Tips for making the most of technology in your classroom, school, and district. We show you constructive and practical applications of technology.

Available Articles: A Step Towards the Creation of Educational Technology Standards: Identifying Key Skills In order to develop standards, we must first identify key skills which students will need in the future. It's not as easy as you think to ascertain the identity of these skills, because it's difficult to predict the future. Although, within the next ten years, the paradigm of workplace technology is sure to change.

A Teacher's Guide To USENET

USENET is a lot like the Internet: It is not exclusively owned by one person or group. Rather, it is a collection of computers all over the world sharing information electronically. When you post an article on USENET, it circulates around the world.

Connecting through Technology

A key tool for educators is to connect a new concept to prior experiences. As a bilingual educator with students of low SES, I quickly realized that their prior knowledge was limited. As I talked about different landforms and places I had seen, my students were either staring into space or completely off task. I soon realized that they could not make a visual connection to the content

Creating A Web Site For Your Students

Like any effective teaching plan requiring time and resourcefulness, it is no different when you create a web site for your students to access. However, if you have an extensive, well organized plan, the computing part is easy and getting easier everyday.

Different Internet Connection Types & Their Pros and Cons

Several people have asked me since I started in business on the Web what types of Internet connections are available and whether this connection is better than that one. For a good amount of time, broadband was the fastest-growing type of telecomm service in the world and especially in the United States.

Eeeek! A million web pages are opening on my screen!

Does this story sound familiar? One day you were using the internet and went to a website. You were moving your mouse around a web page, when suddenly for no apparent reason extra browser windows started opening, showing you websites you had no intention of going to visit. Surprised, you closed these new windows, but that made even more windows open, many without even a control bar or menus at the top.

Excel In the Classroom

For the purpose of this tutorial, we'll look at the pros and cons of using Microsoft Excel as an application with your students. We'll also examine some methods for strengthening your Excel skills. We chose Microsoft Excel because it is the most widely known and probably the most commonly used application.

Featured Financial Articles For Educators

Over 20 articles for teachers to consider no matter how close or far away you are from retirement.

Five Secrets for Parents to Help Encourage Responsible Use of the Internet

Children are increasingly using the Internet for schoolwork,research, communicating through e-mail and live chat, and downloading information like music files and streamline video. As technology progresses and children find even more need to use the Internet, parents must develop clear-cut and consistent rules while children are online.

Generation 2001: Techno-Confident

Generation 2001 students use the Internet, with almost 100 percent of them online. No other generation can make this claim, with only two-thirds of the general population accessing the Internet.

How Can My District Create A Web Presence?

In this tutorial we'll walk you through the organizational process of creating a district web presence. This process is very time consuming and requires a dedicated staff.

How To Learn To Use Any Software Application You Want

This tutorial will highlight the qualities of each learning modality commonly used to learn new software applications. Each modality has its own unique properties. As you'll see, one modality does not necessarily far exceed another.

Internet Tools That Support On-line Project-Based Learning

In this tutorial, we'll discuss software applications that are leading the way towards a digital teaching and learning revolution.

Is Distance Learning Feasible For K-12 Schools?

Yes, distance education cuts cost; but is it effective? Does it provide students with quality educational opportunities? In the future, will most teachers teach from a distance?

Kids' Browsers: To Block or not to Block?

Welcome to another chapter in the browser wars -- and this time, I don't mean IE vs. Netscape vs. whomever. Rather, the struggle of free speech vs. censorship taking place in the battlefield of children's browsers and blocking software.

New Forms of Communication That Will Transform Teaching and Learning

It seems as if every educational administrator is pushing teachers to use technology in their teaching. In fact, most K-12 and Higher Education Institutions that boast about their technology program only provide students, at best, with minimal technology skills.

Parental Controls Are Only As Good As Your Password!

Many parents use and indeed rely on the various technological measures used by internet companies to prevent children's access to adult materials. These include parental access controls, blocking and filtering software, and activity logs. But some parents can forget that since they have to use a password in order to access, edit or set-up these features on their internet service, that password is the only thing preventing their children from getting the same access!

PC's vs. Mac's

While most corporations are seemingly PC, schools seem to be broken on the issue. Most districts do not understand the issues at hand. We'll try to bring you up to speed on where we are and where we are going.

PowerPoint In the Classroom

PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-directed situation. It can add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain abstract concepts, while accommodating all learning styles. Used properly, PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for disseminating information ever known. Employed inappropriately, PowerPoint could potentially confuse students and make learning a difficult process.

Search Engines: A Foreign Object to Teachers

The day will come when you will type in "lesson plans" and you will only get quality sites. Until that day, we have the aforementioned search engines to help us in our task. Don't use a search engine because of the pretty colors or because a friend encouraged you. Use those that return consistently good web sites and lots of them.

Technology Integration Model For Teachers

The Nichols Technology Instruction Model attempts both to define the "computer literate" teacher and to demonstrate the two major philosophies underlying the use of technology in schools. One I have identified as "Teaching Technology." This is usually done by a computer specialist who teaches it as a subject called "Computers".

Technology In The Classroom

The traditional definition of literacy is the ability to read and write. With the rapid development of new technologies, the nature of literacy is undergoing a rapid metamorphosis. Thus in addition to reading and writing, the current definition of literacy also includes the ability to learn, comprehend, and interact with technology in a meaningful way (Coiro, 2003).

Using the Internet to Enhance K-12 Teaching & Learning

The Internet has fast become the most extensive resource tool available to teachers and learners across the globe. From printable offline resources to interactive Articles, the Internet medium provides enriching activities that can be used to enhance K-12 teaching and learning.

Using the Internet to Stimulated Higher Order Thinking: Enter the Web Quest

More recently, schools have discovered the Internet as a source which obviously breaks away from traditionalism. The question remains: Does digital/electronic access to information make a difference in fostering higher order thinking?

Using a Web site with Your Classes

So where do we begin? Before using any web site with students, you should make sure to thoroughly review it. In this tutorial, we will offer five essential considerations for you ponder before you use a web site with your students.

Using Computer Databases In The Classroom

This tutorial will discuss the use of databases in the classroom. We'll give you a few examples of how to use them and also talk about top database applications like Microsoft Access.

Visuals, Videos, and Multimedia - Why Use Them in Teaching?

The following overheads have been presented to many teachers and teacher candidates to sensitize them to the need for effective use of visual media. These serve as an overview of how visual media may be infused into the teacher's curriculum. Most often teachers use these without knowing why or how to do so. This brief tutorial provides a philosophy and structure for doing so.

Web Casting - The Future of Online Education

Despite the communications power of the Internet, nothing beats good old human interaction when it comes to learning a new skill.

What I wish my e-mail provider would do

I wish my e-mail account had three in-boxes: 1) Safe mail from trusted sources 2) Quarantine mail from questionable sources 3) Junk mail from unwanted sources. My mail provider should use pattern recognition, black lists, and custom filters and lists that I update to put the mail in the correct box.

What's The Deal With Computer Viruses

This tutorial will provide you a crash course on computer viruses. We hope to help you learn to deal with computer viruses, not to panic, and tell you how this may affect your technology experience.

Internet use in schools

If you were to compare the current applications of the Internet to a Television, we are still using black and white sets and color is but a dream. Internet applications evolve daily. There are few ubiquitous applications that will stand the test of time.

Applications that we feel have become or will at one time be part of corporate culture include:

1) E-mail-

Currently, emails out number letters sent through the worldwide postal services by 10 to 1. Using electronic mail is as important as being able to use a telephone. It is imperative that every graduating High School Senior be proficient with web-based and Pop e-mail.

2) File Transfer Protocol (FTP) clients-

FTP clients allow you to transfer files between computers. Using this simple program, you can send files such as web pages that you have directly to a server where your Internet or Intranet audience can then view the files.

FTP will become a necessity for future employees as a great deal of companies will expect to hold virtual meetings that may require employees to make web pages. FTP applications are also becoming much more user friendly. In fact, most of us use FTP daily and don't even know it.

3) Video Conferencing-

With the advent of voice recognition, we will see a day when human translators are no longer needed. The future of video conferencing is not only multilingual, but also 100% real-time with no delays.

Students do not have to be masters of the current technology involved in video conferencing, but it is important that they are comfortable with speaking in it. Imagine having your first job interview in London and all you need to do is turn on your computer. Imagine how nervous you would be if you were not prepared to communicate in this medium? We feel that this application of the Internet should be explored by students in a public speaking course.

4) On-line Disk Storage-

In the future, as Internet connection speeds pick up, most computers will not come with a hard drive. They will rely on the Internet. Most disk storage will take place on servers across the world.

We are seeing the first of this technology today. In fact TeAch-nology.com offers you a FREE on-line hard drive so that you do not have to fumble with disks between home and school. It's imperative that students understand this technology, as it will add an entire new dimension to the future of computing. Most corporations would be able to save millions of dollars if they could use this type of technology. It won't be long until they realize this.

5) Web Browsers-

You are looking at this sentence, right now, because you are using a web browser. There are four web browsers that deserve some mention. Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape's Navigator software are obviously the first thing on everyone's mind when you say "browser." Making some waves in the browser world is also a program entitled "Opera." There are two reasons people will use Opera. Either, they like the speed (it is slightly quicker than IE), or they just want to be rebel and use something different. Another very popular browser is America Online's (AOL) browser software. This is due to sheer number of people that use AOL's service.

Each browser basically interprets the HTML code that the author of a web page has made and displays what it thinks the author intended. Each browser reads and interprets slightly differently. Due to this, most web pages will look different depending on the browser that you are using.

Students will just need to learn to use at least one of these applications since there is a great deal of similarity between them. Students should learn the abilities of each major browser. In the mid-90s, most corporations used Netscape, but today it seems to be mostly dominated by IE. Who is to say what the future holds for browsers?

The Bottom Line

The Net Generation of students ,who we refer to as Generation D, will need to be technologically literate in order to compete in a digital world that continues to change faster than we can even imagine! As educators, we are challenged to rise to the demands of digital learning and create learning that will teach our students to master the skills they will need to live productive lives.

A Step Towards the Creation of Educational Technology Standards

What's the Hype?

Every major educational organization is setting their sights on developing computer technology standards with good reason. "Generation D" (digital) learners will meet a workplace where using technology is as necessary as knowing how to read and write. The virtual office is challenging today's workplace by accounting for nearly 8% of the U.S. jobs. By 2007, 20% of the US workforce is expected to just roll out of bed to commute to work via online in a virtual office located in their home (Newsweek). Creating standards in any area of study requires a great deal of research. Most National and State Standards are established for areas of study that are subject to little change and currently possess a benchmark of some sort. Technology is a field that does not fit into either of these categories, because it changes daily.

In order to develop standards, we must first identify key skills which students will need in the future. It's not as easy as you think to ascertain the identity of these skills, because it's difficult to predict the future. Although, within the next ten years, the paradigm of workplace technology is sure to change. There are a few key technologies that corporate employees will need to have a comprehensive knowledge. To meet this challenge, we have identified key skills for consideration.

We consider all of the major technology skills students will need to fit into five major categories: Hardware, Internet Applications, Programming, Software, and Networking.

Hardware use in schools

First came the typewriter, then came the word processor, then came HTML. We now have voice activated, digital communication systems that are leading the way to more advancements in communication that are just waiting to emerge. What's next? When does it stop? The simple answer is: "It doesn't!" Technology is not only hot at this current point in time, it's driving the American and World Economy. What we consider to be the latest hardware today will in ten years be considered obselete. "Generation D" will continually adapt to this change and will need to be continually versed on the use and application of the many emerging technologies. However, in the present scheme of things, the following basic knowledge is recommended for Generation D:

1) Printers-

Students will need to understand how the CPU (i.e. connections, interfaces) directs printers. Students will also need to evaluate the cost/benefit factors attributed to different types of printing technology (i.e. ink jet vs. laser). The reason for this is because no matter how digital this world gets, we will always need to have hard copy. Basic knowledge of printers will save many future employees from panic in need-to-print situations.

2) High Density Storage-

With the advent of super high-density magnetic storage and on-line storage, this will be much less of an issue in the future. Currently, students need to be able to evaluate if optical or magnetic storage best suits their needs. Simple knowledge of storage devices will save you and your students from a great deal of head aches.

3) Scanners-

As Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software becomes more reliable, we will see an increased use of scanners in the workplace. Students will need to have a general concept of how the software works and how to operate a scanner.

4) Internet Connectivity-

In a few years, the price of high-speed connections will drop tremendously. Students will need to understand the available connection technology. Students will need to know all of their options.

5) CPU, RAM, Mother Boards (The Nuts & Bolts)-

Computer Hardware is getting to the point where even the most archaic models are dramatically out performing the software they are running. Being able to evaluate the nuts and bolts of a computer will become a less valuable skill as this trend continues and the gap widens. But it is still important to have a basic knowledge in this area in order to view things globally and problem solve when necessary.

Programming in Schools

Not everyone in the world needs to how to write common gateway interface (cgi) programs in Perl. We expect this trend to continue well into the next century.

The question remains: "What computer language should students learn?" This is impossible to answer. There are nearly as many computer languages as there are spoken languages. Each computer programming language has a unique task that it was created for. Languages also seem to come and go in the programming world. Very few languages have stood the test of time. No one language seems to be leading the way at this point in both the on and off-line worlds.

Programming will most likely never become common in corporate marketplace. But, if students were to understand mathematical logic they would be more adept to learn programming skills if required. Therefore courses like geometry, algebra, and trigonometry will service this skill well.

Software Use In Schools

It is pretty obvious that whatever piece of software students learn today will be totally obsolete in as little as two years. So why even teach using software at all? However, there are five applications that are currently the backbone of business today and they are sure to stick around. In order to better prepare students for the workplace, the following can be considered:

1) Operating Systems

Windows-based systems are the business industry standard. Who's to say what OS businesses will be running in the future. Students will need to learn the importance of an Operating System and how to manipulate it to their benefit.

2) Office Suites

Office suites are really a "group" of programs; in the past six years that definition of office has often changed. In the mid 90s, an 'office suite' was considered to be a group of programs that allowed for word processing, spread sheets, and sometimes, database entry. The term 'office suite' has grown to include web design software, presentation software, page layout design, and in some cases, graphic editors.

Office suites are key pieces of productivity software that every business oriented career is centered around. It is imperative that all students know the basic operation of these programs.

It seems that Microsoft Office seems to be the clear leader in the office suite category with Corel Word Perfect Office suite a distant second. When deciding what suite to go with, cost is usually the main issue. Schools will generally shy away from MS Office because of cost factors. However, whatever office suite used, we recommend using an older version. These versions are usually very cost effective and software manufactures only make minor changes between versions.

3) Page Layout Design Programs

This genre of software allows you to manipulate and create hard copy documents. Most educators are quick to jump at using professional quality Page Layout Programs, usually Adobe Page Maker or Quark. It some cases, this may be the correct choice if you are teaching students high end printing techniques.

In the working world, future employees will need to use these programs daily to communicate their message, but the software applications of the future will make this much easier. Broderbund, among many others, has a fantastic software package for page layout entitled "Print Shop." While this application is not the most powerful tool for this task, it is easy to use and learners pick it up quickly. Expect to see this level of software to show up in the workplace.

4) Web Editors

These are programs that make web pages without any programming knowledge. Currently, the standard language for the web is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The modern web editors allow you to design a web page as if you were making a document in a word processor and then it converts that document to HTML so that it can be viewed on the web.

There is a great deal of controversy as to which web editor is the industry standard. A great number of reviewers claim Microsoft's FrontPage heads above the rest. More and more, Macromedia's Dream Weaver series is gaining recognition because it is an application that is extremely powerful and supports most web browsers with ease. Adobe's GoLive is also an excellent application that works extremely well when designing graphic intensive web sites.

As time passes, a new standard web language will come of age and replace HTML. Web editors will readily adapt to this and will still work in a similar fashion that they do now, but just write it into a different language. In the future, employees at most Fortune 500 companies will be expected to communicate on and over the web. Using a web editor will be common place.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS: TRANSFORMING CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.

International Journal of Instructional Media

| January 01, 2000 | DUHANEY, DEVON C. | COPYRIGHT 1999 Westwood Press, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

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New information technologies are increasingly being adapted and integrated into the educational process. The growing use of these technologies in teaching and learning activities has given rise to numerous questions. Are the new technologies changing the traditional approach to classroom activities? How much are the technologies changing the strategies/techniques used in the delivery of instruction? Are the technologies changing the quality of interpersonal relations in our classroom? This paper explores the integration of technology in the education process and some of the changes they have generated in classroom activities.

Technology of one kind or the other has always been used in the educational environment. For years the printed page, chalk and chalkboard, overhead projectors, filmstrips, 35mm films, and other devices have been utilized, and continue to feature in the teaching and learning process. The use of these technologies very often confined instructional and learning activities to a specific place and time. However, the emergence of newer forms of technology (e.g., computers, computer discs interactive (CD-i), videodiscs, DVD, desktop videoconferencing, Internet) have created a renewed interest for their use in supporting teaching and learning activities. These technologies are also capable of promoting educational activities (synchronous or asynchronous) which are not confined to specific time and/or place. The adoption and use of these technologies for instruction and learning is believed to be worthwhile, particularly, because of their prevalence throughout the society. Many of the technologies are widely used in the workplace and students are expected to be familiar with them before they enter the workforce.

It is frequently thought that the education sector is slow in adapting to technological changes. Nevertheless, the classroom is vulnerable to technological innovation, as this is where the old and the new must coexist. The coexistence of old and new technology creates a tension that will lead to remarkable changes in education for the twenty-first century and beyond (Kaha, 1990).

The infusion and integration of the new information technologies in the classroom have had an immense impact on the educational environment. Perelman (1992), in his critique of educational technology, identified some ways in which information technology has affected the education process. First, he believed …

Technology in Education

Many people warn of the possible harmful effects of using technology in the classroom. Will children lose their ability to relate to other human beings? Will they become dependent on technology to learn? Will they find inappropriate materials? The same was probably said with the invention of the printing press, radio, and television. All of these can be used inappropriately, but all of them have given humanity unbounded access to information which can be turned into knowledge. Appropriately used-- interactively and with guidance-- they have become tools for the development of higher order thinking skills.

Inappropriately used in the classroom, technology can be used to perpetuate old models of teaching and learning. Students can be "plugged into computers" to do drill and practice that is not so different from workbooks. Teachers can use multimedia technology to give more colorful, stimulating lectures. Both of these have their place, but such use does not begin to tap the power of these new tools.

In this area, you will find descriptions of how computers can be used to stimulate and develop writing skills, collaborate with peers in foreign countries, do authentic kinds of research that is valuable to the adult world, and do complex kinds of problem solving that would otherwise be impossible.

English Teachers' Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning

Computers have been used for language teaching ever since the 1960's. This 40-year period can be divided into three main stages: behaviorist CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL. Each stage corresponds to a certain level of technology and certain pedagogical theories. The reasons for using Computer-assisted Language Learning include: (a) experiential learning, (b) motivation, (c) enhance student achievement, (d) authentic materials for study, (e) greater interaction, (f) individualization, (g) independence from a single source of information, and (h) global understanding. The barriers inhibiting the practice of Computer-assisted Language Learning can be classified in the following common categories: (a) financial barriers, (b) availability of computer hardware and software, (c) technical and theoretical knowledge, and (d) acceptance of the technology.

Introduction

In the last few years the number of teachers using Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) has increased markedly and numerous articles have been written about the role of technology in education in the 21st century. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which the links between technology and TEFL have already been established.

In the early 90's education started being affected by the introduction of word processors in schools, colleges and universities. This mainly had to do with written assignments. The development of the Internet brought about a revolution in the teachers' perspective, as the teaching tools offered through the Internet were gradually becoming more reliable. Nowadays, the Internet is gaining immense popularity in foreign language teaching and more and more educators and learners are embracing it.

The History of CALL

Computers have been used for language teaching ever since the 1960's. According to Warschauer & Healey (1998), this 40-year period can be divided into three main stages: behaviorist CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL. Each stage corresponds to a certain level of technology and certain pedagogical theories.

Behaviorist CALL

In the 1960's and 1970's the first form of computer-assisted Language Learning featured repetitive language drills, the so-called drill-and-practice method. It was based on the behaviorist learning model and as such the computer was viewed as little more than a mechanical tutor that never grew tired. Behaviorist CALL was first designed and implemented in the era of the mainframe and the best-known tutorial system, PLATO, ran on its own special hardware. It was mainly used for extensive drills, explicit grammar instruction, and translation tests (Ahmad, et al., 1985).

Communicative CALL

Communicative CALL emerged in the 1970's and 1980's as a reaction to the behaviorist approach to language learning. Proponents of communicative CALL rejected behaviorist approaches at both the theoretical and pedagogical level. They stressed that CALL should focus more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves. Grammar should be taught implicitly and students should be encouraged to generate original utterances instead of manipulating prefabricated forms (Jones & Fortescue, 1987; Philips, 1987). This form of computer-based instruction corresponded to cognitive theories which recognized that learning was a creative process of discovery, expression, and development. The mainframe was replaced by personal computers that allowed greater possibilities for individual work. Popular CALL software in this era included text reconstruction programmers and simulations.

Integrative CALL

The last stage of computer-assisted Language Learning is integrative CALL. Communicative CALL was criticized for using the computer in an ad hoc and disconnected fashion and using the computer made 'a greater contribution to marginal rather than central elements' of language learning (Kenning & Kenning, 1990: 90). Teachers have moved away from a cognitive view of communicative language teaching to a socio-cognitive view that emphasizes real language use in a meaningful, authentic context. Integrative CALL seeks both to integrate the various skills of language learning (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) and to integrate technology more fully into language teaching (Warschauer & Healey, 1998). To this end the multimedia-networked computer provides a range of informational, communicative, and publishing tools that are potentially available to every student.

Why Use CALL?

Research and practice suggest that, appropriately implemented, network-based technology can contribute significantly to:

Experiential Learning

The World Wide Web makes it possible for students to tackle a huge amount of human experience. In such a way, they can learn by doing things themselves. They become the creators not just the receivers of knowledge. As the way information is presented is not linear, users develop thinking skills and choose what to explore.

Motivation

Computers are most popular among students either because they are associated with fun and games or because they are considered to be fashionable. Student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make them feel more independent.

Enhanced Student Achievement

Network-based instruction can help pupils strengthen their linguistic skills by positively affecting their learning attitude and by helping them build self-instruction strategies and promote their self-confidence.

Authentic Materials for Study

All students can use various resources of authentic reading materials either at school or from their home. Those materials can be accessed 24 hours a day at a relatively low cost.

Greater Interaction

Random access to Web pages breaks the linear flow of instruction. By sending E-mail and joining newsgroups, EFL students can communicate with people they have never met. They can also interact with their own classmates. Furthermore, some Internet activities give students positive and negative feedback by automatically correcting their on-line exercises.

Individualization

Shy or inhibited students can be greatly benefited by individualized, student-centered collaborative learning. High fliers can also realize their full potential without preventing their peers from working at their own pace.

Independence from a Single Source of Information

Although students can still use their books, they are given the chance to escape from canned knowledge and discover thousands of information sources. As a result, their education fulfils the need for interdisciplinary learning in a multicultural world.

Global Understanding

A foreign language is studied in a cultural context. In a world where the use of the Internet becomes more and more widespread, an English Language teacher's duty is to facilitate students' access to the web and make them feel citizens of a global classroom, practicing communication on a global level.

What Can We Do With CALL?

There is a wide range of on-line applications which are already available for use in the foreign language class. These include dictionaries and encyclopedias, links for teachers, chat-rooms, pronunciation tutors, grammar and vocabulary quizzes, games and puzzles, literary extracts. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a virtual library of information that can be accessed by any user around the clock. If someone wants to read or listen to the news, for example, there are a number of sources offering the latest news either printed or recorded. The most important newspapers and magazines in the world are available on-line and the same is the case with radio and TV channels.

Another example is communicating with electronic pen friends, something that most students would enjoy. Teachers should explain how it all works and help students find their keypals. Two EFL classes from different countries can arrange to send E-mail regularly to one another. This can be done quite easily thanks to the web sites providing lists of students looking for communication. It is also possible for two or more students to join a chat-room and talk on-line through E-mail. .

Another network-based EFL activity could be project writing. By working for a project a pupil can construct knowledge rather that only receive it. Students can work on their own, in groups of two or in larger teams, in order to write an assignment, the size of which may vary according to the objectives set by the instructor. A variety of sources can be used besides the Internet such as school libraries, encyclopedias, reference books etc. The Internet itself can provide a lot of food for thought. The final outcome of their research can be typed using a word processor. A word processor can be used in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing a school home page. In such a Web page students can publish their project work so that it can reach a wider audience. That makes them feel more responsible for the final product and consequently makes them work more laboriously.

The Internet and the rise of computer-mediated communication in particular have reshaped the uses of computers for language learning. The recent shift to global information-based economies means that students will need to learn how to deal with large amounts of information and have to be able to communicate across languages and cultures. At the same time, the role of the teacher has changed as well. Teachers are not the only source of information any more, but act as facilitators so that students can actively interpret and organize the information they are given, fitting it into prior knowledge (Dole, et al., 1991). Students have become active participants in learning and are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language rather than passive recipients of it (Brown, 1991). Integrative CALL stresses these issues and additionally lets learners of a language communicate inexpensively with other learners or native speakers. As such, it combines information processing, communication, use of authentic language, and learner autonomy, all of which are of major importance in current language learning theories.

Teachers' Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning

The barriers inhibiting the practice of Computer-assisted Language Learning can be classified in the following common categories (a) financial barriers, (b) availability of computer hardware and software, (c) technical and theoretical knowledge, and (d) acceptance of the technology.

Financial Barriers

Financial barriers are mentioned most frequently in the literature by language education practitioners. They include the cost of hardware, software, maintenance (particular of the most advanced equipment), and extend to some staff development. Froke (1994b) said, "concerning the money, the challenge was unique because of the nature of the technology." Existing universities policies and procedures for budgeting and accounting were well advanced for classroom instruction. The costs of media were accounted for in the university as a part of the cost of instruction. Though the initial investment in hardware is high, inhibiting institutions' introduction of advance technologies; but Hooper (1995) recommends that the cost of computers will be so low that they will be available in most schools and homes in the future.

Lewis et al. (1994) indicate three conditions under which Computer-assisted Learning and other technologies can be cost-effectiveness: Computer-assisted Learning costs the same as conventional instruction but ends up with producing higher achievement in the same amount of instructional time, it results in students achieving the same level but in less time. These authors indicate that in examples where costs of using technologies in education are calculated, they are usually understand because the value of factors, such as faculty time and cost of equipment utilization, is ignored (McClelland, 1996).

Herschbach (1994) argues firmly that new technologies are add-on expenses and will not, in many cases, lower the cost of providing educational services. He stated that that the new technologies probably will not replace the teachers, but will supplement their efforts, as has been the pattern with other technologies. The technologies will not decrease educational costs or increase teacher productivity as currently used. Low usage causes the cost barrier. Computers, interactive instruction TV, and other devices are used very few hours of the day, week, or month. Either the number of learners or the amount of time learners apply the technology must be increased substantially to approach the concept of cost-effectiveness. There are other more quick and less expensive ways of reducing costs, no matter how inexpensive the technology being used (Kincaid, McEachron, & McKinney,1994.

Availability of Computer Hardware and Software

The most significant aspects of computer are hardware and software. Availability of high quality software is the most pressing challenge in applying the new technologies in education (Herschbach, 1994; Miller, 1997; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Noreburg & Lundblad, 1997). Underlying this problem is a lack of knowledge of what elements in software will promote different kinds of learning. There are few educators skilled in designing it because software development is costly and time-consuming (McClelland, 1996).

McClelland (1996) indicated having sufficient hardware in locations where learners have access to it problematic and is, of course, partly a financial problem. Computer hardware and software compatibility goes on to be a significant problem. Choosing hardware is difficult because of the many choices of systems to be used in delivering education, the delivery of equipment, and the rapid changes in technology.

Technical and Theoretical Knowledge

A lack of technical and theoretical knowledge is another barrier to the use of Computer-assisted Language Learning technology. Not only is there a shortage of knowledge about developing software to promote learning, as shown above, but many instructors do not understand how to use the new technologies. Furthermore, little is known about integrating these new means of learning into an overall plan. In the communication between McClelland and C. Dede (1995), Dede indicated the more powerful technologies, such as artificial intelligence in computers, might promote learning of higher-order cognitive skills that are difficult to access with today's evaluation procedures and, therefore, the resulting pedagogical gains may be under-valued. Improper use of technologies can affect both the teacher and learner negatively (Office of Technical Assessment, 1995).

Acceptance of Technologies

We live in a time change. Gelatt (1995) stated that change itself has changed. Change has become so rapid, so turbulent, and so unpredictable that is now called "white water" change (p.10). Murphy & Terry (1998a) indicated the current of change move so quickly that they destroy what was considered the norm in the past, and by doing so, create new opportunities. But, there is a natural tendency for organizations to resist change. Wrong conceptions about the use of technology limit innovation and threaten teachers' job and security (Zuber-Skerritt, 1994). Instructors are tend not to use technologies that require substantially more preparation time, and it is tough to provide instructors and learners access to technologies that are easy to use (Herschbach, 1994).

Engaging in Computer-assisted Language Learning is a continuing challenge that requires time and commitment. As we approach the 21st century, we realize that technology as such is not the answer to all our problems. What really matters is how we use technology. Computers can/will never substitute teachers but they offer new opportunities for better language practice. They may actually make the process of language learning significantly richer and play a key role in the reform of a country's educational system. The next generation of students will feel a lot more confident with information technology than we do. As a result, they will also be able to use the Internet to communicate more effectively, practice language skills more thoroughly and solve language learning problems more easily.

Reference

• Benson, G. M., Jr. (1996). Combining Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and a live TV teacher to extend learning opportunities into the home. A learning productivity research and developmental project of the research foundation of the State University of New York and Instructional Systems Inc. Albany, NY: Instructional Systems Inc., State University of New York. (ERIC Doc. ED359936).
• Belisle, Ron, E-mail Activities in the ESL Writing Class, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 12, December 1996
  http://iteslj.org/Articles/Belisle-Email.html
• Boswood, Tim(editor), New Ways of Using Computers in Language Teaching, TESOL, 1997.
• Bush,M.D., R.M.Terry(editors.), Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, 1996.
• Dean, J. (1993). Alternative instructional delivery system: Implications for vocational education, The Visitor, 4, 2-4.
• Froke, M. (1994). A vision and promise: Distance education at Penn State, Part1-Toward an experience-based definition. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 42 (2), 16-22.

Utilization of Technology for Education

Utilization of Technology for Education

Efforts to make children feel at home in school learning using multimedia technology, is a necessity, so the school is no longer a scary room with a variety of tasks and the threat which it co-opt the ability or potential in students. To that end, the role of society and parents, the school committee is a partner who can plan and promote the school. Utilization of technology is an absolute necessity in the world of education (schooling) so that the school really be a space where students learn and develop the ability to optimally, and later able to interact to the center of society. School graduates who can become part of civilization society. A desire that is not easy, if schools are not responsive to change. History of schooling in Indonesia has been noted, that the efforts of government and changes made to the development of curriculum in accordance with developments in science and technology, as well as the development of various methods and the learning process attractive for fishing and to trigger students’ creative development to the point eventually beginning; how difficult those changes?

At least with the imposition of new curricula, teaching in the school will be extremely varied, recreational, and necessarily contextual. If students can not afford not entirely the fault of students, but it could be the collective fault of the school that is less conducive. In fact, when seen from the factor of age, students have great opportunities to follow the existing change, while a wise man said just the teacher’s most difficult to change, because the factor of age who feels older and know better.Technology has come before us, how we use it optimally to advance the education world (not occupation) that we loved together. Surely all this is very dependent on funding and resources, and respect for human beings.