Web technologies - CAI,CMI,CMC in Education

Enriching class room practices through web technologies

1. COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)
2. COMPUTER MANAGED INSTRUCTION(CMI)
3. COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION(CMC) in  EDUCATION

Introduction

Ø  Teachers are constantly urged to integrate technology in education.

Ø  The primary goal of an instructor is to create positive student attitudes towards the use of technology.

Ø  The secondary goal is to empower the student to take charge of learning and make appropriate decisions.

COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)

“When a computer is used as an aid to teaching method of instruction  it is called   teaching assisted instruction”

Ø  This is the existing innovation in educational technology.

Ø  Computerized study guides can impact and improve students’ overall level of mastery.

Ø  Testing may be improved if students complete tests on computer screens and receive immediate feedback about their performance.

Ø  Systematically organized learning .

Ø  Acts like a teaching machine serving the needs of students at the same time.

Ø  In advanced countries it is an effective media of instruction.

Types of Computer Assisted Instructions

1. Drill and practice: provide opportunities or students to repeatedly practice the skills that have previously been presented and further practice for mastery.
2. Tutorial activity: includes both the presentation of information and its extension into different forms of work, including drill and practice, games and simulation.

3. Games:   Games software often creates a contest to achieve the highest score and either beat others or beat the computer.
4. Simulation: Simulation software can provide an approximation of reality that does not require the expense of real life or its tasks.

5. Discovery approach: provides a large database of information specific to a course or content area and challenges the learner to analyse, compare, infer and evaluate based on their explorations of the data.
6. Problem solving: approach helps children develop specific problem solving skills and strategies.

Class room approach

Ø  Program is stored in computer and utilized for learning

Ø  CAI is used for educational purpose from schools to colleges

Ø  A computer can record and store all responses of all students to a question the teacher asks.

Ø  It can record time taken to answer a question  by the student

Advantages of CAI

1. One-to one interaction
2. Freedom to experiment with different options
3. Instantaneous response/ immediate feedback to the answers elicited.
4. Self pacing allow students to proceed at their own pace
5. Multimedia helps to understand difficult concepts through multi sensory approach
6. Self directed learning- students can decide when, where and what to learn.
7. Help teachers devote more time to individual students.
8. Privacy helps the shy and slow learner to learn.
9. Learn more and more rapidly.

Limitations of CAI

1. May feel overwhelmed by the information and resources available.
2. Over use of multimedia may divert the attention from the content.
3. Learning becomes too mechanical.
4. Non availability of good CAI packages.

COMPUTER MANAGED INSTRUCTION(CMI)

“A system which can provide administrative support to instructors for managing instructional materials and activities”

·         CMI implementation can reduce instructor work loads by automating tedious and routine functions such as

Ø  Grading

Ø  Scheduling

Ø  Keeping track of resources

Ø  CMI can be introduced in phases and adapted to meet the needs and concerns of any particular instructor or group of instructors.

Ø  CMI can be done with just one computer.

Ø  CMI helps instructors and curriculum planners determine curriculum needs.

Ø  CMI may be used for either individualized or group instruction.

Ø  CMI provides a basis for evaluation of both students and instruction.

Ø  CMI can solve some problems posed by incompatible software and hardware.

How is CMI used in education?

Ø  Input and storage of student data (primarily test scores and activities completed)

Ø  Input and storage of curricular data (generally objectives, test items linked to objectives, and instructional materials or activities linked to objectives)

Ø  Retrieval and analysis of the data relating student scores and activity to the curriculum data

Ø  Generation of various reports showing individual or group progress and current status

Advantages of CMI

1. Tracking student performance over a period of time.
2. Providing information concerning performance trends.
3. Recording individual and group performance data.
4. Scheduling training .
5. Providing support for other training  management functions.

COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION(CMC)

“Any form of communication between two or more individual people who interact with each other via separate computers”

CMC in Online learning

Ø  Online learning offers students a chance to become competent in electronic communication.

Ø  The experience promotes lifelong learning as it -

Ø   empowers individuals with the knowledge that they can research.

Ø  find information, interpret it and share it with others.

Ø  provides students opportunities to network with a global community of interesting people.

Ø  CMC most commonly refers to the collection of

1.                   email

2.                   video

3.                   audio or text conferencing

4.                   bulletin boards

5.                   list-servers

6.                   instant messaging

7.                   multi-player video games

Ø  Encouraging more equal and open communication. It changes authority relationships between teachers and learners.

Ø  CMC enables institutions to reach students all over the world.

Ø  Learners may gain increased opportunities to experience other cultures and their educational experiences may be enriched. 

CMC and Education

•       Computer Mediated Communications offers a rich set of tools that can be used to support a variety of learning experiences.

•       Blog or Weblog

•       Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)

•       E-mail

•       Chat (Online Chat)

•       Instant Messenger (or IM)

Blog or Weblog

•       What Works

Ø  Students have a chance to reflect as individuals.

Ø  Students can collect their research links in one spot.

Ø  Students can receive contextual feedback from their peers and instructor in one space (via the comment function).

Ø  RSS allow new posts to be 'pushed' to requesting parties.

•       What Does Not Work

Ø  Many students do not feel comfortable journaling in an open forum.

Ø  Maintaining a blog takes time and commitment.

Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)

•       What Works

Ø  Great place to store information

Ø  Following a thread can help a user track a conversation that has taken place over time

•       What Does Not Work

Ø  Users are not aware a new post has been made unless they check the site on a regular basis

Ø  To track a thread the subject line of the original post must remain intact .

Chat (Online Chat)

•       What Works

Ø  Good environment for informal real time information sharing with a group of users

Ø  Sessions can be saved and reviewed

Ø  The whole class or team can participate in the conversation during real time

•       What Does Not Work

Ø  Many users find chat sessions hard to follow as posts may seem to be illogical or disjointed

Ø  Side conservations distract other students

Ø  Individual threads are not traceable

Ø  Saved or logged sessions are not easy to read

Ø  It is difficult to make lengthy or thoughtful posts

E-mail

•       What Works

Ø  All students have email accounts .

Ø  Most students know how email works.

•       What Does Not Work

Ø  Not all students check their email on a regular basis .

Ø  Many students (and instructors) receive so much email that messages can get lost or overlooked .

Instant Messenger (or IM)

•       What Works

Ø  Real time exchanges

Ø  Users can share files and links

Ø  Some IM programs allow program sharing

•       What Does Not Work

Ø  Not all IM systems work with each other

Advantages of CMC

1. Online Information Databases: Teachers and students can communicate with each other about online instruction, download useful files for classes from remote databases, and post lessons and tutorials online.
2. Emphasis Shift from Teaching to Learning: CMC shifts the focus from the teacher's instruction and places the responsibility of learning onto the shoulders of the students. 
3. Instructional Design: Because of the learner-centered approach typical of CMC courses, teachers are forced to think about instructional design in innovative ways.
4. Individual Learning Styles: Everyone has a different style of learning not everyone is expected to learn in the same way.
5. Increased Interaction:. In well-designed classroom activities, the electronic materials form the springboard for interactions with teacher and peers.
6. Expanded Cultural Awareness: The history, politics, philosophical and religious beliefs, way of living, customs, traditions, and so on can be communicated first hand by natives or researched in various databases.
7. Lack of Geographic and Time Barriers: Students do not have to be physically present in the same room in order to communicate. This is especially beneficial to students with physical disabilitiesof those in remote locations who can take courses that otherwise would not be available to them.
8. Lack of Social Barriers: CMC can be a very stress-free way of communication for people who find communicating really difficult.

Limitations of CMC

1. Learning : it is not practical for all purposes in education. As most CMC occurs on a computer screen, it is difficult to directly assess most physical behavior .
2. Access and Compatibility: What happens to those who do not have the money, skills to be able to use CMC?
3. Necessary skills: For effective CMC you also need to have discipline and patience.
4. Face-to-Face Human Contact: Human contact is necessary and important, especially in this information age in which students and teachers are bombarded with information at every turn.