Computers in education

INTERACTIVE EDUCATION Learning can occur without computers, or, for that matter, without pencil and paper. But computers can serve as pow­erful assistants that allow imaginative approaches to teaching traditional sub­jects and motivate teachers and students to try new ways of information gathering and learning.

The oldest instructional application of computers is computer-assisted instruction (CAI), which provides in­struction and drill and practice in basic computation and language skills. The basic philosophy of CAI involves a direct link between student and computer and the transfer of basic instructional deci­sions from teacher to curriculum developer.

By using CAI, information is pre­sented on a computer, students are asked to respond, and their responses are evaluated. If the student is correct, he or she moves on; if incorrect, similar problems are given until the correct re­sponse is elicited. CAI allows students to learn topics at their own pace through a series of computer displays.

MULTIMEDIA Now, rapidly evolving computer tech­nologies are creating more options for interactive education. The term hypertextwas coined in 1965 by com­puter populist Ted Nelson. Hypertext describes writing done in nonlinear fash­ion. Unlike print text, which is essentially sequential and linear, hypertext can link pieces of information and create mul­tiple paths through text. When the non­linear text, along with still photos and illustrations, is combined with dynamic types of data such as sound, animation, and video, it is called multimedia.

Whereas CAI often stresses meeting specific needs, such as reading, spelling, math, or science, by asking students to answer questions correctly, multimedia products often feature games with learn­ing embedded into them. Students are provided with clues that require a knowledge of history, science, or geog­raphy to solve problems.

Multimedia products now span the entire range of education from pre­school to higher education to in-house corporate training. Interactive titles in­clude storybooks for children, math and science games, reference encyclopedias, and various levels of skill-training mate­rial ranging from maintenance and me­chanics to anatomy and medicine.

Find antonyms.

Allow, respond, opponent, difficult, link, powerful, old, similar, create, weak, wrong, modern, destroy, break, still, advocate, ask,correct, different, easy, dynamic, forbid.

Find synonyms.

Span, occur, permit, collect, answer, right, for instance, different, entire, connection, allow, gather, link, personal, embrace, take place, estimate, whole, various, for example, correct, individual, respond, evaluate.

Translate into English the following word-combinations.

Визначити ефективність комп’ютеризованого навчання, динамічні типи даних, задовольняти специфічні потреби, забезпечити індивідуальне навчання, подібні проблеми, мовні навички, включати прямий зв’язок, нові способи збору і вивчення інформації.

Translate from Ukrainian into English.

1. Засоби мультимедіа дають людині змогу спілкуватися з комп’ютером, використовуючи звук, відео, графіку, тексти, анімацію та ін.

2. Мультимедіа-комп’ютери особливо привабливі для навчання.

3. В поєднанні з гіпертекстовою та гіпермедійною формою навчальної інформації навчальний процес стає ефективним.

4. Прихильники комп’ютеризованого навчання доводять, що засоби мультимедіа забезпечують багате середовище для навчання і дослідження

5. Засоби мультимедіа дають вчителям можливість звертатися до різних методик навчання, використовуючи одну технологію.

Answer the questions.

1. What is the basic philosophy of CAI?

2. What are the computer capabilities in CAI?

3. What are the pros and cons in applying computers in education?

4. New computer technologies are creating more options for interactive education, aren’t they?

5. What range of education do multimedia products span?

6. Is classroom instruction more effective than computer-based training?

7. Are teachers more valuable then computers?

Match the following key terms to the appropriate definition:

1. Computer

2. Data

3. Computer program

4. Information

5. Office automation

6. Expert system

7. Artificial intelligence

8. Point-of-sale system

9. Scanner

10. Synthesizer

11. Virtual reality

12. Simulation

a. Computer input devices located at the point at which goods and services are paid.

b. An electronic device that can accept input, process it according to a set of instructions, store the instructions and the results of processing, and produce results as its output.

c. A device that electronically generates sound instead of picking it up with a microphone.

d. Technology that reduces the amount of human effort necessary to perform tasks in the office.

e. Output, intended for use and interpretation by people.

f. The facts, numbers, letters, and images input to a com­puter.

g. A computer system that solves specialized problems at the level of a human expert.

h. Input devices that examine a pattern such as a bar code and convert it into a representation suitable for process­ing.

i. Instructions that carry out the processing.

j. The branch of computer science that attempts to under­stand the nature of intelligence and produce new classes of intelligent computer systems.

k. A computerized representation of a real-world event or series of actions.

l. An information environment generated by computer technology that combines visual, auditory, and tactile interaction to create the illusion of realistic objects and sensory experiences.

Unit 2

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03