Influence of multimedia technology in english language teaching.
Influence of Multimedia Technology in English
Language Teaching.
Presented by.
K.SAKTHIVEL
GRADUATE TEACHER (ENGLISH)
GOVT HR SEC SCHOOL
NADUPAIYUR
KRISHNAGIRI
TAMIL NADU-635112
CONTACT-9578986140
1
ELT in Tamil Nadu
Problems faced by the vernacular medium students
Multimedia
Characteristics of multimedia computer assisted language teaching and
learning
Purpose of the study
Chapter-II
Technology in education
Definitions for technology
Technology and learning
Need of educational technology
Scope for educational technology
Forms of educational technology
Pedagogy and technology
Chapter –III
Teaching tools
Importance of using teaching multimedia aids
3
Necessity of application of Multimedia technology to ELT
Problem arising from application of multimedia technology in ELT
Chapter –IV
Methodology
Analysis
Conclusion.
Influence of Multimedia Technology in English Language
Teaching
Chapter-I
Introduction:
4
English Language Teaching is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.
The use of new technologies is an integral and driving component of this growth
(White, 1988).
Language teachers have been avid users of technology for a very long time for
effective teaching. Gramophone records were among the first technological aids to be
used by language teachers in order to present students with recordings of native
speakers‟ voices, and broadcasts from foreign radio stations were used to make
recordings on reel-to-reel tape recorders. Other examples of technological aids that
have been used in the second language classroom include slide projectors, film-strip
projectors, film projectors, videocassette recorders and DVD players.
During the 1970s and 1980s standard microcomputers were incapable of
producing sound and they had poor graphics capability. This represented a step
backwards for language teachers, who by this time had become accustomed to using a
range of different media in the foreign language classroom. The arrival of the
multimedia computer in the early 1990s was therefore a major breakthrough as it
enabled text, images, sound and video to be combined in one device and the
integration of the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
English in India Today:
5
Pre- Independence English occupied a very important place in India. It
was the official language of the administration, medium of instruction and
subject of study in the Indian schools and university level. Knowledge of
English became a fashion of the day. It is an important foreign language that
has attained the status of link language in different countries of the world.
English language has occupied an important place in the education system of
India.
English was supreme in the pre-Independence India. It was the language
of administration a compulsory subject as the school and colleges, and the
medium of instruction for the subjects at the school, college and the university
level.
It occupied an important place in courts, commerce and industry.
Besides being a link and library language I India, it is our major window on the
modern world. The students‟ current needs for using English in daily life are
restricted for making some enquires, taking examinations, producing
occupational letters, application, complaint etc.
The potential need could be determined by considering the role of
English which plays outside schools. English is widely used for inter- state,
6
state centre, communication between government at the highest level of state
administration, in business, industry, and banking. English is still the most
favored medium of instruction and examination at the highest levels of
university education. Proficiency in English will therefore be of very high
utilitarian value for our students. Once they leave school, they go to higher
seats of learning such as universities or technical institutes for advance studies
or take up employment which will be an asset. Many social transactions in their
daily life demand a good knowledge of English. These skills once acquired in
schools will constantly be in use within and outside the educational setting.
Why English is important:
The English language is extraordinary adapted and receptive that it
inherent with varied ease and readiness. It takes to itself all the materials from
almost everywhere in the world, and has made the new elements of other
language of other language its own. Academic English has a number of
varieties, which is associated with particular academic subjects or disciplines
like Arts, Sciences and Social sciences. It is common for scholars under each
discipline to establish their own language, conversations and practices.
7
English has its dominance in almost all the major fields like Commerce,
Computer, Science and Technology, Medicine, Agriculture etc. it is this growth
that has made this language indispensable.
Today, any corporate sector, especially IT companies would find their
business curtailed if their employees cannot speak English. No nation today,
however great or isolated, dares to rely on its indigenous language only
countries like China and France have realized the need for English and have
started to teach their young generation English. Hence, there is a great
demand for English teachers in these countries. For a multilingual society like
India, we need a binding factor to express ourselves. It is an accepted fact that
an individual can function best through the language which he/she acquire
naturally, which is commonly their mother tongue, and the individual
aspiration of one‟s life can be fulfilled best, when one is allowed to function
in one‟s mother tongue. However, it is a difficult problem to use regional
language in each and every state, because translation of Government rules,
orders about the regulations can be misleading. Hence, the Government of
India stuck to English as link language in the country.
8
The early years of the 20th century have created a widespread increase
not just in the speakers of the language but also in speaking Standard English.
During earlier times, research was done and inventions were published in
language like Latin, French, Germany and Russian. But now with a wider
audience for English research publications, works are done in English rather
than in any other language. Hence, translating these works and giving new
names for these inventions has now become a hectic process in other languages,
because there is an information time lag between English and these languages.
It is for this reason that higher education is mostly provided in English, since all
the words which are in these subjects will not have an exact meaning in native
language. Hence, there is a growing need to study a foreign language for those
who opt to pursue their higher studies.
Teaching English as a second language:
English is taught as a second language in almost all the schools in India.
Second language acquisition in general understanding, speaks about the
language that is used for learning in classroom contexts. There are a number of
differences between an adult and a child learning a second language. The nonEnglish medium students are taught English in Tamil by unequipped teachers.
Hence, the non-English medium students, when they enter colleges, have
9
problem with the language to cope with their studies. They need to develop the
required language skills for participating in all the aspects of their college life,
while they also have to strive hard to develop mastery over their content writing
with other students as well. This skill is known as Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency (CALP) by Cummins.
Most of the students in India face this hindrance in learning. This is
because a vast majority of them study in Government schools, where the
medium of instruction is largely the mother tongue, and these are students, who
belong to the category of first generation learners. In schools, English is taught
through literary pieces like prose and poetry. Almost of the students fail to
realize the importance of English. They realize it only at the time of their
placements in the final year, but then it becomes too late. “English is destined to
be in the next succeeding centuries more generally the language of the world
than Latin was in the last or French is in the present age”. (Rajagopalan)
Today English is the mother tongue of 75% of people, who belongs
races and countries. No language, ancient or modern, can be compared with
English in its geographical distribution. English has become a popular
vernacular tongue since Europeans and non-Europeans all over the earth are
making increasingly the use of English as their „second language‟, because for
10
them , English and information are interwoven; perhaps, one half of the
mankind has chosen English to communicate with those, who do not speak their
own language.
The aims of teaching English as a Second language
A teacher should know what his instructional task is and what he is
trying to achieve by teaching English. A teacher without the knowledge of aims
is like a ship which has no harbor to reach. The aims of teaching English in
India is quiet different in compare with western countries.
In India English is taught as a foreign language. Hence the main aim of
teaching of English to help children acquire practical command of English so
that it may be useful to them in everyday life.
Practical common of English means that the Indian children should be
able to read, speak, write and understand English. They should learn the
language for the purpose of utility
English is an important international language. According to Thompson
and Whatt, there are four aims of teaching English to Indian school children as
a second language.
11
1. To understand simple spoken English
2. To understand simple written English
3. To speak simple, correct and idiomatic English
4. To write simple, correct and idiomatic English.
Schooling in India:
In India, a maximum number of students study in their mother tongue till
their schooling. Later they join in colleges for higher studies, where the medium
of instruction is mainly English. It is at this point that these students face a
crisis. Many students are faced these daily challenges of learning a language
other than their mother tongue. They find it very difficult to learn their subject
in English. So, they start to memorize the terms and other things and they try to
clear their exams. Hence, they lose their reasoning power. Once the exams are
done, the students forget the things that they memorized and it gone once
forever. This is because English is looked as foreign language to be taught as a
subject and not as a language.
ELT in Tamil Nadu:
“The language agitation in Tamil Nadu was a much pro-English as it was
anti-Hindi”. This quote speaks the attitude of the people of Tamil Nadu towards
12
Hindi and English. English has a special place in this state. Parents want their
children to be in schools, where English is the medium of instruction, for they
believe that the chances of their sons and daughters realizing their academic
goals are high, when they have good proficiency in English.
Since this has been the attitude of the majority of the people, irrespective
of their positions in the society, there has been a great demand for English
medium schools, and other private institutions that offer courses on spoken
English. Even small towns and villages have been positively affected, and
English medium schools have flourished because of this demand. But, students
from economically backward families cannot afford to enroll themselves either
in this institution or to get help from their parents; hence they study in
Government-run schools. Students of regional medium schools are exposed to
English language only for a maximum of forty minutes a day in their schools,
because English is taught only as a language paper and not as a medium of
instruction. And in their Board exams, these students are concerned only with
the lines that are to be memorized, and question-answers that are to be
reproduced in their exams. For these reasons, they rely on the simplified version
given in the market guides. Hence, there is hardly any chance, where they
would have practiced the language. So, when these students enter college, they
13
find difficult to learn their subjects, because mostly in colleges except their first
language paper everything is taught in English.
Problems faced by the vernacular medium students:
The adoption of regional language as a medium of instruction in primary
and secondary level has its repercussion on higher education, because of the
well-known fact that at college level in our country, there are a few colleges,
where the subjects are taught in the regional language and not in English.
The Tamil Nadu Government adopted Tamil as medium of instruction
for the students, learning Mathematics, physics Chemistry and Biology in
schools under its control, through it runs a few English medium sections in each
class from six to twelve. The other schools form a major chunk of school
population in the state. English is given no more attention than other subjects to
get promoted to higher classes. They do not seem to make any attempt to make
the learners in these schools aware of the role of the English language in their
future, especially in higher education and in jobs. Besides, no attempt seems to
be made to use English as means of communication so that the learners are
competent users of English by the time they enter their colleges.
14
When a student enters college from a regional medium school, his
greatest difficulty is in adjusting himself to the medium of instruction, which is
English. At times, lectures and professors are forced to use their mother tongue,
though they are supposed to deliver their lectures in English. This is because the
lecturers stuck to English fail to communicate with their students. As a result,
there occurs a steady corrosion of learning and teaching English in colleges.
Students from English medium schools are very good or at least far better in
English than students from rural regional medium schools. Hence, in colleges
where students are in a process of learning a second language and in a process
of using it as a main stream language, they produce utterances in spoken and
written form, which are mostly erroneous.
Multimedia:
The development of science and technology has push forward modern
teaching Technology and caused the deep change of the educational idea.
Multimedia plays an important role in all the stages of second language
acquisition. Multimedia tools are used widely by second language learners.
Multimedia can provide a sensory and real learning experience; it presents a
greater potential for learning (Lindfors, 1987).Practice has proved that there is
15
incomparable advantage of teaching approach in the multimedia compared with
traditional method.
Modern Multimedia Teaching Technology has substituted the static, stiff
teaching aids, and participated in object teaching, like injecting a stream of
fresh blood into class instruction especially play guiding, amazing unique
function on students‟ thinking in image, combination technique of the
multimedia. Such as animation, audio-video, etc.
Characteristics of Multimedia Computer Assisted Language Teaching and
Learning:
With constant popularization and development at full speed of
multimedia technology that the computer used, the computer second language
teaching of the multimedia has already become a kind of inevitable trend, and
influenced all aspects of the second language teaching. The numerous scholars
and teachers have already begun to explore it in this aspect. It gets to
outstanding achievements. The key characteristic of the multimedia technology
includes the diversification of information carrier, interaction, controlling and
integrating aspects. The multimedia computer in English language teaching and
16
learning, as a kind of teaching way and supplementary means, has various kinds
of characteristics.
Purpose of the study:
Multimedia is becoming indispensable in the classroom. It allows
teacher to diversify their teachings, display more information, and enhance
student learning. It helps them save time and energy; it allows for more
attention to be paid to the teaching content. There are different multimedia tools
available for effective teaching. The tools are,
Audio Streaming
PPT
Animation
And Video.
The above tools are called as teaching aids which are all used by the teacher to
explain the subject effectively to the students. At the same time the tools give
them an enthusiastic mood to learn more in their subject and it helps to learn to
17
face situations and challenges. It broadens their level of acquiring knowledge in
any field which they feel more interested. Through the tools one can learn
proper Pronunciation and accent. It helps them to improve their writing skills,
etc.
There are different purposes for analyzing the multimedia tools. Some of
them are:
To decide whether the multimedia tool has had the efficacious
effect
To identify what the effect the multimedia tool has acquired in the
beginning stage
To justify future course of action
To identify areas for development in a multimedia tool
This study is to find out either the urban government school students or rural
government school students uses more and in effective.
Chapter-II
Technology in Education
18
Technological development is an extension of man‟s power over nature. As
Marshal Mcluhan explains, „A shovel extends man‟s arms; a bow and arrow
extends his reach in another way, clothing extends his skin; an automobile
extends his leg; telephone extends his voice and hearing; writing extends his
memory and now computer extend man‟s central nervous system‟:
(i)
In the other words, technology is providing a man with powers which
can possibly be attributed to superman. More-over technologies of
today are undergoing many utility oriented trends.
(ii)
Firstly there is a trend towards miniaturization. Teachers are now
getting transistorized units which are smaller, lighter and more
compact. Lighter weight makes such equipments more portable, and
portability in turn gives rise to flexibility in use.
Secondly, there is towards simplicity. There is something like
personality of a gadget. If the personality is complex, the users get
scared. But once the device is simplified such that it is used easily, it
becomes more valuable.
Thirdly, there is a trend to combine various units now on the market.
For example, the slide projector and tape recorder once two separate
units. Now, we have tape-activated projectors are various kinds. In
19
this way, various types of two-in-ones and three-in-ones have come
into being and are proving useful devices for class room or for
individualized instruction.
With the advent of computers not only many gadgets like electronic
tutors, electronic data network, interactive cable television, video text
have been developed but capabilities of existing media technologies
can be enhanced to improve teaching-learning processes.
Some of the standard definitions of Educational Technology are,
As defined by Commission on Instructional Technology,USA, “Educational
Technology is a systematic way of designing, implementing and evaluating the
total process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on
research in human learning and communication and employing a combination
of human and non-human resources to bring about more effective instruction”.
According to the Association for educational communication and
Technology, USA has defined as “Educational Technology is a complex;
integrated process involving people, procedure, ideas, devices and organization
20
for analyzing problems and devising implementing, evaluating and managing
solution to those problems, involve in all aspects of learning”.
An overview of such definitions as given above would reveal that the
educational technology is a systematic way, a process involving the application
of a systematic way, the application of the scientific knowledge to improve the
efficiency of the process of learning and instruction. In brief, ET (educational
Technology) is developing a source of education which uses a host of methods,
techniques and resources that assist the teachers and support the students in
their effective learning.
Technology and Learning
Growing emphasis on enhancing students‟ self- directed learning focuses
on individually and socially constructed meaning. To foster and support critical
thinking and reasoning students must be given opportunities in the classroom to
use technology. Technology fosters and supports a constructive approach to
learning when used as a tool in the process of making meaning and supporting
inquiry.
Technology can facilitate the process of meaning making as well as the
sharing of results. As classroom access to communication and information
21
technologies increases and as vast amount of information become available in
digital format, students will need to be literate across a variety of
communication technologies.
Need of Educational Technology:
There are many problems relating to education in India which need
immediate attention and action. The major problem include large classes;
heterogeneous classes with intra and inter-individual difference; lack of
textbooks, source material and equipments; lack of provision of teaching aids
and another hardware in schools, etc. these problems can be tackled effectively
with the help of Educational Technology. Large number of students can be
taught efficiently and effectively at low cost. Individual difference among
students can be taken care of by programmed instruction which can be adjusted
to the individual‟s pace of learning.
There is need to supply human learning scientifically so that instruction
can be designed and organized to facilitate student learning. This can be
achieved with the help of ET. The process of instructional design and system
approach can be used to fulfill this need.
22
To provide education to a large number of poor and deprived students at
their door-steps, scattered over a vast area in the country, correspondence
education is being offered. The distance education system supported by
television, computer, etc. it can be used to provide quality education to large
number of students with a lot of flexible and open system using appropriate
media and technologies.
Scope of Educational Technology:
The concept of educational technology has undergone change. It not
only includes use of media and technologies in Education, but also includes the
designing the process of teaching and learning. It helps in creating and
organizing learning environment which includes formulation of instructional
objectives, curriculum planning and designing, its transactional strategies and
evaluation of pupil learning and achievement. It also includes management of
learning and overall education.
Educational technology covers all level of schooling and also higher
education including professional education like engineering, management,
medicine and latest technology courses. Its utility in making teaching-learning
more effective is now realized.
23
Educational technology can be utilized by all teachers with different
subject specialization. It can apply across different subject areas with high
effectiveness in bringing about desired learning outcomes.
Educational technology is basically the application of systems approach
to education, i.e, analyzing the process into serial steps which lead to
achievement of goal and objectives. By using systems, economic, political and
social can be established to make education a more powerful instrument for
country‟s human resource development.
Forms of Educational Technology:
Education technology is a multifaceted concept. Over a period, it has
taken several forms depending on the focal concern. The main forms of
Educational Technology are follows:
Teaching Technology
Instructional Technology
Behavioral Technology
Teaching Technology:
24
Teaching Technology is that form of ET which increases the
effectiveness of teaching. In order to make best use of the available resource, it
is essential that all persons engaged in the teaching profession understand the
mechanism and dynamism of teaching technology and provide education to
their students.
Instructional Technology:
Instructional technology is that form of ET which focuses on behavior
modification under certain learning conditions to optimize pupil learning. It
takes care of the individual pupil‟s abilities and pace of learning. Programmed
Learning is one of the contributions of this form of ET.
Behavioral Technology:
Behavioral Technology is another form of ET in which desired change in
student‟s behavior is the main concern. Method and techniques are developed to
make desired behavioral changes. B.F.Skinner has been a pioneer in behavioral
technology. In fact, this form of ET includes the previous two forms- teaching
and instructional technologies. It is based on the assumption that teacher
behavior is both social and psychological; teacher behavior can be modified;
25
reward and punishment play an important role in behavior modification; and its
observable and hence measurable, etc.
Kinds of Educational Technologies:
Hardware Approach
Software Approach
Hardware approach
Educational Technology has two kinds as per the approach being used.
The first kind is hardware. It is also known as “Technology in Education”.
Under this kind of educational technology, hardware including equipments,
machines such as projectors, TV and computer, etc is used to make education a
more effective and powerful instrument of pupil development.
Software Approach
The second kind of Educational technology is called software. It is also
known as “Technologies of Education”. Under this kind of educational
technology, software aims at increasing the learning-teaching methods and
strategy, evaluation, procedure, etc. These are based on psychological
principles governing human behavior.
26
Pedagogy and Technology:
The other concept of Educational Technology is “Technology of
Education”. It emphasizes pedagogic functions of technology. The ET helps to
provide various kinds of learning experiences. Print medium presents verbal
and visual material, which generates new thinking and modifies perception of
the learner. The output signals of most machines are auditory or visual or both.
They provide vicarious experiences. These experiences are substitutionary in
nature. The learner imagines his participation in the events are too big for the
classroom (E.g.. Solar system); or too slow (E.g. the sequence of opening into
flower); or too inaccessible (E.g. defusing bomb). With appropriate visuals the
reality is controlled by making them smaller or bigger; slower or faster; and
with recorded sound realism is further created by presenting original speech of
a leader, sound effect. Not only this sound may be amplified, slowed down or
confusing noise may be edited out.
Educational technologies have been always keen to develop repressive
devices so as to enable the learner to explore more freely, inform him about the
consequences of his action and allow him to learn at his own pace. Computer
technology is seen to be filling this gap.
27
Chapter –III
Teaching tools/Aids
Curriculum developers and instructional designers collaborate with
skilled teacher and subject experts to create effective, integrated learning
28
strategies which strengthen teachers‟ professional skills, make optimal use of
classroom time, and broaden student access to learning materials (Richards,
2001). The tools can be categorized into two,
Visual Aids
Audio Aids
Visual Aids: There are visual aids like chalk-board, flannel board,
bulletin board, flash cards, slides, charts, maps, sketches, models, animation
and video etc. out of these black board and chalk are the commonest one.
Audio aids: Software which is used for pronunciation practice, radio
and tape recorder etc.
Visual aids bring in the classroom and brighten up the class room
atmosphere. They provide interest in the lessons and make the students to learn
more their subject. Visual aids help the teacher to create situation for teaching
the beginners. Audio helps in providing speech training to pupils. They enable
the students to retain items for a longer time.
Importance of using teaching Multimedia Aids:
29
Teaching aids are great assistance in teaching any subject, language and
science, etc. During the time of language teaching the aids has given more
prominent because of the following purposes.
Variety: They provide variety and keep the class lively and in more
interest. At the same time it provides the adequate knowledge and information
regarding their subjects.
Effective Teaching: By the use of the aids a teacher can teach lessons
more effectively rather than simply make them understand. While teaching the
teacher can create a new situation to think more about their subject to acquire
knowledge and information.
Concrete: Aids make things concrete by making an appeal to the senses.
What makes an appeal to the senses reinforces memory and makes the lesson
and the learning more interesting. Students learn their lessons with more
interest and involve in various activities which are all conduct by the teacher.
Provide interest and inspiration: Aids provide interest and inspire
students to seek more knowledge, without interest no one is ready to learn
anything. So interest is the primary thing for learning any language. At the
same time inspiration is important to do further study.
30
Reduce teacher’s talking and discussion: Aids reduces teachers talking
and discussion in the classroom while teaching. When a teacher shows a model
or video, need not explain everything to the students because it provides them
the enough knowledge to comprehend certain things.
Forming language atmosphere: Audio-Visual aids help in creating the
language in the class. When a second language video played in the classroom
there will be different atmosphere appears, it allows the students to understand
pronunciation, accent, stress etc.
Reduce the over-dependence on mother tongue: The use of aids in a
foreign language class helps the teacher to reduce the over-dependence on
pupil‟s mother tongue. Here vernacular language does not receive more
important.
Necessity of Application of Multimedia Technology to English Language
Teaching
(i)
To motivate students’ interest in their study
Nowadays, the prevailing traditional teaching methods and
situations are unpopular while multimedia technology featuring
31
audio, visual, animation effects naturally and humanly make us
more access to information. In addition to this such characteristics
as abundant-information and crossing time and space, multimedia
technology provides a sense of reality and functions very well,
which greatly motivates students‟ interest in study and their
involvement in class activities. Students can experience the
subject which strengthen him a knowledgeable one.
(ii)
To promote students’ communicative Capability
Traditional teaching has less importance in the students‟ capacity
to understand certain a language and hampers their understanding
to structure, meaning and function of the language, and makes the
students passive recipients of knowledge. So it is difficult to
achieve the target of communication. With teachers‟ instructions
leading students‟ thought patterns motivating students‟ emotions,
the multimedia technology classes set in new-type internet
classroom seek combination of teaching and learning and provide
the students greater knowledge. The PPT English teaching can
32
activate students‟ thinking; the visual and vivid course ware
transform English learning into capacity cultivation. And such inclass activities as group discussion, subject discussion, and debate
can also provide more opportunities for communication among
students and between teacher and students. So multimedia
technology teaching has separate inspired students‟ positive
thinking and communication skills in various social practices.
(iii)
To broaden students’ knowledge to acquire meaningful
understanding to Western culture:
The multimedia teaching can offer the students abundant
information; the output of multimedia comprehensive English far
more plentiful than textbooks, and it displays vivid cultural
background, rich content and true-to-life language materials
whish are much natural and closer to life. Not only could learners
improve their listening capacity or ability, but also learn the
33
western culture. Acquiring information through various channels
can equip the students with knowledge and bring about
information-sharing among students and make them participate
actively in class discussion and communication. The combination
of
human-machine
communication
and
interpersonal
communication leads to overall development of students‟
listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
(iv)
To Enrich Teaching Effect:
Multimedia teaching enriches teaching content and makes the best
of class time. It breaks the “teacher- centered” teaching pattern
and eventually improves class efficiency. It is very common that
the school and university students have their leaning effectively.
Always English classes are very large crowded more in
classroom. During such circumstances, it is highly difficult for the
students to have speaking communication. The utilization of
multi-media sound lab materializes individualized and cooperative teaching.
34
The traditional teaching model predominantly gives prominence
on teachers‟ instruction, and the information given was limited.
On the contrary, multimedia technology goes beyond time and
space, creates more vivid, visual, authentic atmosphere for
English learning, induces the students‟ initiatives and economizes
class time meanwhile increases class information.
Problem arising from Application of Multimedia technology in English
language teaching:
(i)
Major means Replaced by the assisting one
The application of multimedia technology is an assisting aid to
achieve the projected teaching effect. While, if fully dependent on
multimedia devices during teaching, the teacher may be turned
into slaves to the multimedia and cannot play the leading role in
teaching. It is observed in practice that numbers of teachers are
more active in multimedia technology application rather than
traditional teaching, so that they are engaged in searching
information and working out. In class, they are standing by the
35
computer and students are concentrating only on the screen, and
therefore, there is no eye contact between the teacher and the
students. CAT has played vital role in class, while both teachers
and students are enslaved by the computer and its application and
student‟s initiatives, originality, teachers‟ individualized art in
teaching and teaching methods spoiled and restricted. The trend
of modern information and technology appears to the extremity
regardless
of the essence of the traditional teaching. And hence, the notion of
creative Education should be fully comprehended that modern
educational techniques provides an assisting aids in teaching
rather than a target; and that should not dominate class. With the
assistance of a computer in teaching, teachers are supposed to
fully utilize the academic syllabus and teaching material, to find
out how much knowledge the students have gained. The
multimedia information should be less and better adopted with
less emphasis and breakthroughs in teaching.
36
(ii)
Lack of Speaking Communication:
For a time, it has been pronounced that English class should be
carried only through English language. English language and
English analysis by the teachers are more effective in conveying
knowledge and information to the students from English
pronunciation to understand, improving students‟ English
thinking patterns and oral expression. Whereas, the introduction
of multimedia technology featuring audio, visual, aids in teaching
and they fulfill the requirements of the students and enhance their
interest towards their subject, but it
results in lack of
communication between teachers and students, replacement of
teachers‟ own voice by computer made sound will not give clear
idea to the student, and teachers‟ analysis by visual image and
students‟ few chances for speaking communication. With the
favorable environment by the mutual communication between
teachers and students vanishing away, and sound and image of
multimedia affecting students‟ initiative to think and speak,
English class becomes a show and students are made viewers
rather than the participants of class activities.
37
(iii)
Students’ Thinking Potential reduces:
It appears that language teaching is different from other subjects,
for language teaching does not require illustrations by various
steps, rather, the tense and orderly the environment is framed
through questions and answers between teachers and students.
Teachers raise improvised and real-time questions and they guide
the students to think to cultivate their capacity to identify and
solve problems. Because of over-demonstration and pre-arranged
order, the teaching lacks real-time effect and cannot feedback
students‟ study so it ignores emphasis and importance in teaching;
it also rejects instruction in students‟ thinking and appreciation to
the beauty and essence of language; further it paid little attention
to free learning atmosphere and the notion-“happy learning”. It is
empty that multimedia plays a positive role in inducing students‟
thinking, inspiring their paths of thinking, strengthening their
minds to discover, contemplate and problem solving. In this way,
it should be noted that cultivation of students‟ thinking capacity
38
should be played major objective in teaching and multimedia
never take up the students‟ time for thinking, analyzing and
exploring questions. Teachers only can provide capacities of
thinking and reasoning by the effective teaching and explaining.
(iv)
Theoretical Thinking Replaced by Imaginable Thinking:
The process of cognition goes through perceptual stage and
rational stage. It also applied to studying process. It is the hope
that teachings made students adopt the outlook cognition from
perceptual recognition to rational apprehension, and greatly leap
from perceptual thinking to rational thinking. Therefore, it is the
major objective in teaching to enrich the students‟ abstract
thinking. The multimedia technology makes content more easily,
and with its unique advantages, it could clarify the emphasis in
teaching. While if the image and imagination in students‟ mind
were merely displayed on the screen, their abstract thinking
would be restricted and logical thinking would wasted away. At
present the decreased students‟ reading competence has become a
major concern for reason that textual words are replaced by sound
39
and image, handwriting by keyboard input. The over-application
of multimedia technology would worsen the situation.
(v)
The Computer Screen can’t Substitute the Blackboard:.
Most of the teachers take the computer screen as the blackboard.
They have input exercises, questions, answers and teaching plans
into the computer and display them step by step, without taking
down anything on the blackboard or even the title of a lesson. It is
known that teachers are supposed to stimulate situations based on
teaching and make the students to communicate in English. In
addition to this, traditional writing on blackboard is concise and
teachers can make adjustment and amendment to it if necessary.
Further, experienced teachers know well that a perfect courseware
is an ideal project in mind, and that in practice, they need to
enrich the content on the blackboard with emerging of new
questions raised by the students.
40
Chapter-4
Methodology:
In order to identify the usage of Multimedia technology between urban
and rural students, for that a questioner was prepared for them to analyze the
41
usage of the technological aids. Twenty boys and six girls between twelve and
thirteen years of age from various Government schools from krishnagiri city,
this is for urban analyses and twenty five boys and five girls from rural
Government school for rural analyses. The purpose is to determine that who
gets more benefit between rural and urban students in terms of language
acquisition, vocabulary building and comprehension and in promoting general
ease with the language.
Analysis:
The result from the study shows that Group B has scored far better in
usage of the technological aids than Group A, which consisted of twenty five
boys and girls from rural school.
Group B, which also consisted of twenty five boys and girls have given
their answer in positive. They said that they are aware of different multimedia
aids and often they get chance to use them. Then they know how to handle the
aids. At the same time the students from rural area they have scored less
percentage than the students of urban area. Their answer is that they don‟t get
chance to use them for their studies. Almost 60% of the students from rural area
they don‟t know even the names of the aids.
42
The study proves that the use of the aids in class rooms of the rural and
urban schools. The students from urban utilize the aids well for their learning
their language in effective manner.
The audio- video aids caters two sense- the sense of sight (the children
are able to see the action), and the sense of hearing (with which they listen to
the sounds of the words) and, therefore, helping double reinforcement. The
impact is quiet strong.
Educational TV programme, instructional videos, and even some
computerized games claim to help children develop language skills. Sound and
action support each other. The more a child hears and sees, the more it can be
competent in a language.
The practice of audio aids and video aids not just helps in the
improvement of vocabulary and writing skills; there is also a considerable in
improvement in their overall development of their skills.
Conclusion
Audio- video aids are familiar terms in the realm of education. For some
years, they have been widely used the aids for learning. The effective of audiovideo aids have been enthusiastically discussed and evaluated in this project.
43
Effective learning is secured only through effective teaching; audiovisual method of teaching should be used, as it creates in the student individual
thinking, feeling and doing in life like situation and dynamic experiences in
learning. This method can bring the child most effectively and economically the
desired results. So for the present generation the students focus mainly on the
easy way to understand or learn the language effectively. They feel that the
technology provides great extent in learning.
Recommendations:
Multimedia tools which are available in the market are not tailor-made.
Teacher should analyze them predictively and retrospectively to use them
effectively in the classroom. Feedback from the students can be utilized to
improve the efficiency of the teaching by the use of Multimedia tools.
Multimedia tools should be used appropriately and frequently to increase the
level of the teaching as well as learning.
Sample Questioner.
NAME:
CLASS:
44
NAME OF THE SCHOOL:
1. Do you know existed Educational technology?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
2. Are you aware of Educational technology which is presented?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
3. Do you Educational software?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
4. Ever you use the Educational software?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
5. Do you have any experience of using the software?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
6. Doesn‟t u have eager to use the software?
a) Yes b) No c) May be
7. What kind of knowledge you learn through this software?
8. Whether the software fulfill your thirst of learning
a) Yes b) No
9. Do feel any change after the prevailing method of learning?
a) Yes b) No
45