EXPLORING THE USE OF COMPUTER ASSISTED

LEARNING IN VALUES EDUCATION

By Samuel B. Batara

This study brings to the awareness of the Values Education teachers the need to gear up for
multimedia technology teaching and learning. It assesses their needs and puts them on a trek of
the information highway within the classroom.

Computers have become indispensable to the existence of modern man. It is imperative that we
equip our schools with necessary tools in order for our students to cope with their counterparts
all over the world. They need to keep abreast with global trends and particularly with
information technology.

The Department of Education Culture and Sports (DECS) has slowly initiated reforms in
meeting the demands of modern technology for the 21st century. It has recently launched the
information technology project for public schools, which integrates computer education into the
Philippine educational school system (Manila Bulletin, 1998, September 7).

The project has three phases. First is the establishment of computer laboratories and launching of
a national program for computer literacy starting from Grade 4 up to high school. The second
phase links school to a central education server which schools can gain access through the
internet. The third phase places multi-media equipment in every classroom in the country
(Manila Bulletin, 1998, September 7).

A DECS memorandum (No. 5, S.2001), in January 2001 called for trainees, under the Intel Teach
to the Future Program, to become “trainors who will prepare teachers for the effective use of
information technology in the classroom. Specifically, the training is designed to enhance the
computer application skills of the trainors and to build their capability to integrate information
technology in teaching.”

Another DECS memorandum (No. 39, S. 2001) called for the implementation of the 1999 and
2000 DECS Computerization Program which has the goal of “facilitating learning and enhancing
learner performance through the provision of modern instructional tools.” Three hundred twenty
five public secondary schools became recipients of computer packages and teacher training
under the program.

Another DECS memorandum (No. 60, s. 2001) called for participants to the E-ducationtech
2001, a conference and exhibit, which aimed to
“a. showcase the latest in teaching and learning methods including classroom instruction
technologies;
b. explore and encourage the scope of information technology and optimize on-line education
application;

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c. equip educators nationwide with the essentials of information technology and communication
infrastructure;
d. promote general application of on-line education and push the country’s status further with the
global information education mainstream; and
e. provide alternate educational medium for fast technical education highly in-demand outside
the country particularly in computer programming skills.”

The DECS really means business in its Information Technology Education Program. It has
promised to
a. closely monitor the efficient and effective use of computers in teaching and learning among
recipient schools;
b. pursue earnestly private sector participation by networking with computer and IT donors
through the DECS Adopt-A-School Program;
c. encourage creativity through teacher-made computer assisted instructional materials which are
basically learner-centered;
d. pursue curriculum engineering by integrating the use of computer and IT in basic education;
and,
e. provide technical assistance in proposing and coordinating innovative interventions be it
legislative, policy and program options (Manila Bulletin, 2000, August 13).

A large bureaucracy as DECS may be crippled by its hugeness that only a favored scratch of its
personnel will be lucky to have the rare chance of undergoing information technology training.
In order for any teacher not to be disadvantaged in the race for computer literacy, individual
schools or even individual teachers will have to device means of tuning up with current
technology knowhow.

A series of DECS memorandums issued during the first year (technically) of the new millennium
serve as proofs to the desire of DECS officials to make Filipinos globally competitive and
versatile in the use of information technology. Being a major agency overseeing the country’s
education sector, it has aptly been interested in showcasing the latest in teaching and learning
methods including classroom instruction technologies (DECS memorandum No. 60, s. 2001). It
closely monitors the efficient and effective use of computers in teaching and learning. It
encourages creativity through teacher-made computer assisted instructional materials, which are
basically learner-centered. And it pursues curriculum engineering by integrating the use of
computer and IT in basic education (Manila Bulletin, 2000, August 13).

A series of training workshops has been spearheaded by the agency in order to launch its so-
called ITEP (Information Technology Education Program). The lucky recipients of such training,
however, have been school administrators and a select few of identified regional trainors. There
have been moves to bring together into such training representative classroom teachers,
particularly those who are engaged in the teaching English, Science, Math and Computer
Education (DECS Memo No. 5, S. 2001). As usual, the DECS has a bias towards the said core
subject areas. The not so desirable disciplines, including Values Education, are often neglected.
Teachers handling Values Education rarely, if ever, have the chance to attend in-service trainings,
how much more in computer education. In such an educational endeavor, Watson (1987) posits
that “We should explore and develop ways of using the computer to assist both the learner and

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the teacher in their tasks within the whole curriculum area . . . the computer should be used from
an educational perspective“ (p. 12).

Clearly, as noticeable in the tenets of the education agency’s latest memoranda, DECS officials
must have read or heard about the British Computer Assisted Learning or the American
Computer Aided Instruction. And surely, with computers in the classroom serving as teaching
tools, the nature of education will be very different: what students and teachers do, when and
where learning takes place, the nature of educational experiences (Kearsley, 2000, p.2).

Implementers of such a program, however, should be decisive on what exactly they want to do.
Hooper (1975) classified uses of computer in education, as research, teaching of computing,
administration, management of learning, and as a learning resource (Watson, 1987, p. 11).
School administrators may just be inclined to use the computer as an administrative tool. There is
also a difference between teaching about computers and teaching – learning with the assistance
of the computer itself (Watson, 1987, p. 12). Computer Assisted Learning refers to using the
computer as a learning resource to assist students in the totality of their tasks (Watson, 1987, p.
10).

Studies on the use of computers as a teaching device in the classroom have generated positive
encouraging results. Picciano (1994) reports that “James Kulik and associates conducted a
research on computer education … a series of meta-analyses of hundreds of studies dealing with
the effects of computer education at different grade levels (elementary, secondary, college and
adult). Their general conclusion was that computer-based education had a beneficial effect on
academic achievements” (p. 86). This has been corroborated by McNutt (1999) when he reports
that “some current researchers have used meta-analysis to investigate the effects of computer
based teaching (Kulik & Kulik, 1988; Roblyer, 1990). These studies have shown that Computer
based teaching (CBT) has a measurable positive effect on student performance in knowledge
tests. The attitude of the students towards the subject area was seen to increase by 0.28 standard
deviations (, p. 3). McNutt (1999) cites the effectiveness of computer based teaching as
enhancing student performance, in some circumstances more cost effective, reducing
instructional time, and students have a more positive attitude towards the learning process and
the computer as a learning tool (McNutt, 1999, p. 4).

As early as in the1980s, educators saw value in providing instructional computer experiences for
reasons other than improving student performance. Benefits such as ensuring computer literacy,
providing variety in instructional delivery, or releasing teacher time from record-keeping tasks
were considered important enough to continue investing in technology (Picciano, 1994, p. 87).
The emergence of a new type of teaching where the computer, in the hands of the teacher, plays
an active role . . . encourages the intuition, the imagination and the creative thinking of pupils
(Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p. 24).

There are many advantages to using computers in educational instruction. They provide one-to-
one interaction with a student, as well as an instantaneous response to the answers elicited, and
allow students to proceed at their own pace. Computers are particularly useful in subjects that
require drill, freeing teacher time from some classroom tasks so that a teacher can devote more
time to individual students. A computer program can be used diagnostically, and, once a student's

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problem has been identified, it can then focus on the problem area. Finally, because of the
privacy and individual attention afforded by a computer, some students are relieved of the
embarrassment of giving an incorrect answer publicly or of going more slowly through lessons
than other classmates (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1994-1998).

By the looks of it, the DECS ITEP is geared towards implementing the use of computer- aided
instruction in the classroom. The often disadvantaged values education teacher will wonder how
the use of computers as teaching aids enhance the delivery of his lessons. As often the case,
information directly related to this concern is virtually non-existent. It is an area which has never
been ventured. But this researcher can try to put together bits and pieces from various sources to
form a collection of possibilities in the use of CAL in values teaching.

Most teachers who have had the chance to learn a computer program have started with word
processing. Word processing programs and other facilities for creating, storing, scanning,
manipulating and displaying documents are being explored across the curriculum. The computer
becomes a flexible and stimulating resource through which the creative powers of students can
be released and their knowledge and understanding developed (Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p.
124). Of course, word processing is frequently used to assist in teaching writing, especially in a
curriculum where writing is taught as a process in which one writes, revises, rewrites and revises.
Word processing software makes revisions very easy and avoids the drudgery of handwriting or
retyping extensive amounts of text (Picciano, 1994, p. 94). But in values education, students are
often required to write essays and stories, and research projects. Word processing can interest the
student in producing a beautiful, if not colorfully picturesque, project or assignment. And
students exposed to word processing early in school generally continue to use it and become
more proficient as they grow older (Picciano, 1994, p. 95). In the least, word processing can
enhance the recording and writing side of the tasks of teaching, like encoding hands-out and test
questions. With its deposit of fonts, it can also be used to print lesson presentations on
transparencies or posters. A collection of clipart can be a source of inserts on the document to
create more interesting effects, especially when printed on bubble jet printer.

As a partner of word processing, the electronic spreadsheet can be used by a values education
teacher in the recording and computation of grades. Graphical illustrations can be created in
color to depict relationship of values. Colorful charts can also be used to picture facts,
particularly statistical figures, regarding the social, economic, political, cultural and natural
environments which often serve as the context of the values taught.

Another handy Windows based computer program is the PowerPoint. The values teacher can use
it to create slides, which can include colorful illustrations, scanned picture, video bits, or
animations. The scanner has also become a very handy tool in including in a presentation almost
anything available – a document, picture or object - that he can be inserted in a presentation.
PowerPoint is so powerful in supporting the creativity of the values teacher in presenting more
interesting lessons. The presentation can appear animated and so alive with the use of sequential
animation techniques coupled with sounds. A presentation can be made on the computer monitor
or projected onto an overhead screen through a LCD projector, if available in the school. In the
least, a slide can be printed on an acetate film for overhead projection, or on a large paper for
posting.

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The teaching of values can also be enhanced by the use of multimedia. Learning is more
effective when it involves multiple sensory channels (visuals, color, movement, sounds, voice,
touch, smell). Multimedia technology can provide certain kinds of multi-sensory learning
(cognitive) experiences (Kearsley, 2000, p.9). The concept of multimedia is not new; For years,
teachers have made presentations using different kinds of media. Traditionally, they have used
slides, movies, cassette players, and overhead projectors to enrich lessons. Now, however,
teachers may employ a personal computer and hard disk storage to combine this different media
sources in their teaching. As a computer based method of presenting information, multimedia
emphasizes interactivity (Sharp, 1999, p. 233).

Multimedia presentations through the computer are better understood as the use of the CD-ROM,
although with large hard disks nowadays, a multimedia presentation can be generated from a
fixed disk. The values teacher can, for instance, use a video program to present a lesson. Most of
the movies that used to be on tapes are now available in video compact disks (VCD) which can
be played through the CD-ROM of the computer. Picciano (1994) claims that video technology,
particularly as provided by videodiscs, has significant potential in delivering instruction. . .
because of direct access, videodisc is a much more advanced technology than video tape and
other sequential media. Direct access allows videodiscs to be integrated with computer
technology to provide truly interactive video instruction (p. 101). From a video program, the
values teacher can help students pick out values identifiable and how they served people and
situations in the video and in real life. With its ease in manipulating, the VCD can be paused at
certain scenes and the values teacher can engage the students in a continuous reflection on the
lessons learned from the video. Information provided in video format is much richer than text
and allows computer interaction to come closer to in-person contact (Kearsley, 2000, p.9).

Multimedia can also come in terms of electronic encyclopedias and reference works. The
popularity of electronic encyclopedias stems from the ease of searching for the required material
electronically rather than manually … they do provide graphics and sound (Picciano, 1994, p.
97). The values teacher can make use of electronic encyclopedias to engage students in a search
through various cultures, which are loaded with values. There are for instance poems that are
recited or songs that are sung which may be bases of interpretation for the values education class.
Again research projects of any magnitude could be initiated in groups regarding customs and
practices and the social implications of good and corrupt values.

Another application of multimedia is in educational games. Of the various types of instructional

software packages, games are frequently successful in using current technology, especially
graphics and sound, to keep student motivation and interest in the material very high …
Instructional games software attempts to make learning fun by combining learning,
entertainment and gamesmanship . . . Instructional games should be used to supplement other
lessons; they are excellent when used to add some variety to a student’s day. (Picciano, 1994, p.
92). Game programs for the computer usually involve fantasy situations with some sort of
competition. Game programs re classified as either entertainment or educational software. The
educational programs have specific learning objectives, with the game serving as motivational
device. Educational software offers a range of learning outcomes (Sharp, 1999, p. 157). The
Values teacher might like to engage the class in a group work on educational games. There are

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games that depict historical regimes and how leaders try to build empires though force,
deception, popular or unpopular means. The values teacher can be particular in guiding the
students identify obvious means to achieve ends. Aside from specific lessons learned from the
game program, personal traits and attitudes can be pinpointed as these have come out in the
processes of interaction that happened in the class while the game was played. Sharp (1999)
claims that a good educational game involves the active physical and mental participation of the
player. Graphics, fast motion, and sound effects are used to enhance the program, not to distract
from its educational value (p. 159).

A version of educational game could be simulation. Picciano (1994) points ot that typically,
students interact with the simulation and influence decisions and outcomes… simulation
software is also considered to be appropriate for beginning the teaching of higher-order-thinking
skills. It can easily be used to supplement a lesson to allow students to apply what they have
learned to different situations ( p. 92). In a simulation, the student can be the decision maker as
he considers a number of factors that will make him succeed. These are value-laden opportunities
where the values teacher can infuse lasting values necessary in human living. As an instructional
methodology, simulations of human behavior can improve leadership skills (Kearsley, 2000,
p.40). Simulation can test the student’s skills in leadership or management, which is a very
important tool in any aspect of human life. An even more worthwhile version of simulation is
virtual reality – which is basically 3-D simulation with sensorimotor input and output. In a
virtual environment, students have realistic learning experiences that include the ability to
manipulate objects or navigate around 3-D representations of actual or imagined worlds . . .
Virtual reality can also be used for interpersonal interaction to create shared synthetic
environments (Kearsley, 2000, p. 169). Technology based teaching has made its mark on the
education and training community and its development and sophistication will continue to
increase. Multimedia enhancements will undoubtedly be at the forefront of such advancements
(McNutt, 1999, p. 4).

There are other programs, which, when available, the values teacher can venture on guiding his
class in a computer assisted learning environment. There are problem-solving programs that may
help the students develop confidence, if not the skill itself. Through computer-assisted
instruction, computers could provide learning experiences, including interactive sequences
consisting of problems or questions with appropriate feedback (Kearsley, 2000, p.2). Sharp
(1999) contends that problem-solving skills are necessary in a complex world, and a good way to
develop those skills is to practice solving problems. The critical thinking needed for problem
solving can be practiced in any content area. Problem-solving programs emphasize cooperation
and are suitable for small groups or individual students . . . the whole class can be involved in
critical thinking and making inferences (pp. 156-157).

There are also tutorial, and drill and practice programs the values education teacher might like to
try. The well-known technique of multiple-choice question can and has been used on computers
(Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p. 11). If the computer has a tutorial program, the student is asked
a question by the computer; the student types in an answer and then gets an immediate response
to the answer. If the answer is correct, the student is routed to more challenging problems; if the
answer is incorrect, various computer messages will indicate the flaw in procedure, and the
program will bypass more complicated questions until the student shows mastery in that area

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(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1994-1998). Exercises and problems can be proposed by the
computer in a sequence of increasing difficulty (Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p. 11).

If the school is lucky to have been connected on line, the values teacher can also accessing
databases. Data base software is also finding its way into a variety of instructional applications.
Data collecting and searching skills are being taught by having students access national data
bases maintained by governmental agencies, universities and research institutions (Picciano,
1994, p. 96). The values class can surf on the internet and explore endless possibilities from
browsing materials, printing downloaded documents or pictures, listening to latest music
releases, or preview latest movies. The values teacher should, however, be quick to identify good
sources of information that can help in the dissemination and inculcation of values. There are a
few web sites that focus on values formation. The teacher must be on the guard against allowing
students move astray into forbidden domains of pornography and Satanism. The students can
also engaged in a chat with peoples of neighboring cultures and enquire about particular customs
and practices that promote positive value systems.

Really, the ways of enhancing values class lessons could be endless, but the most important
consideration in computer-based teaching is teacher training. Teacher training is an absolute
prerequisite to the introduction of information technology in schools (Habenstreit & Levant,
1992, p. 27).

As Picciano (1994) puts it, integrating computer tools into the classroom is conceptually similar
to integrating other tools such as chalkboards, overhead projectors, or paints and crayons . . .
Integrating microcomputers into the curriculum starts with making sure that teachers and
students have developed a basic understanding and knowledge of computer use. Once the basic
understanding has been achieved, mastery involves developing a knowledge base of the many
different ways computers can be utilized. Teachers need to feel comfortable using computers and
developing a repertoire of instructional applications. Integrating technology into the curriculum
is therefore closely tied to staff development (p. 104).

A study by Shiengold and Hadley (1990) also indicated that even teachers who take their own
initiative in upgrading skills may require as much as six years to master computer based
practices and approaches (Picciano, 1994, p. 88). Computer applications have an undeniable
value and important instructional role to play in classrooms of the future (Robyler, Castine &
King, 1988, p. 131). Kaffsack (1998) also reports a study authored by Harold Wenglinsky.
Commissioned by the Educational Testing Service in New Jersey, the study evaluated nearly
14,000 students in the fourth and eighth grades. The research showed that students whose
teachers were trained in the use of computers performed better. It also showed that computers
can improve youngsters’ performance.

Whether information technology is introduced into education for its own virtues (computer
awareness, computer literacy, computer studies, etc.) or with the purpose of improving the
teaching of various disciplines, experience has shown that nothing happens without teacher
training (Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p. 26). The existing teacher corps, particularly those who
have had very little if any computer training needs ongoing and systematic training and
development in the use of the technology (Picciano, 1994, p. 88). A course in educational

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software design includes definition of pedagogical objectives, choice of pedagogical strategy,
defining a teaching / learning method, programming, debugging and testing methods, description
of various authoring systems, pedagogical methodologies, etc. (Habenstreit & Levant, 1992, p.
27).

It should be remembered that such major investigators of learning as B.F. Skinner and J.A.
McGeoch maintained in the 1930s and 1940s that preoccupation with theory was misguided. For
them the approach simply was to discover the conditions that produce and control learned
behaviour. … Teaching machines and computer-aided instruction . . . all found scientific origins
in Skinner's rejection of theory in favor of direct efforts to produce results (Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 1994-1998).

The DECS is certainly on the right track in its program of using the computer in classroom
teaching. DECS officials would do well to spread training opportunities to as wide as all the
curriculum content areas in basic education. And ITEP implementers should emphasize less
theory but more on results.

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Department of Education, Culture and Sports. (2001, January). National educational sattelite
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