Why use computers with your students?

There are many good reasons to use computers with your students both inside and outside of class. Four of these are:

Computers are motivating

The majority of students seem to enjoy using computers and will enthusiastically play games or surf the Internet outside class. Using computers in your teaching can harness some of this enthusiasm and focus it on the students’ learning.

Computers provide a neutral environment

Good language learners take risks and experiment with language as they are learning. This can be a very daunting prospect for many people. Computer language exercises can provide a safe environment for less outgoing students to take risks, knowing that their answers will be judged by a machine and not another human being.

Computers are communication tools

Increasingly today, computers are being used as a major method of communication. This fits very well into current ideas about language and language teaching.

Computers account for individuals

In a class full of students individuals move at different paces. As computers have the ability to serve large amounts of exercises or data, students can move through at their own pace.