The article deals about a book called
A Practical Guide To Using Computers In Language Teaching written by John de Szendeffy, who provides a user-friendly look at how computer technology can be integrated into the classroom. The book is divided in four sections:
1.
What Is Computer-Assisted Language Learning?, here you can find a brief history of language teaching till the present day.
This section also includes a list of tips for integrating computers into the classroom that may help teachers to use computers into their lessons, and he explains that teacher do not have to change the way they teach but simply too add a new tool.
2. The second part of the book is entitled as CALL
Classroom Activities is a very practical and extensive list of activity ideas whose content can be adapted to classes.
You can also find writing activities, beggining with lessons on how to use a word processor, creating tasks such as: writing an interview, writing a story, and writing a business letter.
De Szendeffy also gives ten different ideas for how to use Internet in structured activities. Some of these activities focus on personal communication via the web, such as talking to keypals, using Internet chats, and sending electronic postcards. The author also offers ideas for authentic tasks that learners may need to accomplish in their lives outside of class (finding an apartment, researching current events, learning about some places)
You can also find audio/video activities, numerous ideas for long-term projects (evaluating web pages, creating class books, creating videos), the use of some software and on line programs.
Each activity includes the computer skills needed by the teacher, the student level, the content objectives and the necessary software.
3. The third part of the book, is a short section entitled
Technical Considerations, which provides some basic information on the basic information on the differences between available oparating systems (machintosh, Microsoft Windows, and Linux), and de Szenderffy explains that any of the operatingsystems will largely meet teachers' needs.
4. The book ends with several appendices for teachers, especially for those who have little experience with computers. The appendices provide very specific information on computer terminology that can serve as a reference for some, but are likely to be ignored by others.
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From my personal point of view, I think it is very helpful to read books giving you great tips on how to use computers in classes, or better than that, de Szendeffy says that teachers should use them as a tool BUT they have to give a computer a creative use.
However, one of the drawbacks is that a part of the books is too technical fot teachers to understand so, it will be very complicated to read, for that reason, the half of the book will be useful for some, and the other half for other. Althought I will really like to read it, since I found it very interesting, and it is somthing that I am really looking for.
