Questions From Question bank on Language Lab:-
1. Discuss in brief the history of Language Laboratory.
2. Advantages and challenges in the use of Language laboratory.
3. Write summary of the research on the effectiveness of language
laboratory.
4. Write an essay on ‘the past, present and future of Language
Laboratories’.
5. ‘The Language Laboratories, named widely as Electronic
Classroom or Self-Access Centre or Digital Learning Lab or
Digital Learning Resource Centre, has seen its ups and downs. But
now it has got its pedestal position and to think of language
classroom without laboratory has become obsolete.’ Justify your
answer with reference to the origin and history of Language
Laboratories.
6. Write brief note on the review of Language Lab software in your
lab.
There
is a very long journey of language lab and then to digital language
lab. Language laboratories have become practical use since around
1950. In 1877 Edison invented Tin Foil Photograph, that is the origin
of our delux language laboratories with all their complex equipments.
In 1884, Dr. Zintgraff and Chavanne recorded a language of an unknown
tribe in Congo using this Photograph. It was used to record
languages, songs and folklores. Some kinds of phonographs were
produced besides Edison's in the 1880. in 1887, Emile Berliner made
Gramophone which used a round flat record. This is the ancestor of
the today's record player. In 1889, plastic records were sold. North
American phonograph sold waxed cylinders for phonograpgs and
graphophones since 1890. These records were used with Jukeboxes to
listen to the music and they were not for personal use. J. Walter
Fewkes argued that Edison's phonographs were useful for not only for
Indian languages but also for foreign languages. Edison's phonograph
wsa used in a foreign language class for the first time at college of
Milwaukee in 1891. In 1894, flat round records were sold as well as
cylinders with wax. In 1900, it became easy to record directly flat
round record with wax and this became the origin of today's records.
In the same year Dr. John E. Gardner of University of California
taught Chinese in san Francisco and at the University of pennsylvania
and he used a wax cylinder in the latter class and there was no
problem with pronunciation or pitch. English was used untill around
1920, but only the target language was used with the influence of the
direct method. The origin us eof language laboratories was
established by the end of the 19th century or at the beginning of the
20th century. Machines and equipments was also gratly developed after
1920. Such a equipments in language laboratories like tape recorders
movies and television were developed in 1920. Language laboratories
were established in 1924 or 1925 and used for language classes,
phonetics, educational principles and public speaking.
There
is a many types of language laboratories like, Conversational
Laboratory, Lingua phone Laboratory Computer Assisted Language
Laboratory, Mobile Lab, wireless Lab, Portal Lab etc. and all the
Laboratories have their different types of uses. We know that there
is a many advantages of use of language laboratories, but we know
that every coin has its two sides. It means use of language lab has
its advantages and challenges also.
Advantages
in the use of Language Laboratory:-
Acoustics
Privacy
Developing
Listening Skill
Self-Pacing
Native
Speaker/Different Voices
Excitement for Learning
Record compare
Immediate
Feedback
Error
Analysis
Challenges in the use of Language Laboratory
Anonymous
Learning
Uninterrupted Power-Supply
Expensive
Equipments
Lack
of trained Teachers.
The
language laboratories named widely as electronic classroom or
self-access center or digital learning lab or digital learning
resource center, has need seen its ups and downs. But not it has got
its pedestal position and to think of language classroom without
laboratory has becomes absolute. The principle of a language lab
essentially has not changed. They are still a teacher-controlled
system connected to a number of student boots, containing a student's
control mechanism and a headset with a microphone. Digital language
Labs have the same principle. A software-only language lab changes
the concept of where and what a language lab is. Software can be
installed and accessed on any networked PC anywhere on a school,
college or university campus etc.
Today
all the major manufactures says they have a 'digital' or 'just
software' solution. In many cases they still rely on proprietary
networks or expensive sound cards to successfully deliver their
media.There are very few truly software only solutions that just rely
on installing designated language lab software onto a network and
then directing just the original networks to manage the media between
teacher and student, student and student back to teacher. In the past
the quality of school, or university networks may have meant that the
speed that the media could be delivered on 'software only' labs
would have meant a 'lag' in the audio feed. These days all
professionally run networks are able to work with these 'software
only' language lab solutions and deliver media synchronously.
The content that is now used in the new language labs is much richer and
self authored or free: now not just audio, but video, flash based
games, Internet etc. and the speed and variety of the delivery of
media from teacher to student, student to teacher, is much quicker
and there for much more engaging for teacher and student. Further
developments in language lab are now apparent as access moves from a
fixed network and related microsoft operating systems to online and
browsers. Students can now access and work from these new 'cloud'
labs from their own devices at any time and anywhere. Students can
interrogate and record and video files and be markes and accessed
by their teachers remotely.
a.
Culturally valid real-life situations
b.
Normal conversational speed
c.
Hearing and speaking with proper pauses provided for maximum practice
d
. Structure drills presenting one problem at a time
e.
Materials closely integrated with the classroom, if not same course.
We
already know that the language laboratory or electronic classroom can
be effective; what remains to be seen is how long it will take our
school and colleges not only to acquire adequate laboratory
facilities but to learn how to use them effectively.
Today,
the best estimates have it that there are well over a total of 10,000
units functioning in our borders. The working definitions all the
extensions of the lab room proper, such as the electronic classrooms
or the dial access study carrels spread about a large area which make
up the entire network. With this definition in mind, the electronic
classroom is another kind of lab. The optimum arrangement at the
present time for high schools and most colleges. Such a hookup is
typically an audio-active system of interconnected head phones and
microphones, which gives teaching emphasis to classroom activities,
since it is installed in the modern foreign language classroom
itself. Because these installations have no booths and do not include
a recorder for every position, they can often be installed in all of
the foreign language classroom for less than the cost of a single
large lab. The practical working arrangements should constitute,
then, the on-going tools of the teaching profession wherever teaching
and not research is the prime objective. These systems must be
functional, because inefficient equipment or inefficient use of
equipment often the case when the equipment is worse than a good
classroom situation with no equipment at all.
It
is a really very nice experience of learning language Lab software.
This software is a Globarena software. Deal with an technology is
quite difficult but an overall experience of learning language lab is
very useful.
There
is main three level for learning English Language in that software.
Level
1:
Fundamental
Language skills
Listening
Skills
ESL
Reading
Skills
Grammar
Skill
This
level is very basic and easy level for learners. It is helping in
learning reading skill and improve our listening skill.
Level
2:
This
level is little difficult than level 1. In this level we find
activities about,
Listening
Skills
Writing
Skills
Phonetics
Reading
Skills
Vocabulary
Conversation
In
this level we can learn about writing, learn vocabulary, we can learn
and improve phonetics and also we can learn and able to make a
conversation.
Level
3 is also same as level 2, but in level 3 activities are very high
level in comparison to 1 and 2 level. At level 3 we have now all the information about LSRW skills, vocabulary and phonetics.
When
we open the activity first of all we find there is a 17 pages for information or introduction about all the tasks in every activities
in every level. Each slide has the exit, features, TOC, Home , next
and previous button. In every activity there is a lessons and we have
to listen and then have to do that activities. There is the different
activities on conversation like, fill in the blanks, sentence making,
write description on the base of observation of pictures etc.
Through Language Lab learners of language can easily learn grammar
and vocabulary through different activities.
So,
We can say that the overall experience of learning Language lab
software is really worthful.
Works Cited
Barrutia, Richard. "The Past, Present, And
Future of Language Laboratories." Jstor Article 50,No. (1967): 12.
Kitao,
Kenji. "The History of Language Laboratories-Origin and
Establishment." Jstor Article (n.d.): 22.
Khuman, Bhagirath J.
"Advantages and Challenges in the use of Language Laboratory." March.
Ed. Advantages and Challenges in the use of Language Laboratory. Trans. 30. 30
March 2013. 24.
