CALL Lecture 02

Oct26th 2004

Technology in CALL

• Hardware

• Software

Hardware

• Computer architectures (IBM Compatible PC, Apple’s Macintosh, Sun etc.)

• Computer portability (mainframe, desktop, notebook/laptop, Personal Digital Assistants PDA, wearable computers)

• Computer designation (Workstation, Server, Client, Router, Terminal)

• Computer parameters and components (Processor, RAM, hard-disk, peripherals, networking)

• Computer connections (LAN, MAN, WAN, Internet)

Software• Operating systems (Windows, DOS, MacOS, UNIX, Linux, etc.)• Applications

– word processing: spell-checking, grammar and style, formatting, revising and commenting, drafting and redrafting, etc.

– presentations, data-bases and spreadsheets: material presentation, vocabulary storage and exchange, etc.

• Development– programming languages– Rapid Application Development (RAD)– authoring software– Web programming

• Networking– Internet protocols (TCP/IP, FTP, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP, NFS, RPC, X

Windows)– Local/distributed/networked applications – Security

Pedagogical View of Technology

• Criteria for Software Selection

• Areas where computers may help

• Advantages and Risks of using CALL in language classroom

• CALL Teachers’ roles

• Balance between Information and Computer Technology (ICT) and language pedagogy

Some Technical Criteria for Software selection

• Hardware requirements • Easy installation / reliable function• Navigation/Flexibility • Instructions (clear and precise) • Help option • Interface/ on-screen presentation • Authoring ability • Free from language mistakes • Tailorability / Control Options

Software Methodological Criteria for Software Evaluation

Does it contain basic components in Second Language Acquisition (Gass 1997; Chapelle, 1998)

– Input (of target language) – Apperception (noticing aspects in TL) – Comprehension (+semantic -syntax) – Intake (+semantic +syntax) – Integration (into learners’ interlanguage)– Output (L2 production)

• Does it agree with the methodology you adopt? Does it fit in with the curriculum?

• What is its goal? Does it achieve its goal?• Is the language and/or skill aimed at useful for your

children? • Is it suitable for: the children’s age, interests, language

ability, maturity level• Can it be used with various types of learner groupings?

(individual, pairs, group, whole class)• How is feedback offered? (nature and language

involved)• Is it authentic? (feedback, activities, language, content)

Does it offer a real-world learning situation? Does it promote meaningful use of the language?

• Does it accept a variety of responses?• Is it motivating, interesting and fun?

Pedagogy in CALL

• Areas where computers may help

• Advantages and Risks of using CALL in language classroom

• CALL Teachers’ roles

• Balance between Information and Computer Technology (ICT) and language pedagogy

Areas where computers may help

• Teaching programme presented by a computer: The student responds on the computer and the computer provides feedback

• The use of computer to monitor students’ progress and direct them to the appropriate lessons, material, etc.

• The use of computer to provide exploratory environments for language learning by presenting problems in need for resolution and providing tools for further learning.

Advantages • Technical

– improve your computer literacy– Information revolution –

computers everywhere

• Pedagogical– Language technology can provide relevant feedback on the user’s

unconstrained speech- or writing production– Authentic material, electronic resources (Internet, corpora, books,

radio, TV)– Combines world knowledge, discourse knowledge, linguistic

knowledge– Offering interactive learning: Immediate feedback, Error analysis and

Self-correction– Reinforcement

Risks

• Technical– may disturb a lesson due to technical problems or

electrical failure– may cause computer anxiety

• Pedagogical – False feedback can fool the user– Lack of feedback can mislead the user– technology may become an end in itself, leading,

rather than being led by teacher – Neglecting specific CALL teacher roles

Role of the teacher in CALL classroom

Teachers may have problems recognizing that hisrole in CALL classroom is requires more than in standard classroom• Standard classroom teacher’s roles:

– tutor– guide – facilitator

• CALL classroom teacher’s roles– observer– designer/developer– implementer– evaluator– manager

CALL Teacher Guidelines (http://www.hexabyte.tn/learnenglish/mahdia/CALLpresentation.ppt)

• Just as students can’t learn by simply sitting in a classroom, neither will they improve by sitting in front of a computer

• The teaching makes the difference, while the technology is a useful tool (as long as it is effectively taught and applied)

• Don’t be afraid of knowing less than your students

• Pair and group students. Encourage meta-language discussion about what they are doing

• Offer choices to students

Computers never ahead of humansPedagogy first, Curriculum second, Computers last

(Leo van Lier)

A teacher’s starting point in using CALL should not be the question

“What can I do with my PC?” but rather

“Which medium is best suited to teach such-and-such a skill?”

The answer to this latter question might be the blackboard, the video, printed matter, or the tape recorder as the case may be.

(Jones Frances)

Exercise 1: match tan lines with typical summer activities

(a) tennis(b) rollerblading(c) SCUBA diving (d) mountain biking(e) waterskiing(f) learning CALL

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