The Computer

as a Tutor

- the computer is one of the wonders of human ingenuity, even in its original design in the 1950’s to carry out complicated mathematical and logical operations. With the invention of the microcomputer(now also commonly referred to PCs or personal computers), the PC has become the tool for programmed instruction

-The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving the teacher of many activities in his personal role as classroom tutor.

Computer-assisted

instruction(CAI)

Even with the available computer and CAI software, the teacher must:

Insure that students have the needed knowledge and skills for any computer activity.

Decide the appropriate learning objectives.

Plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve objectives.

Evaluate the students’ achievement by ways of tests the specific expected outcomes.

The students in CAI play their own roles as learners as they:

Receive information. Understand instructions for the computer activity.

Retain/keep in mind the information and rules for the computer activity.

Apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning.

During the computer activity proper in CAI the computer, too, plays its roles as it:

Acts a sort of tutor (the role traditional played by the teacher).

Provides a learning environment.

Delivers learning instruction. Reinforces learning through drill-and-

practice. Provides feedback.

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) Works best in reinforcing learning through repetitive exercises such that students can practice basic skills or knowledge in various subject areas.

The questions arises: When and how can teachers integrate drill and practice programs with their lessons? The following suggestions can be made:

use drill and practice programs for basic skills and knowledge that require rapid or automatic response by students

ensure that drill and practice activities conform to the lesson plan/curriculum

Limit drill and practice to 20-30 minutes to avoid problem.

Use drill and practice to assist students with particular weakness in basic skills .

Integrating computer programs in instruction, use tutorial software associated with cognitive learning. While practice exercise or learning-by-doing is still the heart of each tutorial, the tutorial software should:

Teach new content/new information on to students (inasmuch as CAI provides practice on old already learned content).

Provide comprehensive information on concepts in addition to practice exercise.

Can be effectively use for remediation, reviewing, or enrichment.

Allow the teacher to introduce follow- up questions to stimulate students learning.

Permits group activity for cooperative learning.

Simulation Programs Teachers strategies and rules applied to real-life problems/situations.

Asks students to make decision on models or scenarios.

Allows students to manipulate elements of a model and get the experience of the effects of their decisions.

Instructional Games- While relating to low-level learning

objectives, instructional computer games add the elements of competition and challenge.

Problem Solving Software- This are more sophisticated than

the drill and practice exercise and allow students to learn and improve on their problem solving ability.

Multimedia, Encyclopedia and Electronic Books.

The multimedia encyclopaedia can store a huge database with text, images, audio and video.

Electronic books provide textual information for reading, supplemented by others type of multimedia information(sounds, spoken, words, pictures animation).

“Thank you for

listening”