New technologies in education

Effective learning method (ELM) is determined as a type of teaching, developed to transfer knowledge, understanding and information to students as efficiently as possible using information technology tools.

One of these ELM is Interactive Education. It helps educators reach their goals of improving student engagement, increasing academic achievement and making schools more globally competitive. It also can help teacher to create flexible environments where learning is transformed and students collaborate in ways that are new, exciting and more enriching.

Effective learning methods also include audio and visual aids. Using audio/visual aides in teaching is one way to enhance lesson plans and give students additional ways to process subject information. Students are more interested when lessons contain some media component either audio or visual and they come to life when asked to use the computer and the Internet in class.

There is one more interesting effective method: e-learning. E-learning is essentially the computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. E-learning can give you the freedom and flexibility to learn when and where you want and at your own place. You can study a wide range of subjects at any level, and e-learning can be ideal if the subject you’re interested in isn’t available nearby. E-learning may appeal to you if you:

- want to learn when and where you want, at your own place;

- have commitments which make it harder for you to attend a regular course;

- have mobility or health problems that make travel or attendance difficult;

- live a long way from a training provider;

- work irregular hours or shifts.

It is necessary to say that the effectiveness of e-learning also depends on establishing two-way communication between teachers and learners, and among learners themselves.

Computer technologies have a great role in education. We’d like to dwell on such computer technology as Computer Aided Instruction.

Computer-aided instruction (CAI) includes the use of computers to teach academic skills and to promote communication and language development and skills. It includes computer modeling and computer tutors. There are many advantages to using it. It provides one-to-one interaction with a student, as well as an instantaneous response to the answers elicited, and allow students to proceed at their own pace. Computers are particularly useful in subjects that require drill, freeing teacher time from some classroom tasks so that a teacher can devote more time to individual students. A computer program can be used diagnostically, and, once a student’s problem has been identified, it can then focus on the problem area. Finally, because of the privacy and individual attention afforded by a computer, some students are relieved of the embarrassment of giving an incorrect answer publicly or of going more slowly through lessons than other classmates.

We see that computers are used more and more in education. But what about teacher? Can he be replaced by a computer? We think he can’t. In the classroom, nothing can take the place of the teacher in terms of developing students’ education. The teacher is the only one who can open the door to education for students whereas the computer plays a second role in helping student’s education technologically as a useful tool. Only a teacher can motivate, organize and manage the whole class by creating the pleasant atmosphere of active teaching and learning process. Only teacher is able to cope with all challenges, to overcome all difficulties in education in order to transfer knowledge and skills to students as effective as possible.

 

 

Exercise 21. Read and translate the collocations.

Forefront of innovations, to answer assignments, vision of lifelong learning, benefit from other student’s efforts, renowned universities, previous methods, distant

institutions, pursuit of knowledge, company-sponsored classrooms, decline of literacy.

 

Exercise 22. Read the text and answer the questions:

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Given that universities are at the forefront of technological innovations, it is tobe expected that new forms of delivering instruction, at the post-secondary level are emerging. Numerous universities have turned to the World Wide Web as a way toprovide instruction to supplement the typical lecture system. In fact, entire courseshave been placed on the Web, permitting students access to lecture material at anytime and from any place. Students have been encouraged to treat the course Web siteas a living document by adding their own links to material discovered in the processof answering assignments or carrying out research projects. Thus, every student canpotentially benefit from every other student’s efforts. In such a situation, educationcan become a cooperative enterprise involving teachers and students alike. There ismore: courses mounted on the Web are also available around the world so that wemight expect to see international competition among universities. In fact many universities now accept admission applications over the Web. There is a danger ofuniformity as the globally renowned universities make their presence felt everywhere. How will local colleges and universities compete? They will have to provide a variety of services – hand-on experiences, local special conditions, direct personal attention – not available to distant institutions. It does seem to be the casethat educational institutions will have to be flexible, imaginative, and perhaps lucky,to survive in a networked world.

But it should be noted that new technology is not replacing teachers but ratheris extending the power of imaginative teachers and curious students to explore the world in ways not previously possible. Well trained teachers, assisted by technical staff, operating with adequate equipment, connected to the Internet, and financed with adequate operating funds are the basic necessities for success in the wired world.

Education is usually considered in the context of educational instructions elementary schools, high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities – but considerable learning goes on in the workplace as well as in company-sponsored classrooms. Many people have a vision of lifelong learning as a combination of institutionalized instruction and the individual pursuit of knowledge. Traditionally, libraries have played a very important role in enabling motivated individuals to pursue their interests in a self-directed manner.

Now with the emergence of the Internet, and the explosive growth of information, it is not unrealistic to consider the self-education to become accessible beyond reduction of formal institutions. One early proposal is to get electronic books into homes – through a national digital library and small, sharp-screened computers – in an era of declining literacy. It is a vision to have an online library of books, not just public domain ones currently available on a number of Web sites, but newly published ones for which copyright still applies and that would be readily accessible for a small fee. Such a scheme could provide supplementary resources for schools as well and would operate in parallel with the school system.

 

Notes

to hand on – передавати, тривати

lifelong learning – безперервне навчання

forefront – передова лінія

 

1. Why education over the Web can become a cooperative enterprise friendly toteachers and students alike?

2. Why can universities exchange experiences with distant educational institutionsbe useful?

3. What means can nowadays help teachers and students explore the world?

4. What is the difference between the vision of the traditional lifelong learning andthe online learning?