Essential English Skills Through Computers

Now a days it is essential for the engineering students to learn the language skills which are helpful to develop their career in a good company. According to the Job requirements In the industries today, they are supposed to learn to communicate with other In a flawless language, with confidence, and with a good body language. It is the responsibility of the institutions to give them training to get good opportunities In the industry.Besides giving the students good technical knowledge t is important to give them training to get a better position after completion of their graduation. To face the selection process today, they are to be trained by the Institutions to enhance their language skills.

These skills can be developed in students through language labs using computers. This paper discusses the key ideas to train the students in their skills through computer language labs. The 21st century has witnessed a revolution In the use of computers and Internet. It has ushered In a new world where communication has become language plus soft skills.

In modern times the personality of a job seeker is not merely assessed by virtue of his IQ alone but is done on the basis of his CEQ too. That is, the learner should be equipped to understand the subtle, emotional and cultural nuances and react appropriately. Here lies the importance of acquiring proper communication skills. In olden days, the role of an English teacher is to teach English lessons and explain the lessons In regional language but now, English language teachers are expected to play an Important role In getting their students placed In good companies.

The English language teacher is not just a teacher of grammar and sentence structure; he/she is expected to play an active role of a counselor, communication specialist, soft skills trainer. * As an English teacher, he has to teach the lessons and grammar with examples. * As a communication skills consultant, English teacher works out and plans for Improvement of students communication skills by Introducing new actively Like group discussion, debates, situational dialogues or other activities. * As a soft skills trainer, he must train the students to empower them.Many students lack good communication skills.

Though they have good knowledge in English, their stage fear and poor body language make them fail in Interviews. Some students may be good at writing but face problems to speak before audience. Some presentations. Teachers of English have a responsibility in helping the students to overcome their fears about communicating and also to assist them in developing more positive perceptions towards communication activities. To get a Job in companies for engineering students, it is important that they should have communication skills in English.

The student's communication skills are assessed in an interview by the panel. Students can easily learn English by using the Language lab which helps them to speak with exact pronunciation. In class rooms, teachers may not be able to pay personal attention to all the students at the same time. Among the four basic skills of language learning, listening and reading are receptive skills whereas speaking and writing are the productive skills. These skills can be improved effectively, when the learner learns at his own pace. Using Language Lab Software helps the teacher to overcome the problems and imitations in a classroom.

Each student is given a personalized assistance in enhancing their communication skills. Communicative skills are imparted with efficiency and precision from the pre recorded lessons. Teacher can communicate with the students on call or on a random basis. Language Lab Software allows teachers to give instructions either to one student or all using the functions such as Broad cast, Screen capturing, Monitoring Guiding, Ascertaining, File transferring, two way communication and so on.

Language Lab software is a teaching, learning software. It makes use of intelligibleEnglish that both the native and non - native speakers of English can apprehend quite easily. It also enables learners to speak with accurate pronunciation. Learners can record their own voice and play back for self evaluation. It acts as a platform for learning, practicing and producing language skills through interactive lessons and communicative mode of teaching.

Language lab also help in consolidating the learning by monitoring and communicating with each learner without disturbing others. The Language Labs have the following objectives, purposes, functions to work upon.To expose the learners to a variety of self-instructional, learner-friendly modes of language learning. * To help the learners cultivate the habit of reading passages from the computer monitor, thus providing them with the required facility to face computer-based competitive exams such GREG, TOEFL, GMTA etc.

* To enable them to learn the sounds of English-vowels, Diphthongs and Consonants and to acquire better pronunciation through stress on word accent, intonation, and rhythm. * To train them to use language effectively to face interviews, group discussions, public speaking.To initiate them into greater use of the computer in resume preparation, report writing, format-making and so on. * 6. To maintain good linguistic competence- through accuracy in grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

* To enrich the discourse competence, to prepare the learner to be able to produce conceptualize written text, speech and situational dialogues or role play. * To acquire strategic competence to use both spoken ; written language to use in a wide range of communication strategies. * To acquire how to attend Online Examinations and transfer files from student system to teacher yester.Learners can listen to the pre recorded content of the native speakers or of a linguistic expert. They can record their voice, store and replay the voice.

During replay the native speakers and the recorded voice of the students are heard simultaneously. This helps the students in rectifying their erratic pronunciation. Continuous repetition of the correct pronunciation provides new horizons in communication. The teachers have to realize the full potential of this technology and to ensure its pervasiveness in all institutions of learning and training.

They have to prepare aided exercises for the learners to assimilate grammatical and lexical structures, as well as phonetics. Exposing the learners to videos and situational dialogues which illustrate day-to-day professional life will prepare the learner for practical life. Subsequently, learners will learn concepts of grammar, lexicon, phonetics, and conjugation from the above activities. Regular self evaluation will help the learner to check their progress. Upon completion of the course, the learners will get the Lingua phone certificate too.Actually the basic aim of the teachers of language lab should e focused on improving the learners' language proficiency.

There is always a scope for betterment and advancement in any field or in any subject that can be accomplished with commitment and enthusiasm. We are habituated to the traditional methods of teaching but it is time that our teaching methods have to undergo a change. Unless the new technology is adopted in English language teaching/learning we cannot make our learners competent speakers of English Language.