article about CALL

A summary of CALL(computer assisted language learning) written by Graham Davies.

                                     

The author in this article speaks about CALL and gives us an introduction ,including a brief history of CALL and he also speaks about the recent trends( CD-ROMS, DVDs ,the Web). He presents the professional associations dedicated to CALL.

First, he provides a definition of CALL, which is an approach to language teaching and learning in which the computer is used as a tool or even an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of the teaching or learning material. The author also agrees on Levy's definition ,that CALL is the search for and the study of the applications of the computer in language teaching and learning. Then ,he mentions the history of CALL ,which can be traced back to the 1960s. It actually started in the universities. The first important project was thePLATO project in the Illinois university.

I think the development of CALL goes along with the development of the computer.

The programs started on large mainframe computer but in the 1970s the arrival of personal computer (PC) brought a boom in the development of CALL. The main focus at that time was on the practices associated with programmed instruction. This was reflected in computer assisted language instruction (CALI),which started in USA and was in common use until the early 1980s. At that time there was a lack of imagination and skill In the programmers part ,until the arrival of Higgins and Johns in 1984. In the 1980s CALL embraced the communicative approach.

The author makes a comparison between traditional CALL and explorative or modern CALL. The traditional programs focused on the teacher rather than the learner .It presentedsome kind of stimulus in which the learner should respond toit. Ii is in the form of text presented on the computer screen and the learner respond to it by entering the answer on the keyboard. Traditional CALL involved discrete error analysis and feedback. 

The explorative CALL favored a learner-centered approach rather than teacher-centered. This approach is characterized by the use of concordance programs in classrooms.

The personal computers were unable of presenting images and recording voice at the same time, but after combining those computers with a 12-inch videodisc player this problem was solved. This was the beginning of the multimedia CALL. The result was the development of interactive videodiscs. The same technique in those videodiscs was adapted for the multimedia personal computers (MPCs), which incorporated CD-ROM drives in 1990s. CD-ROM was first used to store texts and later to store sounds, still images and videos. Then came the Digital Video Disc (DVD).

Most CALL programs fall into the category of multimedia CALL. In1992 the World Wide Web was launched and offered huge potential in language learning and teaching .

CALL authoring programs offer a do-it-yourself approach to call. It was designed to be used by language teachers who have no knowledge of computer programming.

There are different professional associations of CALL. The World Call considered an umbrella association of associations. And there are many different associations around the world.    

CALL

Computer-assisted language learning(CALL) is succinctly defined in a seminal work by Levy (1997: p. 1) as "the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning".CALL embraces a wide range of information and applications and approaches to teaching and learning foreign languages, from the "traditional" drill-and-practice programs that characterised CALL in the 1960s and 1970s to more recent manifestations of CALL, e.g. as used in a virtual learning  environment and Web-based distance learning. It also extends to the use of corpora and concordance , interactive whiteboards,Computer-mediated communication (CMC), language learning in virtual worlds and mobile-assissed language learning.

some pictures.

I'm going to show you some of my student's work ..Hope you like it..



my addiction in technology:)

I'm very interested in photography ..

I think of it as a way in making the moment live for ever..

It is the only way in which  I can express my feelings, my mood  and my own perspective to the world around me without saying a single word..

Actually , I'm interested in my camera more than my laptop 😅

Even in teaching ,  I used some of my own pictures to represent the vocabulary for my students..They enjoyed it and found it interesting .. 

pictures can say something more than words can do,,"sometimes"..

At least this is my own experince in teaching the elementary stage..



saying

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”
― Alphonse Karr   



CALL , the advatages and disadvantages.



Lai, C. Kritsonis, W. (2006).The Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer Technology in Second Language Acquisition. National Journal for Publishing and Mentoring Doctoral Student Research.

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of CALL for current second language learning based on the report of the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs’ (2002), that emphasizes the use of the computer technology and its attached language learning programs to assist the students' deficiency.

It explains the importance of CALL that has become a new trend in recently global second language learning instructions. The author depends on other studies to prove his point in the discussion.

He emphasizes that utilizing computer technology and (CALL) programs can be convenient to create both independent and collaborative learning environments which facilitates the second language acquisition.He explains the disadvantages of using computer such as:1- the financial part . Thereby ,low budget schools and low-income students usually cannot afford a computer if it becomes a basic requirement .2- using computer requires ,from both teachers and learners, a basic technology knowledge before applying computer technology to assist second language teaching and learning. 3-The  software of computer assisted language learning programs is still imperfect. Current computer technology mainly deals with reading, listening, and writing skills.4-computers cannot handle unexpected situations.

According to the writer,we should realize what the advantages and disadvantages exited in current computer technology in order to avoid for misemploying and get its maximum benefits for our second language teaching and learning.

How language awareness is important in education?

Eric Hawkins started the movement of  language awareness in UK in 1918. It was at the same time in which the communicative competence take place as a way of teaching foreign language . Hawkins believed that education should include the learner's reflection of  language . This reflection should be a part of  the school curriculum in Hawkins' opinion . " Hawkins’ idea was to underline explicit reflection on language and critical understanding and as a step further he wanted to stimulate an understanding of language by implementing language awareness into the curriculum, through the perspective of the child

" (Soons.2008).

Language awareness can be defined by different ways , one among them is the definition of the Association for Language Awareness :" “explicit

knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity

in language learning, language teaching and language use” (ALA,

2012) . From this definition we can see the relation between language awareness and education or learning. Many of  the language awareness movement's views and opinions came from the education in UK at first place so, it is very important specially to fix the problems in education at that time .

Since language awareness is dealing with the language , how we use it in a conscious way and how we could express meanings and thoughts by being aware of the internal structure of the language ,so it is part of the education and the learning of the second language..

Language awareness is concerned with the language not just the internal structure but also the meaning and thoughts  .In other words it concerns with the conscious use of  language. This will reflect on the education because it can help the teacher and the learner at the same time."A focus on language awareness is a key aspect of creating student-centered classrooms, and assists the teacher to present material accordingly to student readiness (Bilash and Tulasiewicz, 1995).

 By being aware of the language ,students can use the language effectively. There are different ways to increase the students' awareness to  a language, such as asking them to make comparison between the structure of their language and the new one. It can help the students to understand differences and similarities between languages. It also helps students to have a good and positive attitude to that language so they become active in the learning process .  

By increasing students awareness about the language the education and the learning process will be proved. The student will learn language more and understand it better and then use it effectively. " Within such a programme our aim is to offer an approach to language teaching that will bring teachers together across disciplines and school frontiers to plan and teach it, while helping all pupils, but especially the slower learners, to make sense of what is too often a fragmented and haphazard linguistic apprenticeship" (Hawkins,1984). And as Elizabeth Ellis said about language awareness :"

 providing positive feedback on the mother tongue and

cultural stereotypes;

 encouraging the learner to pay close attention to words and

their meanings;

 building confidence in what Halliday (1975) called the

‘mathetic’ function of language (i.e., using language to

learn about the world). "we can see the important role that language awareness plays in education.

I think language awareness started as a part of education and as a part of the learning of a second language. So, language awareness can be considered  as approach of  the education in which the main focus is on the conscious use of  language  .

As I figured from the early beginning of the language awareness movement ,it came as a reaction of different methods and researches of learning in UK at that time. So ,language awareness focused  on the field of  language teaching  and on education and aimed to produce a  new and good way of teaching the foreign language for example to bring teachers from different disciplines together and to find a good way of teaching the foreign language . Language awareness is important in education because it focus on the learner at first place and it develops his own skills such as noticing . Students also can learn the importance of language in the human life in general and they can feel the importance of  cross-cultural  understanding.



using computer and preparing:(

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises."

This quote make me think twise before doing anything..

Starting from preparing my class to smiling at them at the end of the day.

A huge part from being a teacher is to find the best way to convey the information and the whole material to my young girls..

Using technology can be considered the best way ever. I used to play the Youtube for them and i was shocked by the first reaction that appeared on their little faces.

Being a teacher in kind of isolated village , that students come to it from places far away, put a huge pressure on me!

First , they refuse to listen to the music as it is something forbidden, and when I play a songs or chants , they refuse to participate in it.

Second , when they get used on my way of teaching ,they refuse the traditional classes that I had to do sometimes as a reason for the lack of equipment,(we had only one room in the school that is prepared with a computer and a projector and when it is occupied I had to  use the normal class).

Acutally I miss my girls ,and I miss those days  when I prepare my classes and smile at the end :(

national symposium

we were at the national symposium at KKU that held under the title" present and the future of English in KSA".

It was such an honour to see the great work and the efforts of our doctors and professors..

The symposium aimed to achieve different points, such as:

1. Attracting researchers in the different disciplines of Applied Linguistics to share their ideas, research findings and best practices with their colleagues around the Kingdom;

2. Raising academics’ awareness regarding the present and future trends of English language teaching in KSA;

3. Addressing topical issues in applied linguistics research and practice, covering the major disciplines of the field at the level of theory and practice;

4. Disseminating knowledge related to state -of –the- art research trends and recent publications in applied linguistics; 

5. Inviting researchers and practitioners in in fields related to applied linguistics to address issues of common concern.

This is my own cover to the event,,

Hope you enjoy it..

photography and education

I'm really interested in photography ..

I think of it as a way of making the moment live for ever..

It is the only way in which  I can express my feelings, my mood  and my own perspective about the world around me without saying a single word..

Actually , I'm interested in my camera more than anything else,even my laptop😅

During my experience in teaching ,  I used some of my own pictures to represent the vocabulary for my students.They enjoyed it and found it interesting .. 

pictures can say something more than words can do,,"sometimes"..

At least this is my own experince in teaching the elementary stage..

  

saying..

Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.."

This is my philosophy in life...