Reflection of week 4
This week was very interesting because we discussed what is CALL, the
history of CALL, the uses of CALL in
English Language teaching and the other things that relate to CALL.
Computer-Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) is defined as "the search for and study of applications
of the computer in language teaching and learning." (Levy, 1997: 1) The
main aim of CALL is to find ways for using computers for the purpose of
teaching and learning the language. More specifically, CALL is the use of
computer technologies that promote educational learning, including word
processing, presentation packages, guided drill and practice, tutor,
simulation, problem solving, games, multimedia CD-ROM, and internet
applications such as e-mail, chat and the World Wide Web (WWW) for language
learning purposes. There are several terms associated with CALL. CALL is
variously known as Computer-Aided Language Learning (CALL), Computer-Assisted
Language Instruction (CALI) and Computer-Enhanced Language Learning (CELL). The
first two terms generally refer to computer applications in language learning
and teaching, while CELL implies using CALL in a self-access environment
(Hoven, 1999)
CALL's
origins can be traced back to the 1960s. Up until the late 1970s CALL projects
were confined mainly to universities, where computer programs were developed on
large mainframe computers. The PLATO project, initiated at the University of
Illinois in 1960, is an important landmark in the early development of CALL (Marty
1981). In the late 1970s, the arrival of the personal computer
(PC) brought computing within the range of a wider audience, resulting in a
boom in the development of CALL programs and a flurry of publications. Early
CALL favoured an approach that drew heavily on practices associated with programmed
instruction. This was reflected in the term Computer Assisted Language
Instruction (CALI), which originated in the USA and was in common use until the
early 1980s, when CALL became the dominant term. There was initially a lack of
imagination and skill on the part of programmers, a situation that was
rectified to a considerable extent by the publication of an influential seminal
work by Higgins & Johns (1984),
which contained numerous examples of alternative approaches to CALL. Throughout
the 1980s CALL widened its scope, embracing the communicative approach
and a range of new technologies. CALL has now established itself as an
important area of research in higher education.
In English Language Teaching, teachers can use CALL.
The reasons why teachers use CALL because:
1) Computers can do
some of the work of the teacher and provide great assistance to the learner
even without the presence of the teacher (Pennington and Steven, 1992).
2) New technologies
have seen computers become smaller, faster, and easier for the teacher to use
(Evy, 1997). At present, well-designed CALL software is readily available to
the teacher.
3) Technologies
allow computers to do multimedia applications, incorporating video, sound, and
text, and this capacity allows the learner to interact with both the program
and other learners. (Felix, 1998).
4) The computer
offers great flexibility for class scheduling and pacing of individual
learning, choosing activities and content to suit individual learning styles.
(Oxford and others, 1998)
5) The computer can
provide a meaning-focused, communicative learning environment, which serves the
purposes of communicative language teaching.
We, as a user or
learner also can get advantages when we use CALL. The advantages are:
1)
CALL
can adapt to the learners' abilities and preferences.
2)
CALL can adapt to the learners’ cognitive and
learning styles.
3) CALL
can adapt to the learner’s self-paced learning. CALL can be used for remedial
work for slow learners and to accelerate learning for fast learners.
4)
CALL offers individualized and private
learning.
5) CALL,
with branching capability, provides choices and paths for learning, allowing
learners to work independently.
6)
CALL allows learners to control their own
learning process and progress.
