Task 2

Title: Ways ESL Teachers Can Use Computers in their Classroom.

Journal: The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIII, No. 7, July 2007

Author: Vera Kentera, D.K H.S and FOM University, Montenegro

Sources: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kentera-Computers.html

Year of publication: July 2007

The article talks about how technology which is the computer and Internet helps making the teaching and learning process easier with just one click. The article mentioned about how the technology helps to improve lesson plan, how to improve the vocabulary, how grammar can be fun, how technology can be adapted to real life situation and also assessment based on the usage of technology.Materials to teach are easy to obtain through the Internet and it will make the lesson much more fun and it can cater to all types of students’ level. Not only that, the article also mentioned that, the Internet can help to expand the students’ vocabulary. Teachers nowadays can not just rely on text book hundred percent as the language used is not suitable for everybody who has different types of proficiency level. Therefore, variety is important and technology can help with that. Grammar is not easy to teach but teacher needs to know how to tackle students during the teaching and learning process. The article suggested using Internet will make learning grammar fun where students can explore the usage and function of grammar that they are learning on their own. With the help of computer and the Net, students’ creativity can be widened where they can use it for searching their own materials and can be presented and shared with their friends and teacher. When students already know and familiarized themselves with the technology it makes the learning process easier for them as they know where to find the materials that they need and how to use it. It saves time when they can learn together about it. Students can also use the knowledge that they have of the technology for their own personal purposes where they can create their own learning process and materials. When students are becoming more creative of their assignment, the assessment is becoming easier for teachers. Students can check their own progress with the quizzes that they do in the Net and they can improve themselves with the help of the Net. With the technology, students not only can learn with the materials that they found in the Net but they can also create the materials on their own to help them understand better of the language that they are learning.

I agree with this research where technology does help in improving the language that we are learning and also, it does make the teaching and learning process easier. Students are bored with just text books and white board but they will never get bored using the technology (i.e computer and the Net). It actually helps the students to learn better because there are variety activities for students with different level of proficiency. It is also makes teaching easier for the teacher as they can just be a facilitator in the class while the students find their own materials for their learning. But unfortunately for Malaysia, our technology is not as good as other countries like America. We still have problems with teachers who do not know how to use the computer at all, and not to forget the Net. Not only that, senior teachers usually thinks that using text book is easier as they think that using the technology is too much of a hassle. Not only that, school usually have troubles in providing the equipment where the computers are not enough for the student or usually half of the computers in class cannot be used due technical problem and the Net is usually slow or the system down. That is the bad side of using technology in Malaysia. Not only that, students here usually will use the computer for their own personal use in class where they are prohibited to do so. Teachers have to be in control of the situation but usually students enjoy going to the computer laboratory because it is something that they can discover the information themselves. But I still think that this approach is much better than the traditional method. The government and schools need to find a way to provide the equipment equally to everybody and to improve the connection of the Net as the students are required to pay fee for the computer and the Net usage in school.

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