TEXTBOOK & CAI

 

TEXTBOOK

Text-books are standardized collection of the subject-matter that has to be taught to the students. They facilitate the teaching of new concepts and skills and maintain the knowledge already acquired and help the correlation of the theoretical knowledge with the practical aspects of life.

       A textbook is the teacher in print. When an ordinary book contains a bare statement of knowledge the textbook is armed with various teaching-learning techniques and motives. It is normally a written book which contains selective and systematic knowledge presented in a sequential form, the study of which can provide learning experience required for the mastery of the curriculum.  

Definition of Textbook:

1.       According to Lange, “It is a standard book for any particular branchy of study.”

2.       According to L. J. Levis, “Textbook is a tool both for the pupils and the teacher”.

QUALITIES OF GOOD COIMMERCE TEXTBOOK:

1. It should be written by an author who has adequate experience in teaching the subject only then they understand the situations difficulties of pupils.
2. Physical aspect of textbook:

a)      Size of the book:

·         It is suitable for the learners.

·         It is convenient in handling and carrying.

·         It should be neither too big nor too small.

b)      Printing of the book:

·         Printing is neat and clean.

·         It is free from any type of errors.

·         There are sufficient margins all the sides.

·         The spacing between words, lines and paragraphs should be even.

c)       Type, size of the letters of textbook:

·         Size of the letters is different for the cover page. Title, text and captions.

·         It is suitable for age group.

·         It does not strain the eye sight of the pupils.

d)      Paper used in textbook:

·         Colour of paper should be white.

·         Reasonably good quality smooth and durable.

e)      Binding of the textbook:

·         Sufficiently strong.

·         Sides of the book is properly trimmed.

·         Cover page is durable.

f)        Price of textbook:

·         Reasonable cost which suits pockets of majority of the parents. It should be moderated price.

g)      Overall getup of the textbook:

·         It is fine and attractive and to the accepted norms.

3. Academic aspects of the textbook:

a)      Content of the book:

·         The subject matter is according to the mental level of learners.

·         Capable of sustaining interest.

·         Correct and UpToDate

·         Includes qualities of citizenship.

b)      Organization of the contents and its presentation:

·         Subject matter is divided into convenient units.

·         Length of lesson suits the learners.

·         Graded in order of difficulty.

·         Style of presentation is simple and clear.

·         Title of each lesson is brief, meaningful and suitable.

c)       Textual language:

·         According to mental level of the learner.

·         Correct language with proper grammar.

·         Appropriate to the situation or context.

d)      Visual aids used in Textbook:

·         Easy to comprehend.

·         Drawn well.

·         Motivate the learners.

·         Properly distributed throughout the book.

e)      Exercises in book:

·         Every lesson is followed by exercises.

·         Proper instructions which is understandable.

·         Helps teachers

Ø  For diagnosing the difficulty.

Ø  To evaluate the achievements of the students.

FUNCTIONS OF TEXTBOOKS IN COMMERCE EDUCATION:

Good text books are indispensable for the study and teaching of commerce for various reasons. The important among them are:

1. Text books provide useful guidelines which could help the teacher in day to day teaching. Besides serving the purpose of a reference book, it provides suggestions for providing curricular and co-curricular learning experiences.
2. For the pupils, a text book is the most accessible guide, dependable reference book and all-time companion.
3. A text book makes self-learning possible. This is so because, a good text book provides material in a systematic and comprehensive form. It sets standard minimum essentials to be achieved by pupils of all categories.
4. A good text book helps to form correct understanding of basic concepts, principles of commerce. It provides a common basis on which the process of reading, analyzing, outlining, and summarizing could be mastered.
5. A good text book is useful in overcoming limitations of classroom teaching.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TEXT BOOK:

1. The first and foremost requirement of a good text book in commerce is that should be written by an author who has adequate experience of teaching subject, because only such a person can understand the actual learning situation and difficulties of pupils.
2. The presentation of the materials in a good textbook in commerce should be suitable to the age, ability, and interests of the pupils. The language used also should be suitable to the age level of the pupils.
3. The subject matter should be developed as far as possible maintaining in psychological sequence. There should be consistency of the subject matter and the text book should help in the realization objectives of commerce education.
4. The textbook should be able to help both teachers and pupils. Each chapter should contain assignments, exercises and suggestions for further activities.
5. The content of the textbook must be up-to-date. It should suggest references for further study and reference for collateral reading. This helps in motivation and comprehensive learning.
6. The book should be well illustrated. The abstract concepts presented in the book should be illustrated through visual aids such as diagrams, charts, graphs and care should be taken to ensure that illustrations, are well chosen and connected with the main theme. Over use of illustrations or use of irrelevant illustrations may spoil the quality of the text book.
7. The print and the paper used and the binding of the text book should be attractive.

 

COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI)

     An instructional technique based on the two-way interaction of a learner and computer with the objective of human learning and retention is known as Computer Assisted Instruction. Here the computer actually assists the student in the learning process with the help of stored instructional programmes designed to serve a variety of purposes such as informing, guiding and testing the student until a prescribed level of proficiency is reached.

Merits of CAI:

1. CAI can provide individualized instruction.
2. CAI can enhance the level of student performance.
3. CAI can easily convey the curricular material.
4. CAI can easily evaluate learning.
5. CAI Can provide re-learning if required.

Demerits of CAI:

1. CAI fails to appreciate the emotions of students.
2. CAI programmes do not solve psychological or learning problems.
3. CAI cannot provide the students with a value orientation.

METHODS/TYPES/MODES OF CAI:

1.Drill and practice method: It involve a computer programme, which leads the learner through a series of repeated experiences related to concepts, principles or processes with a view to develop skills in the particular area concerned. The computer shows patience and goes ahead with repeated exercises and waits with the skill is mastered.

                      Drill and practice method are very effectively applicable for the subject accounting at the    Higher Secondary level. It provides a variety of questions with varied formats. The learners are usually given several trials before the computer displays the correct answer. Items of different levels of difficulty will be made available within the same programme for drill and practice. Positive and negative feedback as well as reinforcement can be attempted in well-designed programmes.

2.Tutorial Method: In this method, the computer acts as a teacher. All interactions are between the computer and the learner. Computer suggests instructional and learning activities, which help the learner to gather in depth information and clear their doubts. In commerce education, one can prepare tutorial programming packages especially for the subject accounting. It would be very effective for giving instruction. Practice and feedback based on the response of the learner to questions or activities called for in the computer programme being used for learning. In this method the pattern followed is basically that of branched programming in which information is presented in small units followed by a question each. The student’s response is analyzed by the computer and appropriate feedback is given. A complicated network of pathways or branches can be programmed. The more alternatives available to the computer, the more adaptive tutorial based on individual differences can be provided.

3. Gaming method: ET (Educational technology) instructional strategy that uses computerized educational games for the purpose of learning is known as gaming method. It provides a playful environment in which the learner follows prescribed rules as they strive to attain a challenging goal. It is a highly motivating method especially for the subjects Management and Accounting at the higher Secondary level.

4. Simulation method: Simulation as a method of instruction using for teaching to the student for easy understanding. As a method under CAI it allows the learners to confront with a real-life situation through a simulated computer programme. It allows realistic practice without facing any risk as experienced in a real situation.

5. Discovery method: Discovery is a general term to describe activities using an inductive approach to learning. Here the computer presents problems that the student solves through trial and error or by adopting systematic approaches. In the discovery method in CAI, the learner employs an ’information retrieval’ strategy to get information from a database. For example, if a commerce student wants to compare the same type of products produced by different companies, he an select from a set of critical product features, display them on the computers and draw conclusions about the comparative qualities of the products.

6. Problem solving method: In problem solving the learner uses previously mastered skills to solve a challenging problem. The student must examine the information presented, clearly define the problem, examine it and generate a solution. The computer may present the problem. It can manipulate the data at students’ command, maintain a database and also provide feedback when needed.

 

MULTIMEDIA IN LEARNNG COMMERCE:

What is the role of Multimedia in E-Commerce

         E-Commerce – It stands for electronic commerce. The word “electronic commerce” has evolved from electronic shopping. It involves all the features of business and market processes which allows by the Internet and the World Wide Web technologies. Electronic Commerce means that the selling and purchasing products by using Internet and services through Web storefronts.

       Multimedia content can be considered both fuel and traffic for E-commerce applications. The technical definition of Multimedia is the use of digital data in more than one format, such as the combination of text, audio, video and graphics in a computer file/document.

Importance of Multimedia in E-Commerce

1.       Text is the most commonly used media for communication. It is widely used for communication of education, information, entertainment and many more through books, newspaper, and magazines.

2.        Use of photography and pictures improves the presentation of a text. This improvement is brought through multimedia which is a combination of different media such as text, sound, video, graphics, animation and many more. Use of computers had made the presentations of multimedia very easy now.

3.        Multimedia is a fast-growing technology and is widely used for business world also.

4.       The hardware and software used for making multimedia projects are known as multimedia platform. By using Microsoft Power Point, Word Processor, Lotus and many more, can develop professional multimedia projects.

5.       Since the multimedia is a tool to enhance the level of communication, it is now being used as an effective tool in sales promotion for attracting customers.

6.       The creative and effective applications attract the corporate sectors and consumers.

7.        Multimedia is also able to offer in various ways and means to maintain an edge over the competitors. That’s why the business houses are making use of multimedia for demonstration of their products and explaining their salient features. They also collect the database of consumers and their choices.

There are some important functions of multimedia in e-commerce are discussed below

1. Now days, online shopping are very popular by using mobile devices. Smart phones have cameras which provide both the requirements and demands of multimedia technologies.
2. Companies use multimedia which is used for attracting customers by using images, video, and animation of the products on the website.
3. By using multimedia, several companies provide details of the products after or before the launching which increases the customers and also increases the production of products.