Name : Nursyafiqa Ain Binti Abd Shukor

Matrix No. : A151293

Programme : TESL T1
Lecturer : Dr. Fariza

Report : Computer as tool, tutor, and tutee

According to Oxford Dictionary, tool is defined as a device or implement,
especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function. Meanwhile the
meaning of tutor is a private teacher, typically one who teaches a single pupil or a very
small group. Next, tutee stands for a student or pupil of a tutor. The terms tool, tutor, and tutee
are significance with the computer the term that people all around the world frequently used.
Especially in this 21
st
century era which technologies are empowering the world. Parallel with
this phenomenon, a lot of schools and colleges are investing more in computers because they
wanted to produce some fresh elements in student learning process and vary the opportunities
for educational reformation through sciences and technology (Keengwe, Onchari, and
Wanchira, 2011). Therefore, computer plays an important role in being a tool, tutor, and tutee.

Computer and technologies commonly play a major role in tutoring the students.
Since computers have numerous of programs and applications that can help students to
understand some subjects better, therefore it actually helps the students to improve in
their studies. Computer also contributes a lot in learning how to solve problems and
making decision, not only being helpful in leaning facts and relationships
(Starkweather,1986). The students will be monitored by the programs that had been
used by the teachers (Taylor,1980). For instance, the teachers teach using slide
presentation using PowerPoint to deliver the knowledge instead of writing on the board
(Rallis,2000). Other than that, the computer presents some learning materials and the
students will respond toward the presentation. The computer will evaluates the
responds and based on the overall results of the responds, the teacher will know what
to present on the next class (Mahmoud Mohamed Gaber,n.d).

Next, computer also does play some roles in being a tool towards the student
learning. For the computer to function as a tool, the computer needs to have some
beneficial capability that had been programmed into the device such as statistical
analysis, super calculation, and word processing (Taylor,1980). These basic programs
will allow the students to make their learning environment easier as they have the
suitable tools to use in doing the tasks given by the teacher. Since because programs in
the computer are practical and fast too, the tools have been modified to be used in
business, science, industry, government, and other application areas such as the upper
level of education. The usage of computer as a tool will be a great help in saving time
and educational energy by just transferring every learning-based material into the
computer (Taylor,1980). There was a research handled by the unknown researchers
where they assigned a group of student in a college to learn how to receive and send
messages electronically via e-mail for the whole semester. Surprisingly, at the end of
the semester, they are able to use e-mail with their lecturers on days that they have
their class off (n.a,n.d). By learning using the technologies, they can help students to
develop their critical thinking skills, creativity, and research skills (Reeves,1998).

Last but not least, the role of computer as a tutee. When a computer is being a
tutee for human, they need to teach the computer in the form where the computer would
understands (Taylor,1980). For example, computer will only understand when we teach
them using codes such as 0101. This code will program the computer and the only form
or language that the computer understands. Teaching the computer will also give us
some benefit such as we can learn the same thing that we teach the computer without
having to spend a lot of money in paying the tutor. When the computer is in the tutee
mode, the computer was actually being taught something by the learner. Using
computer as a tutee qualitatively changes the learning experience and the role of
teachers within schools it does not downgrade the role of classroom teachers
(Mahmoud Mohamed Gaber).

To conclude, the role of the computer in being the tool, tutor, and tutee are
actually a quite similar thing. This is because, every part that the computer played in our
daily lives, is the learning and teaching process. The technology-based environments
enhance constructive interactions between learners and instructors to share meanings
and develop new more powerful meanings (Novak,1998). Thus, to be able to benefit
from technology use and integration use, teachers should have a strong conviction that
the use of computer technology is far more efficient and effective than the use of
traditional or alternative instructional strategies available for them in teaching and
learning (Simonson and Thompson,1997).

























REFERENCES

1) Hubbard, P. (n.d.). General Introduction. Retrieved from:
http://web.stanford.edu/~efs/callcc/callcc-intro.pdf
2) Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., Wachira, P. (2008). The use of Computer Tools to Support
Meaningful Learning. Retrieved from:
www.editlib.org/p/23647/article_23647.pdf
3) Mahmoud Muhamed Gaber. (2011). using computer as Tutor, Tool, Tutee. Retrieved
from:
http://aldeeb85.blogspot.com/2011/10/using-computer-as-tutor-tool-tutee.html

4) Rallis, H. (2000). Using Computers to Assist in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from:
http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/computerideas.html

5) Starkweather, J. A. (n.d.). The Computer as a Tool for Learning. Retrieved from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1307163/

6) Taylor, R. P. (1980). The Computer in School: Tutor, Tool, Tutee. Retrieved from:
http://www.citejournal.org/vol3/iss2/seminal/article1.cfm

7) What are the role computer to the teaching learning process? (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_role_computer_to_the_teaching_learn
ing_process

8) Oxford Dictionary.