TASK 3: CALL Program Assessment

Utami Dewi K. (0708066047)

English Department

Post Graduate Program

University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka

Jakarta 2007

THE ANALYSIS OF THE READY – MADE COMPUTERIZED LANGUAGE LEARNING PROGRAMS

1. LEARN ENGLISH

The advantages:

• There are vary of games about the activity and everything met in daily life such as; food, color, shopping, countries etc. So, it will be more attractive and fun.
• Before starting to play the games, there are also many options which game that the player would like to try based on the level of intelligence and balanced with his/ her capacity (hard, easy, word practice, speaking practice, etc).
• We can print out the task which we have done and finished.
• We could know the result, point, and respond directly.
• Colorful, interesting, has alot of pictures and characters.
• We can choose any game which we love best.
• The pronounciation is clear enough.
• The higher level of learners could learn sentences and not only a phrase or words. Furthermore, its sentence is supported by a character.

• We could record our voices and replay. So, we could evaluate our mistakes and failures in spelling and pronounciation.
• I have implemented it to a 4 grade student of elementary school and it works well.

2. The Issue in English

The advantages:

• Someone speaks up, tells story about truth experience.
• I can operate it in winamp.
• There are several people who incharge inside from many countries with different informations and pronounciations.
• Our auditorials are functioning.
• It works for Senior High School students.

The disanvatages:

• Monotoniously
• The caracters are not movable widely, we only see their faces and gestures. So, it is not really attractive for children.
• Sometimes different spelling could influence our hearings and meanings.

3. Speak English

The advantages:

• It has a vary of games (numerical and words).
• The alphabet is effective for kindergarten and elementary school.
• The conversation is useful for secondary students.
• It tells about different situations and places (at restaurant, station, etc).
• We are trained to be able in using question.

The disanvatages:

• There is not character alive.
• There are long sentences which could be difficult to be understood for elementary students.
• There is picture but not movable.

4. Sing a Song

Sir, I’m so sorry. Actually the CD doesn’t work well. I’ve tried many times to open it in different computers but it’s useless, but I still try to evaluate based on my opinion from our last training several sessions ago.

The advantages:

• Enjoyable

• It is effective for preschooler.

• There are alive moving characters.

• Interesting for listening and teaching vocabulary.

• Learn with rhyme is easier, quicker, and fun.

Utami Dewi K. (0708066047)

English Department

Post Graduate Program

University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA

Jakarta 2007

Lecturer: Hartoyo, Ph.D

ICT IN COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

MID-SEMESTER TEST

1. Assignment

BEGINNING ENGLISH WITH YOUNG LEARNERS

The development of our educational system in formal or informal scope is always being renewed and become more progressive. Of course, it is kind of a huge responsibility not only for teachers but also parents and government itself. Then, there is an effort which has been done by the ‘doer’ of pre-school such as; increasing the motivation of pre-schooler in learning language especially English and implementing it into daily life. One of the effort is by holding music as a tool of learning and communicating process which is specialized for children age between 4-5 years old.

As we know that music can stimulate children’s growth in increasing the function of brain such as; memory, language, and analysis. It is a moment whenever children are having social interaction among their peers. According to Santrock and Yussen:1992 stated that there are three domains of growing process which are related and influenced each other; a. Biologcal process (physical growth involves brain, neuron system, bones, hormonal, and five senses), b. Cognitive process (capability in the way of thinking, communicating, and absorbing knowledge from the surroundings), and c. Psycho-social process (The changes of emotional, feelings, and personality aspects also how the children can deal with those changes when they are communing with others to find and build their self-identity). Furthermore, in the term of music as a tool which is very helpful in learning process, the writer is going to describe deeper about the strengthness and weakness also advantage and disadvantage of music for kindergarten age.

The writer thinks that Suggestopedia methodology is the most suitable for this learning process. Hartoyo remarked:

“The rationale or considerations are the process of learning how to use a FL/ target language can be accelerated through tapping the learners’ mental powers. In this respect, building up learners’ attitudes towards their teacher is essential. The focus is speaking (being able to use a target language/ foreign language for everyday communication)”.

First, the strengthness of music as a tool in learning English for children is they can effectively learn rhymes easily and quickly and they appearing to enjoy learning and reciting them. Rhymes are prefabricated language. Most are made up of prefabricated phrases; and ones where new words are slotted into the same verse or a different verse, are similar to prefabricated routines (Opal Dunn:1979).

Second, the weakness of music as a tool of learning English for pre-schooler is sometimes if there is a way of giving children a complete text with a complete piece of meaning from the very first lesson there will be isolated items of language, especially if not linked to situations, are often much more difficult for young beginners to understand, use or remember (Dunn 1979: 10).

Third, Dunn said that the advantages of music as a tool of learning English for kindergarten are when the children know the rhyme, it can be used for teaching other plurals, eg. one cat-two cats and as a game which any child who adds the name of an object after saying four, drops out the game. Young beginners seem to feel that when they can speak a lot of English quickly rather like an adult and this is something that they appear to want to do. Moreover, rhymes can be bonus in language learning whereas language learned in a rhyme can often be transferred to another situations in the classroom.

Finally, the disadvantages of music as a tool of learning English for them are if the rhyme is playing slowly beat in reciting words it will be easier for them to follow and understand but, if the beat of rhyme is little bit faster it will be quite difficult to know the words and the meanings. Next, the system disturbance might be happened suddenly when when they work with the rhyme, for instance the rhyme is not clearly enough to recite or quite long to remember because of the electricity or the sound system.

Actually, all the methodologies of learning English are very helpful and important in encouraging children to speak up and communicate especially in daily life. In summary, utilizing music as a tool of language learning for children age has strengthness and weakness also advantages and disadvantages.

References:

Hartoyo, M.A., Ph.D. Individual Differences in CALL. UPT UNNES Press. Semarang, 2006.

Dunn, Opal. Beginning English with Young Children. Macmillan Publishers LTD. London and Basingstoke, 1983. 

Toddler Magazine, vol. 8/ 2007 page. 9

The article of University of Paramadina in ‘Children’s Seminar’

THE IMPORTANCE of A HUG 

Hug your child everyday. The simple concept is an important gesture, and the physical embrace is a way of connecting with your child who feel loved and cared for having high self-esteem and do well in their endeavors. Young children have a need to be loved and cuddled, especially by the adults they live with, and guess what – it will do you as much good as it does your child. Remember, there is always time to fit in a big hug!.

Do be aware that if your child gets used to hugs from home and then goes off to school (and expect a teacher to give a hug) where the teachers may show affection differently, this does not mean that the teacher does not like your child. It means the teacher has different style than the one your child is used to.

Taken from Nizamia Newsletter on August 2007, volume 22 – No. 20