COMPUTER-ASSISTED READING INSTRUCTION.   Term Paper ID:25229 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Evaluates effectiveness, advantages & disadvantages compared to traditional methods, teacher-student relationship, reading comprehension.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Evaluates effectiveness, advantages & disadvantages compared to traditional methods, teacher-student relationship, reading comprehension. Paper Introduction: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION FOR READING: AN OPINION PAPER Introduction Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) consists of computer technologies that aid or assist education; these technologies include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of objects, and computer-facilitated communication (Gifford, 1993). This paper examines computer-assisted instruction in terms of its effectiveness as an educational technology for reading, defending the position that CAI helps to improve reading but it has some definitive limitations, the most important of which is that the technology does not really produce the key reading component of comprehension. The paper begins with a discussion of the general Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Technologies cannot. Gifford, B.R. Mumford, G. The paper begins with a discussion of the general effectiveness ofComputer-Assisted Instruction across all subject areas; this discussion isfollowed by an examination of CAI effectiveness for reading in particular.The paper ends with an overall evaluation of the extent to which CAI shouldbe considered feasible for use by the education system for the purposes ofthe acquisition and development of reading skills and abilities. In order to achieve the true purpose of reading, comprehension, morethan technology is required; students need to be guided by instructionalmethods only another person can use. Technologies cannot. In summary then, Computer-Assisted Instruction is effective forteaching students basic reading skills and abilities and, as such, thesemethods are needed to provide students with a foundation to use in order toachieve the true purpose of reading, namely comprehension. Thomas, A. Evaluation of Advantages and Disadvantages of CAI For Reading Instruction In order to understand how the advantages and disadvantages of CAItranslate to reading, it is necessary to first understand that the basicgoal of reading, the very heart of reading, is comprehension. Further, with respect to reading, adult literacy learners have foundCAI to be helpful not only in allowing them to learning basic readingskills but to do so in new ways in which they can avoid relivingexperiences with frustration, failure, and humiliation that they may haveendured as children in school (Askov & Turner, 1989). One of the mostimportant reasons is that students like learning in the environment thatthe computer has to offer (Gifford, 1993). Science in an imaginary sky. EducationalLeadership, 51(7), 11-18. Sky and Telescope,83(2), 146-148. References Askov, E.N. CAI Effectiveness The first point that can be noted regarding Computer-AssistedInstruction packages for reading, or for any other subject, is that theyare, at least in part, effective for many reasons. Thefull potential of CAI cannot be realized if computers are only used once aweek (Peck & Doricott, 1994). According to Lerner (1991), the diverse levels of readingcomprehension are: (1) The level of literal comprehension in which the study recognizesdirectly stated ideas; (2) The level of interpretative comprehension at which the studentrecognizes implied ideas; (3) The level of critical comprehension at which the student is ableto judge and evaluate the ideas presented in the passage; (4) The levelof creative comprehension at which the student uses presented ideas togenerate novel and fresh ideas. In other words, CAI can assist students in learning basic readingskills; and these are important because it is these basic skills thatoperate as a foundation for the acquisition of other, higher-level readingskills and abilities, the most important of which is comprehension.However, beyond the literal level of comprehension, the limitations ofcomputer-assisted instruction are in effect. Paul: West. Disadvantages of CAI As noted in the foregoing discussion, one of the disadvantages ofreading is that it produces, at best, only moderate gains in comprehension. Children needthe skills of interactive human beings that understand that at this level,reading instruction is really thinking instruction and this requires farmore than basic skills. Using computers for teaching basicskills to adults. & Sweeney, J. (1993). Canadian Journal of Special Education, 5(2), 135-144. Some advantages and disadvantages of developingreading skills with computers. & Clapp, T. This can be seen in a comparison studythat investigated two computerized remedial reading programs (the"Autoskill Component Reading Subskills Program" and "Read It Again Sam,"programs). Peck, K. Moreover,comprehension itself is a multifaceted ability consisting of severallevels. Teachers can motivate students to lovelearning. L., & Dorricott, D. Teachers can identify and meet students'emotional needs. Learning disabilities: Theories, diagnosis andteaching (5th ed.) Boston: Houghton & Mifflin. Computers in education today(3rd ed.) St. What is needed here are skills andabilities that cannot be produced by current technologies. (1992). (1997). Thisability for self-control of learning pace this promotes self-confidencebecause it gives the student a feeling of control over what is beinglearned, as well as the feeling of being an active participant in their owneducation (Peck & Dorricott, 1994). Fox, J. For example, teachers can build strong, productive relationships withstudents. & Mandell, S.L. CAI cannot beused to foster higher order comprehension because of its limitations interms of being unable to provide students with the wide exposure they needto reading materials (e.g., different kinds of books, texts, and passages). However, CAI programs insure thatstudents pay attention and understand by constantly testing them on theinformation they are being taught; this is especially helpful in teachingsubjects with which students often have difficulty such as math or reading(Thomas & Clapp, 1989). Computerized adult readinginstruction: An evaluation of the PALS program. (1994). Moreover, today's Computer-Assisted Instruction software has movedfar beyond the tedious drill that early educational software promoted,allowing highly engaging activities for students such as multimediasimulation (Gifford, 1994). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION FOR READING: AN OPINION PAPER Introduction Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) consists of computer technologiesthat aid or assist education; these technologies include guided drill andpractice exercises, computer visualization of objects, and computer-facilitated communication (Gifford, 1993). All of the students in the study were ninth grade students whowere very poor readers. Moreover, meta-analyses conducted on studies observing reading gains forComputer-Asssited Instruction have shown that the method is not alwaysassociated with consistent achievement effects, and that, in many cases,the same goals could be achieved with less expensive technologies---technologies that are more flexible in their instructional approach(Vockell & Sweeney, 1994). (1994). Adult Basic Education,4(2), 1 5-117.----------------------- 8 The future of technology in education. According to Mandell and Mandell (1997), most research has shown thatcomputer software is not an effective tool for improving readingcomprehension beyond the literal level; this because acquiring in-depthcomprehension requires exposure to a variety of experiences with diversepassages, texts and vocabulary. Also, computers must become an integral part of the classroom. In other words, CAI exposes students to experiences orsimulations that they would not normally encounter. Further, CAI allows students to work at their own pace regardless ofthe level at which they are supposed to be (Askov & Turner, 1989). Also, contrary to traditional teaching methods, CAI forces thestudent to remain focused on the topic at hand (Thomas & Clapp, 1989). (1997). BusinessWeek, 3345, Special Advertising Section. Nor can this form of instruction truly monitor children's progress overtime in the area of comprehension, making sure that they move from theliteral level up through all of the other levels required for effectivelyunderstanding a given reading passage. Lerner, J. A comparison of computer-assistedcomponent reading skills training and repeated reading for adolescent poorreaders. Another disadvantage of CAI is that it is often limited by theteacher's knowledge of computers (Peck & Dorricott, 1994). Indeed, the real purpose oftechnology-based solutions in education can, and must, be to free theteacher to do the important work that requires human interaction,continuous evaluation, and improvement of the learning environment. Lifelong learning, 12(6), 28-31. Many educators have pointed out that there are certain instructionalareas that can not be performed by technologies (Peck & Doricott, 1994).In other words, there are some things only teachers can do. (1991). It is teachers, the authors state, thatdevelop these higher level comprehension skills in students; and they do soby selecting many different kinds of books, texts, and passages forchildren to read, monitoring their progress, and charting gains to makesure that they are sufficiently large that true learning can be said tooccur. & Turner, T.C. The general effectiveness of computer technology delineated abovedoes indeed generalize to reading. Technologies cannot. CAI is also effective in that it provides more practical examples ofthe subject area's general domain than those often found in textbook; inthis sense, CAI provides students with virtually a hands-on experience(Mumford, 1992). However, findings showed that both programsgreatly improved students word recognition accuracy and rate; on the otherhand, comprehension gains were modest for both programs (Thomas & Clapp,1989). In aclassroom, it is easy for students to simply nod their heads every time theteacher looks in their direction. Finally, the software must be designed sothat the student is in control of the computer, not the other way around. Mandell, C.J. Reading in a Foreign Language, 4(1), 59-67. Exposure to such experiences as multimediasimulation makes learning fun and maintains students' interest in thesubject area (Gifford, 1993). Why Use Technology? Vockell, E.L. Thus, it cannot bedenied that CAI is generally effective or that, specifically, the methodproduces some gains in reading for both young and adult students. This paper examines computer-assisted instruction in terms of its effectiveness as an educationaltechnology for reading, defending the position that CAI helps to improvereading but it has some definitive limitations, the most important of whichis that the technology does not really produce the key reading component ofcomprehension. (1989). (1989). All of thesoftware in the world cannot help if the teacher is not prepared to learnhow to use it. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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