Zienab Al Jaman
CSE 610
I read the article In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning which is
written by Carrie Fried. In his article, Fried reported that computer has become an
important device in higher education since the number of using computer in university
increases constantly. However in recent times, there are more faculty who prevent
using computer in their classroom as they distract students from learning. Whereas,
There are some evidence that computer programs have a positive effect on students.
For example, computer can facilitate faculty and student interactions in class
participation. Also, it helps students to promote active learning exploratory. The
purpose of the present research is to examine student computer use
and how computers influence student learning outcomes in a traditional lecture
course. The first results of the research was that students did not use the computer for
just taking note but also for checking emails, surfing the internet, playing games and
doing other activities. The second result was the using of computer during the lectures
impacted negatively the students performance and their understanding of the lectures.
Other result was most students did not pay attention to the lecture because other
students' computer use.
Consequently, the results demonstrate that the use of computers may have some
negative outcomes, but students, faculty, and administrators need to find ways to
promote the appropriate use of computers at the same time reducing the negative
impacts of inappropriate use.
The second article I read, Computer-assisted second language vocabulary
instruction: A meta-analysis, which was written by Chiu. The author explained that
there is an increasing attention to integrate computer instruction for language learning
and teaching. Especially, vocabulary which is the foundation step to mastering the
language for English language learners. He demonstrated some methods to
acquisition second language vocabulary from previous studies such as dictionary use,
games, and computer-assisted language learning programs. Most previous studies
tried to investigate the efficiency of the computer in learning vocabulary. There are
many computer based methods, such as flash cards, to learn vocabulary. As a result
of the conflict result in use computers for second language learning vocabulary, Chiu
sought to get a better understanding of the various studies.
The Chiu's study concerned on the effect of computer-mediated instruction in
second language vocabulary with regard to four factors: treatment duration, the
educational level of participants, game-based learning, and the role of teachers. The
first finding of the study was that students who received computer-assisted language
learning learned vocabulary better. Also, the study demonstrated that high school or
college students can benefit more from computer assisted language learning programs
than elementary students. The third finding of the study was that second language
vocabulary learning performed better without games than with the help of the games.
Finally, the study showed that learning vocabulary without the assist of the teacher is
better than the aid of the teachers.
In conclusion, students can acquisition second language vocabulary through
the computer-assisted programs efficiently. The study that Chiu did demonstrates the
general effectiveness of second language computer-assisted vocabulary instruction.
This study will help future research of how computer-assisted programs helps second
language students to gain vocabulary better.
Reflection
I found the article was very informative. Many of the ideas that the others
presented I agreed with. Some students use their laptops during the classroom badly
like playing games, looking to different website, and chatting with their friends. Also,
using laptops during the class will prevent them from understanding the lecture.
They will not focus to listen to the lecture and take note at the same time which lead
to reduce students performance.
The second article written by Chiu was interesting. However, there was a point
that I would like to argue against. I think that second language students can gain
vocabulary quickly through games. These computer games will provide an interesting
environment to learn instead of the traditional way.
References
Chiu, Y. H. (2013). Computer‐assisted second language vocabulary instruction: A
meta‐analysis. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(2), E52-E56.
Fried, C. B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers
& Education, 50(3), 906-914.