The existence of technology has become a
challenge for teacher because technology offers opportunities for teaching and
learning. Usually, teaching and learning is conducted in a classroom where
teacher become the facilitator and the student become the center of learning.
Now, technology provides everything to what the student's need. Students are
able to learn by themselves without supervision from teacher. Here, there are
several misconceptions regarding to technology: Technology is monolithic,
technology constitutes a method, today’s technology is all that one needs to
know, and technology will replace teachers.
Then, to dispel these myths, there are
several technology tools that can be used in the communicative classroom and
offer learner-centered activities, such as Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a communicative
classroom that allows for easy integration into communicative activities. It
refers to sites where users group co-create the site without having to utilize
HTML code. Web 2.0 such as facebook, offer many opportunities for user to
interact with the tools of the site and with each other. So, there is active
interaction and engagement with and among the members and the content of the
site. Then, many of the web 2.0 tools fall within the category of
computer-mediated communication (CMC) software.
In narrow sense, CMC refers to
computer-mediated communication tools such as chats and discussion board. It is
include a wider variety of online tools which include social networking sites,
virtual realities, and gaming. Participant in CMC environments may be from one
class, from different classes, or communicating with members of the target
community, while in the same place or different place.
These are the benefits of CMC:
· They provide opportunities for authentic input
and access to interlocutors that are not usually available in the traditional
learning environment.
· They provide flexibility in the timing and
location of these interactions.
· They integrate technology into
language teaching which can help all students achieve better computer literacy.
· They help teaching become more
efficient, supplementing their regular class material, providing a
student-centered creative learning environment and enabling students to become
computer literate.
Then, there some challenges when we try to
implement the CMC.
· Computer literacy. There are
differences in the technology skill of the student. It makes the progress fo
teaching CMC will move slowly. The low income will block the implementation of
CMC.
· Access and logistics. The access of
internet, the connection, blocked sites, the lack of additional software and
hardware make the implementation of CMC is impossible.
· Privacy and security. There are some
policies regarding to computing or intellectual property that prohibit the use
of CMC tool in the classroom.
Here are the samples of
activities in CMC:
1. Chat, instant message, texting
2. Discussion forum
3. Email usage
4. Blog
5. Wikis
6. Social networking sites
7. Virtual reality site
As conclusion, as teacher, we
don’t need to be afraid of losing job when technology tries to change the
culture of learning. However, it is our job to choose the best technology and
tools in teaching and learning. Teacher will play important role in teaching
and learning process because not all technology is informative literacy. We can
help the student to be wise to choose the righteous site for their needs. As
long as we open to learn and upgrade our knowledge to technology, the teacher
will remain important.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar