Integrating computer Technology in the Classroom Teaching and Assessment
6.1 A) Communications
The term communication has been derived from the Latin word “Communis” meaning common. It implies common experiences, mutual sharing or give and take. It gives different meanings to different people. Communication is defined as the sharing of ideas and feelings in a mode of mutuality. It involves interaction which encourages give and take. This provides feedback to the individuals involved in the exchange of ideas. Effective communication, therefore is a two way process.
Components of communication:
There are four components of communication, they are
1.Source or Sender or encoder
2.Message or Signal
3.Channel or Medium
4.Destination or receivers or decoder
In the communication process, the source or the sender has the correct information and transmits the same as accurately, clearly and speedily as possible. The content of transmission is called the message. It should be conveyed through the medium of words both written and verbal, gestures, pictures, and so on. Thus the medium or channel may be either audio or visual or both.
The sender encodes the ideas or information as the message and channelizes the same up to the receiver through medium or media. The receiver decodes or understands the message or interprets the information according to his background. Since communication involves at least two or more persons, interaction is a must in order to make it effective. This ensures the mutual sharing or give and take of ideas and experiences. Such communication must also have a desired reaction called feedback. Thus in any effective communication, in addition to the original four components, two more
i) Interaction and
ii) Feedback is also essential.
Modes of Communication:
There are mainly three modes of communication. They are
1. Speaking –Listening mode
2. Visualizing-Observing
3. Writing-Reading
(Note: For further detail about communication see chapter no.1)
Data Communication or Transmission:
Digital data transmission i.e. the digital signals are in the form of electrical impulses. Digital signals are faster and efficient and provide low error rates and high transmission speed.
Analog data transmission i.e. these signal are in the form of wave. The wave is known as carrier wave having specific frequency and amplitude.
Types of DATA transmission
1.Asynchronous data transmission (Character by character)
2.Synchronous data transmission (Block by Block containing characters)
Software for communication
Different types of communication software are as follows.
Email: It stands for electronic mail. It is exchange of text, messages and files through internet. Message can be in the form of graphics, sounds, video clips or simple text. It is a fast way of delivering messages any where in the world in the very short time.
FTP: it stands for file transfer protocol. It is used on internet for sending files from one place to another. It is especially designed for professionals.
News groups: It is a global electronic bulletin board system. People exchange information on a vast range of topics such as news, recorrection, business, science an computer. News group may require news reader software. It is integrated in some operating systems, web browsers and email program. It can also be downloading from the internet.
Chatting & Instant Messaging: Chat programs allow users on the internet to communicate with one another by typing messages. They are some times included as a feature of a website, where users can log in to the chartroom to exchange comments and information.
Web Browser: A browser is software that acts as an interface between the user and the internet. It has the capability to understand HTML. It can display text and graphics. Browsers are also known as web links or universal clients.
Internet Telephony: Used to talk to other people over the internet. It is also called voiceover IP. It uses the internet to connect a calling party and one or more called parties using internet telephone software. When the user speaks, internet telephone software and sound card digitize and compress the spoken words and transmit it over the internet to the called parties.
Videoconferencing: it uses video and computer technology to conduct a meeting between participants and two or more geographically separate locations. It is used for technical support, job interviews, distance learning etc. it requires computer with microphones, speakers, video cameras and communication devices and software.
Groupware: people working on a project share their information on a network.
Global positioning system (GPS): it consists of one or more earth-based receivers that receive and analyze signals sent by satellites to determine the receiver’s geographic position. It is handheld device and can be mounted on an automobile, boat, aero plane or computer. Some GPS displays the location on map using screen.
B) Networks
A computer network is a set of two or more computers connected together through cables, satellite or telephone lines in order to share information and other resources. For example, Internet is an example of a computer network in which millions of computers are connected through phone lines. People use these networks to share information, files and talk with one another.
Advantages of networks:
1.Information and resource sharing
2.Money saving
3.Easy communication
4.Internet access sharing
5.Data security and management
6.Entertainment
Disadvantages of networks:
1.Setting up a network requires an investment in hardware, software, planning, designing and implementing the network.
2.Hardware and Software management cost
3.Undesirable sharing of data
4.Illegal or undesirable behavior (Damaging private policies)
5.Data security concerns
Types of networks:
Computer networks are categorized according to
2.The way they are used
3.Distance over which they operate
Three main types of computer networks are as follows,
1.LAN (Local Area Network) used for a small area
2.WAN(Wide area network) used to connect countries and continents
3.MAN(Metropolitan Area Network) that covers a particular geographical area, may contain many LAN (Local Area Network)
C) Internet
The internet is a collection of millions of computers around the world that are all connectd to one another. It is a global network of computers. These computers are connected through different telecommunications links like,
-Phone lines
-Fiber Optics lines
-Satellites and wireless connections
The internet is used to find information stored on the computers called HOSTS or SERVERS that are part of the Internet. These computers use a common protocol TCP/IP (Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) for communication. Each computer connected to the internet can act as host. A host computer provides information to people.
More than one half billion users in the world use the internet for different purposes. Some uses of the internet are as follows,
1. To access information, news, research, educational material.
2. To conduct business
3. To access sources of entertainment such as online games, magazines etc.
4. To shop for goods and services.
5. To meet and talk with people around the world in discussion groups or chat rooms
6. To access other computers and exchange files.
7. To sent messages and receive messages from connected users
D) World Wide Web (WWW)
It is also called WEB. It was launched in 1989 at the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Geneva. It provides the facility to publish information on the internet. It is a collection of documents or web pages stored on computers connected with internet around the world. A web page is a document that is written in HTML. The www uses hypertext transfer protocol (http) to link different web pages. Web pages are also called as hypertext documents. A web page may contain simple text, images and hyperlinks. Anyone can view web pages through a web-browser.
A collection of related web pages is called website. Each website has a unique address. The computer which store the websites are called web server. The process of launching a web page is called publishing the page.
Uses of www
1.Advertisement
2.Shopping
3.Flight information
4.T.V stations
5.Celebrities, sportsman and film actors
6.Access to Govt. authorities
7.News
8.Encyclopedia publisher
9.Search engines
10.Medical and Engineering
6.2 Educational Software applications
What is software?
Software can be defined as a set of instruction that tells the computer to perform some task. But software is not simply the program. A software system actually consists of the following things,
1.Various programs 2.Configuration files used to setup these programs
3.System documentation that describes the structure of a system
4.User documentation that explains how to use the system
5.Websites for users to download recent product information
Types of software:
Generic product : Designed for public or open market
Customized product: Designed for a specific customer
Characteristics of software:
Maintainability: Software must be designed in such a way that it can be changed and evolved latter according to requirements of the user.
Dependability: It means how much software is reliable, secure and safe.
Efficiency: It means it should not damage the memory of the processor.
Usability: software must be easy to use. Also provide proper user interface and documentation.
Educational Software:
It is used in education to learn different skills. Many software packages are available on different subjects. Students and common people can learn foreign languages and use of application software (that perform specific tasks for the user e.g. MS-Word, Excel etc) through educational software. It can also be used to educate basic skills of math, reading and writing to the students of preliminary classes.
Many educational software use Computer Based Training (CBT) approach. CBT is a type of education in which students learn through exercises with instructional software. This approach is used in different fields to teach different skills.
Objectives of Educational software
To impart relevant knowledge
To inform
To entertain
To teach skills
To present concepts
To generate curiosity and interest
To stimulate creative and imaginative ideas
To develop problem solving ability
To bring about change in behavior and attitudes
6.3 Computer Assisted distance Education
Computer applications for distance education fall in to four broad categories:
1. Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI): uses the computer as a self contained teaching machine to present discrete lessons to achieve specific but limited educational objectives. There are several CIA modes, including: drill and practice, tutorial, simulations and games and problem solving.
2. Computer managed instruction (CMI): uses the computer’s branching, storage and retrieval capabilities to organize instruction and track student’s records and progress. The instruction need not be delivered via computer, although often CAI (The Instruction component) is combined with CMI.
3. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): Describes computer applications that facilitate communication. Examples include electronic mail, computer conferencing, and electronic bulletin boards.
4. Computer Based Multimedia: Its goal is to integrate various voice, video and computer technologies in to a single, easily accessible delivery system.
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI):
It has better flexibility and more versatility than any of the teaching machines. It can cater to the individual needs of many students and at a time and record all the responses of all the pupils with reliability. The time taken by individual student in responding to a question and extent of correctness in the same are also recorded by the computer. All this helps the educator in planning instruction and providing relevant materials.
The CAI can deal the problems of quality in education more effectively and more flexible kind of branching is possible on the part of the computer according to the student’s performance. A learner can be progress at once pace, perceive and choose the material, sequencing and level of instruction freely. Since each learner’s performance is automatically recorded and can be fed back to the teacher, learner’s performance can be evaluated and education be provided accordingly to the strategy that is best suited to the individual.
The CIA installation usually consists of individual learning booths each with a console. Every student sits in front of the console with a television screen displaying information etc. a complete learning package suiting to his individual needs is presented, sequentially. This package may consist of video as well as a audio tape recordings, films, slides, film strips and so on. The students may make queries to the computer by means of a type writer, key board and get answers in printed forms. The students may write the answers directly on the cathode ray tube screen with a “light pen” which can be evaluated by the computer. On completion of a program, the computer records his progress and prints out a report for the teacher.
Advantages and Limitations:
Although CAI is developed on the principals of programmed learning, it also utilizes the concepts of audio-visual education, communication theory, system analysis, data processing and learning theory. CAI produces learning experience effectively and efficiently. Good amount information stored in the computer is made available to the learner more readily than by any other media. The interaction between the students and instructional program is made more dynamic and more individualized in CAI than in any other system.
CAI is, however, extremely expensive. It is also mostly mechanical and deprived of human touch. Therefore, it is criticized on the ground that this innovation will dehumanize the educational system and the teaching learning process will be lifeless and mechanized.
Educational technologists therefore, suggests system approach, representing and integrated, sequential and multimedia learning package. The system’s approach should also consist of a relevant media, material and methods. It will not replace the teacher, but will relieve him of drudgery.
A creative and committed teacher is more in demand then anything else when computer is available in education.
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