ReporterWhat responsibility does the NCET's Training Directorate have? You

ReporterDoes that include helping people in industry?

YouYes.

ReporterOne last question. What kind of work is the Technical Consultancy Directorate doing in schools at the moment?

You

Make a list of the 'new information technologies' mentioned in the text. Do you know what all the terms mean?

Using the line references given, look back in the text and find words or phrases in the text which have a similar meaning to:

1includes (lines 1-5)

2advantages (lines 5-10)

3covering everything (lines 10-15)

4course (lines 20-25)

5physically or mentally challenged (lines 25-30)

6approach (lines 30-35)

7up-to-date with (lines 35-40)

8instructions to monitor (lines 40-45)

Writing

Translate the last paragraph of the text (beginning 'Keeping abreast of...') into your language.

	Speaking
Task 8	You represent the National Council for Educational Technology. You have been asked to talk to a group of teachers about the work of the Council. Make brief notes from the text, then prepare a short presentation. In pairs or small groups, take turns to make your presentation. If you are listening to a presentation, check that it is accurate and that it covers the main points mentioned in the text.

Listening

Task 9Tony Longstone, an expert on educational technology, is answering questions

from teachers about Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Listen to the discussion and decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F):

1 7 Most uses of computers in language education can be described as CALL.

2 HThere is no point in buying a computer for CALL, if there is no commercially available software for that computer or operating system.

3 ____The number of computers you buy will depend on two factors: the

number of students there are, and the amount of physical space available.

4 ____It is possible to have CALL using only one computer.

5 ____The ideal way to organize CALL is to have one computer in each

classroom.

61__ 1 The CALL resource should be free to students if possible.

Listen again. Change the sentences that are false to make them true.

Task 10Read this extract from the tapescript and try to fill in the missing words.

LQNGSTQNE: Well, given sufficient' ________ , it's a good idea to have some

computers ² ________________________ for teachers in the teachers' room. Also, it's very

useful to have a self-access __________ for use by students. In both cases,
they — teachers and students — can gain a lot of confidence and

4 5

by having free access to the ___________ . Finally, an

excellent idea is to have one computer with a large screen functioning as an electronic ⁶ for messages prepared for students and staff. This
should be located in a public part of the school or college, such as the hall or

Now listen to the last part of the recording again and check your answers.

Discuss the following questions:

1 What do you think are CALL'S main advantages and disadvantages as a way of learning foreign languages?

2Do you think it is possible that one day language teachers will be completely replaced by computers?

Reading

A teacher has been looking at some publicity material for the Adam & Eve program. Read the material and fill in the gaps in the teacher's notes opposite.

Choose your own texts v

ADAM & EVE allows you to create exercises based on any text you want. The text could be from the course-book you are using, from a reader, from a newspaper — whatever your students are interested in.

Analyse your texts v

ADAM & EVE will analyse the vocabulary of the text according to

the database of word frequency contained within the software. From this analysis you get a precise idea of the level of difficulty of a text, you can compare one text with another text, and you can see whether it fits in with the syllabus your students are working to

Generate exercises v

ADAM & EVE will then create a wide variety of exercises based on this analysis. These exercises, which are easily and quickly generated, can be presented to your students either as printed worksheets — you will be provided with the answers on a separate sheet — or can be put on to a floppy disk so that a performance will be automatically evaluated and the score recorded.

Simple to use

No previous experience with computers is necessary. If you can type using a word processor (or know someone who can!) you will

have no difficulty in putting your texts into the software. The whole program is 'menu driven' in any one of five languages so you will always know where you are and it will be obvious from the screen where you can go next. There is a full and clearly written manual to help you get started. Once you are familiar with the basic workings, don't forget to go back to the manual to learn about the program's finer points.

Something for the whole school ♦

Up to twenty-five different teachers can work with ADAM & EVE . The program will keep each teacher's texts and the exercises generated on those texts in separate files which are only accessible using that teacher's password. ■

1create, created, creating, creation, creativity

aThe __ of this database will give us a huge advantage over our

competitors in the long run.

bThe procedure for a new file is very simple.

c The new position we are advertising is going to require someone with enormous

2generate, generated, generative, generation

aExercises can be quickly using this program.

bOur company is working on a new of software products.

cThis development is sure to great interest.

3access, accessed, accessible, accessibility

aAll user requests to a database are handled by the database

management system.

b to the computer room is restricted to authorized personnel.

c Those files are not 4analyse, analysed, analysis, analyst

unless you know the password.

aWhen a text is

, all pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and

verb forms are automatically identified.

bThis shows that most PC users are not aware of the full

potential of the software products they buy.

c The DBMS first receives the request and it for syntax errors.

Task 14

Writing Imagine you are in charge of language teaching in an institute. Write a short report to the principal recommending the introduction of CALL. Organize your report as follows: Paragraph 1— explain what CALL is. Paragraph 2 — describe the different options available (e.g. one computer per class; a special classroom with several networked PCs). Paragraph 3 — recommend one of the options you mentioned in paragraph 2.

1To connect to a database. (scaces)

2A technology which allows telephone communication between several people at the same time. (ctoenlfeergcnien)

3Describing a device connected over a WAN. (emtore)

4A large store of computerized data. (aaaestdb)

5Examine carefully. (easnaly)

6Concerning the qualifications, etc. needed for a trade or profession. (lvaoncoait)

7Describing a system in which the computer responds to the user's instructions. (vercaitneit)

8A VDU and keyboard. (lnmrteia)

9A program that manipulates tables of figures. (steerpandse)

Hidden word clue

Device used for relaying telephone messages or radio and TV signals. (9)

Language focus I

Giving examples

When the main aim of a text is to inform the reader about a subject, the writer will often use examples, either to explain a point or to illustrate an idea or argument. When giving examples, it is important to differentiate between the idea itself and the illustration of the idea.

Some expressions for introducing examples are shown in the table below.

for example (e.g.) for instance an example (of this) as an example such as like including

examples of instances of cases of illustrations of exemplified by illustrated by seen in

shown by exemplifies shows illustrates a second/third example, etc.

Examples:

1 Office workers use many computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

2 Computers have made radical changes in preparing income tax returns. For example, in some countries you can now send your income tax return on disk.

3 Students can make good use of computer technology at school. Essay writing, for instance, can be done using a word-processing program.

Note: Sometimes the markers follow the example, separated by commas, as in 3 above.

Exercise 1The list below is made up of five groups of words, consisting of five main

categories and examples of each category. Find the word groups and then write sentences to show the relationship between the groups of words. Use a different marker for each sentence. One has been done for you.

trackball mainframe microcomputer network configuration programming language mouse input device

bus output device printer APL COBOL stylus

PC star VDU C ring computer

Example:

Ring, bus, and star are all examples of network configurations.

Exercise 2

Read the following sentences. Circle the marker and underline the main idea for which the example is given. The first one has been done for you. 1 Networks also allow users in one locality to share expensive resources, such as printers and disk-systems. (Unit 6) 2There are a handful of clipboard computers now on the market, including GRIDPad, which is sold in the US; (Unit 2) 3The PC passes the query, written in a special language (e.g. Structured Ouery Language — SOL), to the mainframe, which then parses the query, returning to the user only the data requested. (Unit 6) 4Here's an example of a simple virus, the Lehigh virus. (Unit 7) 5If you use a shared PC or a PC that has public access, such as one in a college PC lab or a library, be very careful about putting floppies into that PC's drives without a write-protect tab. (Unit 7)

Exercise 3

Not all texts present examples explicitly. In some cases, markers are not used. Read the paragraph below. Circle the main idea and underline the examples of that idea. The widespread availability of computers has in all probability changed the world for ever. The microchip technology which made the PC possible has put chips not only into computers, but also into washing-machines and cars. Some books may never be published in paper form, but may only be made available as part of public databases. Networks of computers are already being used to make information available on a world-wide scale. (Unit 1)

Computers in medicine

Start-up

Task 1Make a list of all the applications of computers you can think of which are

related to medicine and patient care.

		Reading Before reading the text opposite, try to answer the following questions: The cards below contain a message. What do you think it is? Why do you think the message was given in this form? How could a computer help to convey messages like this?
Task 2

Now read the text and check your answers.

E

ILEEN CARLETON HAS A whimsical talent for hand

signals. When the 65-year-old stroke
victim draws a vertical line in the air,

5 her family knows she is referring to a very slim friend of her son.

But a lexicon of hand gestures —no matter how inventive — and the few dozen words left in Carleton's

10 vocabulary following her stroke are inadequate for conveying even the most basic wishes, observations, or questions to her family. Through a pilot study at the School of

s Medicine, however, Carleton has learned to communicate using a specially designed computer program that has restored not only her ability to express herself, but

20 also, family members and therapists say, her enthusiasm for life.

The stroke that Carleton suffered in 1985 damaged the portion of her brain where words and speech are

25 processed, leaving her with a condition known as aphasia, or the inability to use language. While she is able to comprehend much of what people say to her, she cannot

30 formulate her thoughts into

coherent phrases or sentences.

Using the computer program, she can select from hundreds of pictures that represent people, objects,

35 actions, and descriptive qualities and arrange them in sequence to communicate thought, obviating the need to use words.

`When Eileen first entered the 40 study, she depended on her

husband Steve to figure out what she wanted to say from her gestures and facial expressions. All she could say was, "Come on! You know!",

45 with increasing frustration,' said Dr Cheryl Goodenough Trepagnier, associate professor of rehabilitation medicine.

The computer program used in

50 the Tufts study was developed in conjunction with the Palo Alto, California, Veterans Administration Medical Center and grew out of research in the 1970s at the Boston

55 Veterans Administration Hospital.

`Researchers had found that chimpanzees, whose brains lack

specialized language centers, could engage in a kind of

60 communication using plastic tokens that represented different objects and actions,' Dr

Trepagnier said. 'We wondered whether aphasics — whose

65 language processing areas are damaged — could benefit from the same idea.'

On small cards, researchers drew symbols representing

70 different people, objects; and actions and trained aphasic patients to select and arrange the cards to form statements or

questions. By selecting cards

75 showing a woman, a person walking, a store, and a chicken, for example, an aphasic patient

could ask his wife to go to the grocery store to buy some

80 poultry.

`Some patients become quite adept at using the cards,' Dr Trepagnier said. 'But as the

number of cards increased, it

85 became awkward and time-consuming to find the right cards

and then put them back in the right order. Patients found the cards too cumbersome and

90 didn't use them at home.'

In the mid-1980s, however, a computer program was

developed that, like the cards, used pictures to represent ideas,

95 but was easier to use. With the program, aphasic patients could select from hundreds of pictures simply by moving a computer mouse. Dr Trepagnier was

100 among the first researchers to
test the new software on

aphasics.

`At first, there was a great deal of doubt over whether aphasics

105 would be able to use computer,' Dr Trepagnier said. 'But we found that many took to the

computer quite easily. As they became more proficient on the

110 computer, some showed gains 10.-

⁴¹¹ in their overall self-confidence, as well.'

It's hardly an exaggeration to say

that the program transformed

115 Carleton's life. In the aftermath of her stroke, Carleton 'was so despondent she sat on the couch all

day and did nothing,' said her speech therapist, Evelyn Chedekel.

120 But as soon as she learned that she's capable of communicating with the computer, her whole world changed. Now she can introduce topics, rather than hoping that

125 people will guess what's on her mind. When her husband passed

away suddenly, she was able to carry on.'

Encouraged by the results

130 thus far, Dr Trepagnier will study ways of expanding the computer program's capabilities. For unknown reasons, many aphasics have more trouble

135 conceptualizing verbs than nouns. Making the intellectual connection between a picture of

a sailboat and the idea of a sailboat is easier than

140 connecting a picture of a boy
running to the idea of

running. Trepagnier hopes to overcome this difficulty by designing a program that

145 enables patients to see computer images in motion. III

• Vocabulary

whimsical (1. 2) — fanciful, highly imaginative

lexicon (1. 7) — vocabulary dozen (1. 9) — about twelve stroke (1. 10) — sudden attack of illness in the brain, causing loss of speech and

movement

took to (1. 107) — developed an ability with

passed away (1. 126) — died

Task 3

Decide which of these titles best sums up the content of the text. 1 A new way to communicate for stroke victims 2 Strokevictims: computers that care 3New technology comes to the rescue of stroke victims

Task 4Read this summary of the text and fill in each gap with an appropriate word.

Eileen Carleton's life has been completely transformed by Dr Trepagnier's computer program. Whereas she used to be entirely ¹ on her
husband to deduce what she wanted to say, now she is able to ²

her own ideas. Before, she had to hope other people would what
she was thinking. Now she is ⁴ of starting a conversation with others.

Dr Trepagnier's program was ' from research on symbolic

communication by chimpanzees, which ⁶ specialized language
areas in their brains. As these language-processing areas are also known to be

7 in human aphasics, the same idea of using visual symbols to
represent different people, objects, and actions was thought likely to be effective.

Using cards to show these symbols proved ⁸ for most patients, but

the introduction of computer technology has greatly ⁹ - the use of

the system by aphasics, whose lives have been immeasurably 10

since the invention of this program.

Task 5

Each of the following sentences from the text is followed by two paraphrases. Decide which paraphrase (aor b)is closer in meaning to the original comment. Remember to look at the comments in their original context.

1 But a lexicon of hand gestures — no matter how inventive — and the few dozen words left in Carleton's vocabulary following her stroke are inadequate for conveying even the most basic wishes, observations, or questions to her family. (line 7)

aEileen Carleton's hand gestures and words are not clear enough to allow her thoughts to be understood.

bEileen Carleton does not have enough hand signals and words to express her thoughts.

2While she is able to comprehend much of what people say to her, she cannot formulate her thoughts into coherent phrases or sentences. (line 27)

aEileen understands quite a lot of what people are saying to her and knows what she wants to say. However, she cannot translate her thoughts into understandable messages.

bEileen finds it difficult to choose the right words and sentences to express herself while she is concentrating on what people are saying to her.

3As they became more proficient on the computer, some showed gains in their overall self-confidence, as well. (line 108)

aSome people found that their growing confidence about using the

computer made them generally more self-confident.

bThe more people used their computer, the more self-confident they became.

4It's hardly an exaggeration to say that the program transformed Carleton's life. (line 113)

aThe program changed Carleton's life in some respects.

bThe program completely changed Carleton's life.

Task 6

Match each word in the list on the left with the appropriate synonym on the right. 1inventive (line 8) adeduce 2inadequate (line 11) bawkward 3select (line 33) ctake part in 4obviating (line 37) ddepressed 5figure out (line 41) c insufficient 6engage in (line 59) fcompletely changed 7cumbersome (line 89) skilled 8proficient (line 109) hcreative 9transformed (line 114) ichoose 10despondent (line 117) jremoving

Writing

Task 7Translate paragraph 6 (beginning 'The computer program used in the Tufts

study...' ) into your own language.

Reading

Work in pairs, Aand B. Student Ashould read text Ionly. Student Bshould read text 2 only. Without looking at the text you have read, tell your partner about it. Write down what your partner tells you about his/her text, then compare it with the original. How accurate is it?

1 2

Robot eye for surgery

Laparoscopy is a procedure in which a camera is pushed through a small hole in the abdominal wall. It allows a surgeon to operate by television,

5 with instruments inserted through a second hole. The small size of the incisions reduces the trauma for patients and speeds up recovery. Until recently, the procedure has

10 required the presence of a second doctor to guide the camera for the surgeon.

A new development now facili-
tates this procedure. A robot ma-

15 noeuvres the camera in response to
the surgeon's head. Four tiny trans-
mitters, worn on a headband, send
radio signals to a base unit. As the
surgeon moves his head left or right,
20 up or down, forwards or backwards,
the robot causes the camera to track
his movements, enabling him to
view the exact area he wishes to see.

Robot surgery for eye

Techniques derived from virtual reality will soon allow surgeons to feel as well as see the inside of the eye during an operation. During the

s operation, the surgeon manipulates a set of controls known as the mas­ter. These are connected through high-performance computer to the robot. The robot's 1 imbs move in

10 exactly the same way, except that the movements can be scaled down as much as a thousand times, thus eliminating hand tremor and reduc­ing damage to the eye.

15 The computer also creates a three-

dimensional view of the inside of the eye, which the surgeon can see wear­ing a virtual reality helmet and 'feel' via a sensory feedback system which

20 emulates the forces generated by cutting with a surgical tool.