ENG517 Short Notes

SHORT NOTES FOR MIDTERM PREPARATION ENG517 · ِبِسْم · ِالل · ِالرَّحْمٰن · ِالرَّحِيْم

"in the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"

Computer Assisted Language Learning · (ENG517) · MODULE 1: · Introduction to CALL · Definition of CALL:

Computer-assisted language Learning (CALL) is an approach to teaching and learning in which the computer and computer-based resources such as the Internet are used to present, reinforce and assess material to be learned.

Aim of CALL:

The main aim of CALL is to find ways for using computers for the purpose of teaching and learning the language. CALL is variously known as ComputerAided 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).

Introduction of CALL:

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. · 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). The computer can provide a meaning-focused, communicative learning environment, which serves the purposes of communicative language teaching.

What do we mean by “computer”?

It does not include simply the canonical desktop and laptop devices but also includes the networks connecting them, peripheral devices such as:

• PDAs (personal digital assistants)
• Mp3 players
• Mobile phones
• Electronic whiteboards
• DVD players

What do we mean by “improve”?

It can be answered with respect to a number of different perspectives:

• learning efficiency: learners are able to pick up language knowledge or skills faster or with less effort.
• learning effectiveness: learners retain language knowledge or skills longer, make deeper associations, and/or learn more of what they need.
• Access: learners can get materials or experience interactions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to get or do.
• convenience: learners can study and practice with equal effectiveness across a wider range of times and places.
• motivation: learners enjoy the language learning process more and thus engage more fully.
• institutional efficiency: learners require less teacher time or fewer or less expensive resources.

MODULE 2: · The Scope of CALL · Initial Stance:

Throughout its history detractors of CALL, and indeed many of its supporters, have criticized the field as being overly “technology driven” at the expense of theory, research and pedagogy (e.g., Egbert & Hanson-Smith, 1999, 2007; Salaberry, 2001). Similarly, others have criticized the field for being too connected to general education rather than focusing on the unique qualities of language learning (Hubbard, 1987).

Full Integration of Technology into Language Teaching:

• At that time, two of the more influential views are those of Chapelle (2001), who links the design and evaluation of CALL tasks to a set of principles derived primarily from the research base of the interactionist perspective of second language acquisition (SLA).
• Bax (2003), who views “normalization” as the defining direction for the field, a state where technology is fully integrated into language teaching.

No need of a Discrete Theory of CALL:

Levy and Stockwell (2006), for example, characterize CALL practitioners and developers as mainly consumers of theory developed for other purposes. This is not universally seen as a problem. Egbert & Hanson-Smith claim that “…educators do not need a discrete theory of CALL to understand the role of technology in the classroom; a clear theory of SLA and its implications for the learning environment serves this goal” (Egbert & Hanson-Smith, 2007: 3).

Technology Deriving CALL:

1. CALL Emergence:

CALL emerged as a distinct field with the beginning of CALL-centered conferences and professional organizations that accompanied the spread of the personal computer in the early 1980s.

2. Early Work with Micro- computers:

Early work with what were then called “microcomputers,” such as the BBC computer, Apple II, and IBM PC, began to increase in the early 1980s. This new wave continued to include academic projects involving teams of designers, programmers and language teachers.

3. Random-Access Laser Videodisc:

At about the same time that microcomputers were spreading, the random-access laser videodisc brought a new dimension to language learning in the 1980s. Among the most ambitious undertakings in the history of language teaching was MIT’s Athena Language Learning Project, an attempt to bring together interactive videodisc and artificial intelligence (AI) applications to revolutionize language learning.

4. Artificial Intelligence Improvisation:

Although the AI elements were not fully realized, the project did produce some intriguing materials, notably A la rencontre de Philippe, a participatory drama where students play a character trying to find an apartment in Paris (Murray, Morgenstern, & Furstenberg, 1989). Two of the more successful enterprises in business terms have been Auralog (founded in 1987) with its flagship Tell Me More series and