TUGAS ICT

THE ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF CALL PROGRAM IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

CALL is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement, and assesment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive learning.

CALL is assumed to be the better way in learning and teaching English as a foreign language than any other non computer. It is more flexible and it can encourage the students learning actively. To apply CALL in learning and teaching English well, there must be a good software to facilitate it. Otherwise, the student will not interewst to use and learn it. Therefore, we want to explain about the advantage and disadvantage of CALL program in teaching and learning English as a foreign language in applied of these software:

1. TALK NOW

The education world is getting more attracted because of the existence of ‘TALK NOW’ software which is applying CALL program.

The Advantage of this program:

• The exercise is easy and simple for low level student, so it can motivate the student to do the exercise and do it again.
•  The exercise is facilitated with the fun game and the lay out is colourful , so the student will not get bored.

The Disadvantage of this program:

• The comment is not creative. When the student do the exercise with correct or not correct answer, the comment is just ‘YES’ or ‘NO’.
• The exercise is too boring. It is just matching the word and it is not appropriate for the advanced level student.
• It should be facilitated morre than just two or more expresion for speaking practice. The short conversation between two or more people about the topic in one situation is better.
• The exercise for speaking practice is not good enough for the advanced student’s level. It is only choosing the appropriate picture to the suitable expression.
•  The model performance is too boring, because the just respond with smile and smile.

So, this software as far as we know is good enough for the low level students who want to learn English as a foreign language, but it is not good enough for the student in advanced level.

2. EURO TALK

The existence of Euro Talk can be made as a reference for the students who want to learn English better.

The Advantage of this program:

• It is a good program for the students who want to speak English very well in the beginning level.
• It is simple. The students just ‘click’ the programme which they want to choose.
•  The student can practice and record the expression from what the speaker’s say.
• The model of native speaker is attracted. And the students feel like studying with real life.

The Disadvantage of this program:

• The dialogue practice should be like a kind of movie; real conversation.
• The program for ‘practice speaking’ is too simple and it make the students feel bored.
• There is no fun game. Sometimes it is important to apply fun game in teaching-learning, because it can give refreshment for the bored situation.
•  If the student make an answer with correct or not correct, the respond is not just ‘X’ or ‘V’. It should be more creative.

So, this program is good enough for the student in the beginning to learn how to speak English.

3. ISSUE IN ENGLISH

It is a programme which represents the issue in English, such as smoking, euthanasia, etc. It is good to use for those who are in advanced level.

The Advantage of this program:

• It is easy handed. If we just shake the mouse, but it does not touch it, there is a sound recorded based on the picture.
• There is ‘Teaching Points’ for the teacher and the student. So, they will know better about the skills that they want to teach for the student. And the student will know which skill they have to master it.
• The student can choose the exercise of those skills (listening, vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and writing).
• The student’ answer on the exercise is comment with various praise, and it can be made the student motivated.
•  There student can learn how to write well in puntuation and there is also dictation which can make the student write the vocabulary well.
•  The exercise is easy and simple for listening practice, it is just matching the pictures to the words.

The Disadvantage of this program:

• There is no model for the real conversation. The speaker just talks in one way.
• There is no simple note for the using of tenses or what is tenses. The students just fill down the sentence which is ordered to write in the present continuos tense, etc.
•  The exercise is too simple and it is not appropriate with the advanced level student.
•  The exercise is sometimes too boring, because it is only review the question from set 1 and so on.

So, this program is good enough for the advanced level. The can learn about the  discussion nowadays; smoking, environment, euthanasia, etc. And they are also taught to write the summary, punctuation, and so on. Moreover, there is ‘Teaching Points’ whhich can be used in teaching-learning English as a foreign language.

4. CHILDREN’S SONG

It is only the add list in learning English. The children must be like the song. Through the song, they would be more know about the vocabulary. However, the pronounciation is Singapore stylish. And it is not good enough for the student in learning English.