Computers as a Teaching Tool for Reading
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Computers can be effectively used as another teaching tool aimed at reading instruction. Some observers view computer technology as a force that will radically change instructional practice, almost replacing teachers. Others believe that computers are no substitute for teacher-student interaction. A position between these two extremes will place the computer in the classroom as a teacher and student time-saving tool, allowing students to proceed at their own paces, much as computer assisted instruction (CAI) did in the 1970s. Today, with the advent of sophisticated CD-ROM technology, students can interact with text in more meaningful contexts than could students in the 1970s, and CD-ROM technology will play an important part of reading instruction in the 1990s. The least sophisticated type of computer reading practice is provided by "Drill-and-Practice" software. Drill-and-practice software is available in all areas of reading, from decoding to vocabulary, main idea comprehension, lessons on prefixes, and so on. This most basic type of reading software does not teach--by definition; instead, it is intended to allow students to practice what they have already learned. In this sense, such a computerized reading program is little more than an automated worksheet, as critics have been quick to point out. However, computers have three advantages over conventional worksheets. As Leu (1991) points out, "motivational presentation, record-keeping functions, and branching cap
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wealth, changing a story so that it turns out differently, getting rid of bad guys, finding the treasure, solving a puzzle as quickly as possible, and so on. (524)
Because good and bad reading software has inundated the market, teachers need to consult review sources for guidance. Some possible review sources are the following: The Reading Teacher (the department called "Technology Links to Literacy"), Educational Technology, Electronic Learning, The Computing Teacher, and Journal of Computer-Based Instruction. A book review in The Reading Teacher (1989) of Dorothy Strickland's book, Using Computers in the Teaching of Reading emphasizes again the need for reading programs to engage readers with whole, meaningful texts. The reviewer goes on to reiterate Strickland's caution that "drill and practice software "be integrated holistically into reading instruction" (730). Again, a literature-based reading program via computer must not be overly dependent on worksheet-type activities; in short, the more a computer reading program resembles a worksheet, the more a teacher ought to pass on it.
Another interesting aspect of the use of computers in the reading program is that computers can be both tutors (teaching students) and tute
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Approximate Word count = 1977
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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