1.What is CAI? Explain its pitfalls.?

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) A self-learning technique, usually offline/online, involving interaction of the student with programmed instructional materials.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is an interactive instructional technique whereby a computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place.

CAI uses a combination of text, graphics, sound and video in enhancing the learning process. The computer has many purposes in the classroom, and it can be utilized to help a student in all areas of the curriculum.

CAI refers to the use of the computer as a tool to facilitate and improve instruction. CAI programs use tutorials, drill and practice, simulation, and problem solving approaches to present topics, and they test the student's understanding.

Typical CAI provides 1. text or multimedia content 2. multiple-choice questions 3. problems 4. immediate feedback 5. notes on incorrect responses 6. summarizes students' performance 7. exercises for practice 8. Worksheets and tests.

Types of Computer Assisted Instruction

1. Drill-and-practice Drill and practice provide opportunities or students to repeatedly practice the skills that have previously been presented and that further practice is necessary for mastery. 2. Tutorial Tutorial activity includes both the presentation of information and its extension into different forms of work, including drill and practice, games and simulation. 3. Games Game software often creates a contest to achieve the highest score and either beat others or beat the computer. 4. Simulation Simulation software can provide an approximation of reality that does not require the expense of real life or its risks. 5. Discovery Discovery approach provides a large database of information specific to a course or content area and challenges the learner to analyze, compare, infer and evaluate based on their explorations of the data. 6. Problem Solving This approach helps children develop specific problem solving skills and strategies.

Advantages of CAI one-to-one interaction great motivator freedom to experiment with different options instantaneous response/immediate feedback to the answers elicited Self pacing - allow students to proceed at their own pace Helps teacher can devote more time to individual students Privacy helps the shy and slow learner to learns Individual attention learn more and more rapidly multimedia helps to understand difficult concepts through multi sensory approach self directed learning students can decide when, where, and what to learn

Limitations of CAI may feel overwhelmed by the information and resources available over use of multimedia may divert the attention from the content learning becomes too mechanical non availability of good CAI packages lack of infrastructure

2.Teaching models helps in designing instruction in the classrooms. Justify the statement with suitable examples.

3.You must have observed the use of computers in school. Critically analyze and prepare a report about the use of computers in your school for maintaining the students data.?

Nowadays every school has to have computers. I don't refer to legal requirementbut to perception. Schools are judged on how many computers they have. It would be more to the point if they were judged on their computer-savvy. I'm a fan of computers; my computer is a vital part of my work. I believe computer literacy is as important for our children to acquire as any other "basic skill". But I'm not a fan of the wholesale introduction of computers into our schools, particularly the junior ones. How many computers a school has is not the issue - the issue is, how do they use them? In many cases, the answer is: poorly. The reasons are simple enough. Foremost, the teachers have insufficient training and experience with computers. Relatedly, computers are not yet an integrated part of the school curriculum, and every school and teacher re-invents the wheel, trying to find good software, trying to work out how to fit it into the classroom curriculum, trying to work out schedules to make sure every student gets a fair go, struggling with the lack of technical support. And of course, in many cases (perhaps most), the computers are old, with the associated problems of being more likely to have technical problems, being slow, limited in memory, incompatible with current software, and so on. The most important problems schools have with computers:

lack of financial resources (to buy enough computers, up-to-date computers, enough printers and other peripherals, licenses for good software, technical support) the inability of teachers to know how to use the computers effectively difficulty in integrating computers into the school / classroom curriculum (problems of use, of scheduling, of time)

Using computers effectively is much more than simply being able to type an essay or produce a graph. Parents and educators who deplore the obsession with computers in schools see computers as eroding children's basic skills and knowledge, because they only see computers being used as copy-and-paste and making-it-pretty devices. But computers have potential far beyond that. Computers can be used to help:

extend the scope of searches retrieve precisely targeted data with greater speed and accuracy increase the amount of data held ready for use sift relevant data from irrelevant turn data into information

The true value of a computer isn't seen until the user can use it not only as a presentation tool (for making work attractive), and as a productivity tool (for producing work more quickly, effectively, thoroughly), but also as a cognitive tool.

Using computers as cognitive tools

A cognitive tool helps you think. Many people thought computers would revolutionize education by providing individual instruction in the form of tutorials. In particular, as a means of drilling students. Drilling can be helpful to overlearn a skill to achieve automaticity, but it doesnt help transfer to meaningful problems. That is, you can learn a skill, you can rote-learn facts, but drilling doesn't help meaningful learning - it doesn't teach understanding. Although computer tutorials have become somewhat more sophisticated, they still only present a single interpretation of the world - they dont allow students to find their own meaning. They don't teach students to reflect on and analyze their own performance. I do not believe that students learn from computers or teachers which has been a traditional assumption of most schooling. Rather, students learn from thinking in meaningful ways. Thinking is engaged by activities, which can be fostered by computers or teachers. (Jonassen, p4) So, the computer itself isn't the issue - the issue, as always, is what you do with it. For example, when the Web is simply used as a source of material that can be downloaded and pasted without thought, then no, it is not of value. But when the learner searches the Web, evaluates the information, finds the gold in the dross, uses that to construct a knowledge base, to develop meaning, then yes, it is a valuable resource. Computers can support meaningful learning by

reducing time spent on mechanical tasks such as rewriting, producing graphs, etc helping find information helping organize information making it easier to share information and ideas with others