easy task. The instructors should understand the development of CALL, the trends of instructional technology, and principles applied in technology. In the study, during the process of teaching in the computer-assisted environment, the teacher encountered numerous difficulties and challenges from students' presentation, and assignments.

INTRODUCTION

With the change of times and rapid development in technology, computer assisted language learning has become a trend in resent years. Multiple multimedia has connected the new technology education.

Recently, teachers' teaching task is growing more and more different from that of the traditional teaching. Teachers are not only instructors but also assistants to students' learning. Now teachers should try to inspire students' potentials, and give them chance of creative and critical thinking. The role of instructors in this modern environment of CALL has become active, creative and innovative.

Every teacher should have e-learning perception, computer technology training and then the teacher will face new challenges to adopt new appropriate instructional strategies and to facilitate student's learning. It is teachers' duty of how to put CAI into practice that can bear the fruit of teaching and learning. Therefore, how to apply computer assisted instruction into educational technology efficiently and effectively is English language teachers’ main task (Wei, 2005).

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Brief History of Computer Assisted Language Learning

In recent years, computers have become so widespread in schools and homes that their uses have to be re-examined. The development of CALL is divided into three main phases, behaviorist CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL.

Behaviorist CALL was the first phase of computer assisted language learning implemented in the 1960 and 1970s. The programs of this phase were based on then main behaviorist theories of learning. Drill and practice courseware was based on the model of computer as tutor (Taylor, 1980). A number of CALL tutoring systems were developed in the era of the mainframe and the best-known tutorial system PLATO.

Communicative CALL based on the communicative teaching approaches promoted communicative competence and real communication. It appeared and became outstanding in the 1970s and early 1980s (Underwood, 1984). Besides using computer as a tutor, computer should play the role of a stimulus and a tool (Taylor, 1980). The former role adopted communicative activities to encourage learners. And the latter role enabled students to understand and use the language through word processing, spelling and grammar checking desktop publishing programs (Warschauer, 1998).

Integrative CALL emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s based on multimedia computers and the Internet was aimed to integrate the four skills (listening, speaking, writing and reading) as well as technology in the language learning process (Warschauer & Healey, 1998). For language students, they could involve themselves in their learning in a more authentic learning environment by interesting all language skills. It is thus not surprising the EFL will have get on the stage of CALL in the future development.

Multimedia in the CALL Classroom

Multimedia as a class of computer-driven interactive communication systems which create, store, transmit, and retrieve textual, graphic, and auditory networks of information. Today’s multimedia is integrated into the CALL classroom. Multimedia allows a variety of media such a texts, graphics, sound, animations, videos, and creates various integrative language environments. The students can obtain the multimedia resources and navigate their own path simply by pointing and clicking the mouse.

The Significance and Trends of Instructional Technology

Instructional technology has been defined as "applying scientific knowledge about human learning to the practical tasks of teaching and learning" (Albion, 2001). Technology is certainly a part of the landscape of society many people conclude that technology logically should also play a key role in education. Educational technology is especially important because teachers are eager to help students reach high-level, worthwhile objectives, in the context of limited time and resources. Along with technology and systematical design, teachers can make the instruction more individualized, valid, accessible and economical (Wang, 2000).

So instructors are to design CALL lessons and seek appropriate media based on students need. Furthermore, instructors are supposed to evaluate whether or not the instructional materials are suitable for. Then computer assisted instruction (CAI) is an efficient way to solve the instruction problems.

The Principles and Factors are Applied in Technology

          The common rationale for using technology is based on two major points. According to societal inevitability theory, technology is everywhere. And researches have been shown that using the computer is efficient on education.

          Applying computer technology makes teachers have rich productivity, teaching effect, and change students learning styles, which can make the relationship of interaction and connection between teachers and students closely.

THE STUDY

During the speaking and listening course in CALL environment, the teacher set up E-learning campus. Students had to post their assignments, watching other groups' report to give their opinions and to correct each other's assignment, using e-mail, bulletin board and chat room to exchange to obtain much more resource. Several items were noticed:

1. Four or five students formed a group in cooperative learning.

2. The teacher gave the students a specific topic "A trip to a historic attraction and scenic place", playing the CD Rom to motivate learning.

3. The teacher explained to students how to search resources, connect related web-site, and showed students to do procedure according to the task assigned

4. Each member in the group was responsible for his own work then group discussed the assignment together and brain stormed with each other to integrate their opinions to solve their difficulties.

5. After discussing, each group took a picture and video, modified the scripts and added music effect prepare for their performance.

6. The students visited traveler interviewed the employers of the stores, collected information and recorded the viewpoint.

7. Each week the group students posted their report and the group revised the report each other e-learning campus.

8. The group students’ presented their product by video and power point.

9. The teacher and students examined together.

DIFFICULTIES OF APPLYING COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION TO TEACHING

Applying the computer technology in English class is so complicated and important that we don't ignore it, but nowadays using CAI strategies is still not pervasive. Several difficulties and challenges need be solved; several conditions have room to be desired. The researcher analyzes as follows:

Facilities of the School and Classroom

the computer classroom difficult to use, and the administrator and the programmer had not enough time to aid teachers in time. And mechanics were necessaries to maintain and remedy computers

Related Administrators Emphasis

The biggest problem was lack of the principle’s and the administrator's sufficient support. So teaching practice in CALL was not easy to set into action.

Teachers' Teaching Beliefs and Styles

Teachers' aptitude and beliefs play an important part. Whether teachers decide to apply computer technology depends on their beliefs. So the teachers' attitude and beliefs influence teaching and learning effect of the students (Fang, 1996)

Teachers' Computer Competence

In the course of the process of teaching, teachers act as facilitators, designers, guides and assistants (Warschauer, 1998). So teachers' technology competence should be enhanced. If the teachers are lack of competence, such as computer multimedia contents presented, systematic teaching models applied and multimedia sources utilized, it is impossible for the teachers to integrate technology into teaching efficiently (Wei,2005).

Teachers’ Heavy Burden

          The teacher posted important information on the bulletin board and reminded the students assignments and test scores. The teacher always spent much time to deal with the computer shutdown and contacted mechanics and programmers to repair the computer right away.

Students’ Computer Competence

The teacher always found that a lot of information students collected was copied, and posted. To raise learning effect, enhancing students’ computer competence was urgent (Chien,2004).

THE SOLUTION THE PROBLEMS OF APPLYING COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION TO TEACHING

Computer Facilities and Administrators' Emphasis

Adequate computer facilities can facilitate teachers to use computer techniques and increase the opportunities of teachers' applying technology to teaching.

Build up Teachers' Concept and Teaching Beliefs

As long as teachers to are willing to attempt to do it they will gain a lot of appropriate strategies of technology teaching. Teachers' patience and perseverance are necessary ; through such perseverance they can be able to elicit students' potential ability in this computer instructional method.

Improve Teachers' and Students' Computer Competence

When technology applied to classroom instruction, teachers have to be familiar with the operation of the computer.

Reduce Teachers' Workload

To reduce teachers' burden and to enhance the effects of teaching. teachers should train students as group leaders to aid them in their courses. In addition, teachers should have contact with computer programmer closes and then teachers with programmer and group leaders could maintain the operation and management of computer together.

In the age of integrating technology into teaching, the teachers' task is both difficult and challengeable, so teachers must take participate in related seminars, conferences activities and practical lessons to seek for professional members to solve difficult problems. Regular evaluations, strategies revised any time are necessary for teachers to find the most appropriate and efficient methods to help students reach the best learning outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This process of applying new technology in English teaching is a challenge every English teacher will have to face. Applying computer assisted language learning to teaching has become a new trend to the advanced countries in the current world. Meanwhile, information technology and multimedia teaching will be a direction that the government advocates in our educational policy. Whether there integration between technology and English teaching efficiently and successfully depends on the teachers' efforts and professional abilities. More importantly, the government and education authorities concerned should emphasis on the need of information technology in schools, fostering the coordination of policy and resources. Although the integration of technology into English is difficult and complicated, it is suggested that teachers can build up confidence, and consult with the professional teachers to continue innovation. It hoped that the difficulties the teacher has faced in the study can serve as the future reference for improving language learning strategies in college English teachers.