In sum, from the moment computers became financially accessible to the
ordinary mortal, a whole range of enthusiastic teachers, computer
scientists, and marketing managers have suggested that CALL might solve
many of the current problems of the educational system. However, mainly
because of software limitations resulting from an incorrect appreciation of
the computer’s power and role in the complex process of teaching and
learning, the hopes pinned on CALL have turned out to be unjustified.
If we regard the computer not as a magical box, but as a medium as
useful and as limited as other media at our disposal, a different approach to
its use in teaching emerges. Our starting point will not be the question
‘What can I do with my computer?’ (Answer: ‘Cloze exercises, drills,
simple multiple-choice questions’), but ‘Which medium should I use to
teach such and such a skill?’ The answer to this latter question might be the
blackboard, the video, printed matter or the tape recorder or whatever. It is
rarely ‘the computer’. Thomas (1986) rightly observes that:
The only justification for the wholesale introduction of computers into
the language-teaching classroom is if they can be shown to do something
which research into second-language acquisition suggests is pedagogically
well-motivated and that they can do something which either is
not being done at present, or can do it more cheaply or efficiently than is
being done at present. (Thomas 1986:129)
I claim that it is justifiable to use the computer as a teaching aid within
the framework of teaching reading comprehension, and I hope that the
material and software that I have developed fulfil such conditions.
In sum, from the moment computers became financially accessible to theordinary mortal, a whole range of enthusiastic teachers, computerscientists, and marketing managers have suggested that CALL might solvemany of the current problems of the educational system. However, mainlybecause of software limitations resulting from an incorrect appreciation ofthe computer’s power and role in the complex process of teaching andlearning, the hopes pinned on CALL have turned out to be unjustified.If we regard the computer not as a magical box, but as a medium asuseful and as limited as other media at our disposal, a different approach toits use in teaching emerges. Our starting point will not be the question‘What can I do with my computer?’ (Answer: ‘Cloze exercises, drills,simple multiple-choice questions’), but ‘Which medium should I use toteach such and such a skill?’ The answer to this latter question might be theblackboard, the video, printed matter or the tape recorder or whatever. It israrely ‘the computer’. Thomas (1986) rightly observes that:The only justification for the wholesale introduction of computers intothe language-teaching classroom is if they can be shown to do somethingwhich research into second-language acquisition suggests is pedagogicallywell-motivated and that they can do something which either isnot being done at present, or can do it more cheaply or efficiently than isbeing done at present. (Thomas 1986:129)I claim that it is justifiable to use the computer as a teaching aid withinthe framework of teaching reading comprehension, and I hope that thematerial and software that I have developed fulfil such conditions.
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