Role Of Computers In Reading Skills PDF

Role of Computers in Reading Skills Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all languages, it is a complex i...

Role of Computers in Reading Skills Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all languages, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement. Reading skills refer to the specific abilities that enable a person to read with independence and interact with the message. Students at the university do a lot of reading unlike in secondary school. Computers are being used increasingly in educational contexts, little research on using computers in reading instruction exists. Nuttal (2005) states that “the aims of reading program are to enable students to enjoy (or at least feel comfortable with) reading in the foreign language, and to read without help unfamiliar texts, at appropriate speed, silently and with adequate understanding.” The students are able to enjoy reading some texts if they understood well, so it needs more comprehension, as the comprehension means the capability to give details about grammar and structure of a page of text, it also means the ability to sum up the thesis and argument of a whole book in a few sentences (Ann and Lee, 1997). According to the aims of reading, teachers use many methods to teach as they do their effort to make the students enjoy reading the text and achieve the purposes. Moreover, they use the computers to assist language learning. But why do teachers use computers to develop reading skills; is it possible to use computers? Is it sensible or appropriate to use computers for such purposes? WHAT IS READING? Teachers have some methods to teach English as second language, to make the students able to speak fluently and write well, and also comprehend the text. Those are named by “language skills” (listening, reading, speaking and writing). Reading is a part of language skills. Brynes (1998, 2) states” Reading is an interactive process that occurs between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters, sentences, and paragraphs that encode the meaning.” According to this definition, reading can be either a language skill or a process which determines the reader to use knowledge, skills and strategies. Reader knowledge, skills and strategies include: 1. Linguistic competence as the ability to recognize the elements of the writing system; understanding of vocabulary: comprehension of how words are structured into sentences. 2. Discourse competence it is the knowledge of discourse markers and how they join parts of the text to one another. 3. Sociolinguistic competence as knowledge about different types of texts and their usual structure and content. 4. Strategic competence it is the ability to use top-down strategies as well as knowledge of the language (Bryners 1998, 2). Moreover, the type of text has the purpose to determine the specific knowledge, skills and strategies that the reader needs to apply to achieve reading comprehension. Because reading comprehension is more than decoding, it results when the reader knows which skills and strategies are suitable for the type of text, and understands how to relate them to achieve the purpose (Bryners 1998).Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports learning in multiple ways: ✓ Reading to learn the language: Reading material is language input. By giving students a variety of materials to read, instructors provide multiple opportunities for students to absorb vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and discourse structure as they occur in authentic contexts. Students thus gain a more complete picture of the ways in which the elements of the language work together to convey meaning. ✓ Reading for content information: Students' purpose for reading in their native language is often to obtain information about a subject they are studying, and this purpose can be useful in the language learning classroom as well. Reading for content information in the language classroom gives students both authentic reading material and an authentic purpose for reading. ✓ Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Daily reading of materials that are designed for native speakers can give students insight into the lifestyles and worldviews of those. When students have access to newspapers, magazines, and Web sites, they are exposed to culture in all its variety, and huge cultural stereotypes begin to break down. II. Reading skills Many people have trouble with reading. Reading is hard for some people and it can take time. Reading is a process of the brain where you look at symbols on a page, and your mind sees the patterns of characters and understands the meaning in them. If you develop good reading skills, it'll be very helpful to your future. Here are a few steps and tips to get started. Steps 1. Find something to read. Examples include a children's book, a newspaper article, a short story, or something on wikiHow.Sound out each letter as best you can and you will notice they form some sort of word. Some letters fit together. For example, "th" is not pronounced as t + h, but rather as one unit. This is called a 'phoneme' 2. Find a place to read where you can concentrate. This may be someplace secret where no one will bother you, or simply your home at a time when it is quiet. 3.Begin your reading by looking at the pictures, or listening to the music to get a feel for what you are going to be reading about. 4. Start with titles, names, or other larger print items that you may know or ever thought about. 5. Read as much as you are able. When you start getting bored or need a break, take one. 6. Reading should be fun and enjoyable, don't force it. After your break, return to where you were, and continue. 7. Reread the material. It is okay to reread something if you do not understand it fully the first time. 8. Go to the library and pick up lots of books. Pick books depending on your reading level, no matter what your age is. 9. Read the page carefully. Don't rush, take your time. Most people think that skimming the page (skimming means to just scan the whole page and hardly take in a couple of words) is a way of fast reading, but this is definitely not true. 10.Use context clues to find out a word's meaning. Context clues are when a person figures out the meaning of a word by seeing how the word was used in a sentence. For example, you were reading the following sentence and wanted to know what 'pessimist' means: “My mother is always happy and optimistic, the total opposite of my brother, the pessimist”. So, from the sentence, you can gather that 'pessimist' means the opposite of happy, so pessimist means being moody and angry. Good, experienced readers always use context clues! If you find a word that you're totally confused about, use the dictionary! If you want to save time and the hassle of turning pages, go to the online dictionary Effective language instructors Effective language instructors help the students on how they can adjust their reading behavior to deal with a variety of situations, types of input, and reading purposes. They help students develop a set of reading strategies and match appropriate strategies to each reading situation. When language learners use reading strategies, they find that they can control the reading experience, and they gain confidence in their ability to read the language. Strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively include: Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading selection Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content and vocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question predictions Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up  Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating the information and ideas in the text Instructors can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies in several ways: By modeling the strategies aloud, talking through the processes of previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing. This shows students how the strategies work and how much they can know about a text before they begin to read word by word. By allowing time in class for group and individual previewing and predicting activities as preparation for in-class or out-of-class reading. Allocating class time to these activities indicates their importance and value. By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary items. This helps students learn to guess meaning from context. By encouraging students to talk about what strategies they think will help them approach a reading assignment, and then talking after reading about what strategies they actually used. This helps students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies. Uses Of Computers in Reading Instruction Technological advances continue to expand possibilities for using computers to support reading instruction. Computers offer engaging, interactive activities for general and targeted practice. They give student immediate corrective feedback, and some programs provide encouragements for progress to higher levels of difficulty. Teachers also use programs to track student progress. Computers allow students to create and share work. Some software allows them to create graphics and multimedia projects, while word processing facilitates writing projects. The internet allows information sharing through such resources such online research, personal web pages, and e-mail. Moreover, electronic references allow students to conduct research more easily and in new and different ways from traditional research. One of the biggest concerns of teachers and instructors is that students are failing to learn critical reading skills that they need to progress satisfactorily through the upper levels of their education. Commercial reading software developers have worked hard to create software that gives learners real opportunities to read critically and develop critical reading and critical thinking skills. Research is just beginning to clarify the cognitive and effective consequences of using computers to teach literacy. Investigations have shown that computer tools can enhance teaching. The use of word processors can produce better writing. Multimedia presentations can facilitate comprehension. Computerized vocabulary tools enhance second language learners’ comprehension, and computer-assisted instruction teaches basic reading skills to students at risk. Moreover, studies have found effects on engagement and interest, particularly for students with learning difficulties. And the advantages are: 1.Computer software is interactive. The most important benefit of commercial reading software is its ability to engage the students. Most current reading requires that a student do more than merely punch buttons. The interactive software provides students with the chance to produce their own questions and leads the students through guided practice situations. Newer software has even developed ways for students to interact with each other via the internet. Students work together in virtual groups to expand the learning experience. 2. Computer software uses scientifically-assisted educational research. The reality is that educational software that claims to teach without the assistance of sound research and statistics often fails to hit the mark when it comes to really educating children. It is important to use software based on established teaching strategies as well as reliable research studies. 3. Computer software creates a “real” learning development. Until the arrival of desktop computers, reading experiences were limited to print materials. Early programs were only used as supplements to a general reading lesson, rather than acting as a stand-alone reading experience. These factors meant that early computer reading programs could not meet the needs of children learning to read critically. 4. Interaction 4.1. Man-machine interaction. The interactive potential of CALL (COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING) has been praised for the last twenty-five years or more. For example, Rigney (1962, 156) writes: “It is … an interactive notion that a computer can be programmed to interact dynamically with one or more students.” 4.2. Interpersonal interaction In Talking about „interaction‟, Rigney and his contemporaries were thinking in terms of communication between man and machine, and it has been largely in these terms that CALL has developed. In language acquisition, however, most interaction is between people. The very purpose of first language acquisition is to make interaction possible (Wells 1981, 16). Interaction is the goal and language is the means. The use of computers within interactive settings as an element in a group practice is well established. 4.3. Reader – text interaction Another form of interaction which is particularly important in the context of reading is between reader and text (Widdowson 1979, 173). In this approach, the computer can be considered as an aid, supplementing the printed page or other teaching material, and not providing the total learning environment. This approach would see it as the teacher’s task to create the learning environment, using the computer as an element within it just as she might use integrated skills practice or an overhead projector. Thus, computers can play a variety of interactive roles. They can promote interaction of various sorts between man and machine (which is generally engaging and motivating), between people (which is likely to promote language acquisition), and between reader and text (where the computer often plays a supportive role).