Throughout history there has been the desire to integrate new technologies into education, with the expectation of improving the teaching and learning process.' While facilitating t h e
Trang 1J Natn SCL Foundation SYZ Lanka 2006 34(2): 107-108
Computer assisted learning : a challenge for teachers and learners
Shironica Karunanayaka
Departnzent of Secondary and Tertiary Education, Faculty of Education, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda,
Iieccived: 04 July 2005; Accepted: 18 August 2005
T h e role of c o m p u t e r technology i n education is
currently a widely-discussed and a well-researched area
Throughout history there has been the desire to integrate
new technologies into education, with the expectation
of improving the teaching and learning process.' While
facilitating t h e teaching-learning process t h r o u g h
enhancing interactive and collaborative learning,
supporting self study and increasing student motivation,
modern computer-based technologies offer the potential
for changes in the traditional roles of the teachers and
learners Hence, it provides a great o p p o r t u n i t y t o
improve the quality of teaching and learning
T h e t e r m C o m p u t e r Assisted Learning (CAL)
generally refers to the use of computer-based educational
packages, t o enhance the learning process C A L can be
deployed either through floppy diskette, C D , Local Area
Network (LAN) o r the Internet, t o be accessed by a
l e a r n e r T h e s e C A L packages can v a r y f r o m
sophisticated commercial packages, t o applications
developed in educational institutions, o r simple materials
developed by individuals T h e use of computers in
education through C A L is one option among many other
modes of learning, such as face-to-face teaching, print
materials, radio and television broadcasts, as well as
audio and video recordings Yet, as a computer-based
multimedia learning package can contain text, graphics,
animations, audio and video, separately, as well as a
conlbination of all these, C A L becomes more powerful
than any other mode
Since the inception, classroom use of computers
e n c o m p a s s e d m o s t l y i n s t r u c t i o n a l a n d s u p p o r t
applications of the computer T h e role of computers
was perceived either as 'tutors' where students learnt
directly from the computers, 'tutees' where students learnt
by teaching the computers through programming, o r as
'tools' where teachers extensively used word processing software, databases, spreadsheets, graphic programmes and desktop publishing software t o assist teaching and learning.' W i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of m u l t i m e d i a
c o m p u t e r s a n d t h e I n t e r n e t in 1990s, t h e role of computers expanded further
However, it is often observed that the conception
of educational computing focused mainly o n learning 'from' the technology Jonassen' argues that computer applications should be used as 'cognitive tools' that enhance
the thinking of learners, where learners will learn with the
technology and notfiom it Different kinds of challenging activities provided by the teachers and technology will engage learners in thmlung, and th will result in meaningful learning The most appropriate use of computers to facilitate such meaningful learning is viewed as 'linowledge constructioli tools' ' This paradigm shift from teaching to learning is significant in C A L where t h e learners can actively participate i n learning, interacting i n a computer interface, rather than just accessing information from it
C A L materials can be easily designed to support a systematic instructional design that provides a step-by- step process for instruction where the learners may self- study the content However, with the gradual adoption
of constructivist principles, designers tend to integrate activities that encourage learners t o construct linowledge, rather than receiving knowledge As suggested by Starr,?
t h e interface should incorporate 'human-computer interface design principles and not just transfer paper or previous non-graphical interfaces t o t h e screen' Designing and developing C A L materials thus becomes
a challenging task T h e designers are responsible for effectively utilizing the available facilities in the medium,
t o create a meaningful learning environment
Trang 2Teachers are identified as a crucial element in the
successful integration of technology i n e d u ~ a t i o n ~
However, i n contrast t o t h e rapid changes i n n e w
technologies, the associated changes in actual teaching-
learning situations are found t o be occurring rather
slowly.7 The experienced teachers were found t o be less
confident in using the t e ~ h n o l o g y , ~ ~ ~ while their students
adapt more easily t o it T h e integration of computers in
e d u c a t i o n d e m a n d s a c q u i s i t i o n of several n e w
competencies by the teachers - technical level knowledge
and skills in using the hardware and software, as well as
pedagogical a p p r o a c h e s a n d beliefs i n using t h e
technology Hargreaves and Fullan'' argue that, 'unless
teachers become experts in designing pedagogy for using
technology, computers will d o more harm than good'
Appropriate teacher training in integrating technology
into classroom teaching is thus crucial
I t is evident t h a t c o m p u t e r technologies offer significant advantages t o teaching and learning in educational settings C A L supports the teacher's role as
a facilitator of learning, making learning more enjoyable, interactive and meaningful for the students Yet, C A L also raises several issues that may be related to physical .as well as human factors In addition to the infrastructure and technical problems, there are other social issues such
as inequity in access, and unwillingness of teachers and learners t o change from their established practices of teaching and learning Both teachers and learners need adequate time t o feel comfortable about integrating CAL
in t o the teaching-learning process Implementation of
C A L thus requires careful planning, adequate resource allocation, a p p r o p r i a t e i n t e g r a t i o n w i t h existing curricula, adequate training of teachers and enhancing collaborative work
A computer policy for Sri Lanka was formulated
o n l y in 1983, w h i c h i d e n t i f i e d t h e k e y areas of
development in the use of computers A National Policy
o n I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y i n School Education
(NAPITSE) was approved in 2002, which indicated a
six-year strategic plan from 2002-2007 This plan is being
implemented under four major themes; curriculum
development, human resource development, physical
infrastructure development and s u p p o r t initiatives
develop men^."^'^ In addition t o the school sector, all rhe
Sri Lankan Universities as well as other educational
institutions have taken numerous measures t o integrate
CA.L into their study programmes
Despite the various initiatives taken t o integrate C A L
into school education, there are diverse issues that arise
in implementation Limitations in I T infrastructure
facilities, problems with power supply and telephone
lines, limited b a n d w i d t h a n d unaffordable higher
bandwidths for Internet connectivity, high costs of
developing infrastructure, learner support systems and
teaching resources, are some key constraints faced by a
developing country such as Sri Lanka Even when the
physical facilities are made available, there rnay still be
various problems faced by both students and teachers in
relation t o their basic computer literacy, English language
c o m p e t e n c e a n d a resistance t o w a r d s u s i n g n e w
technology and changing t h e pedagogical approach
Reviewing t h e reasons f o r failure of computers i n
schools, Bork" claimed that more emphasis o n hardware
acquisition, little focus o n learning a n d students,
inadequacies in learning software and lack of effective
teacher education as some major issues which must be
addressed
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