Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Extract 1:
TACITURN
The taciturn husband answers his wife in grunts and monosyllables, if at all.Definition: Habitually silent or unwilling to engage in conversation.

Extract 2:
“This is very exciting...my parents will arrive in New York next Friday!!! I am very happy of showing them around and have them here for two weeks.”

Extract 3:
Ground meats (beef/ park/ veal) 1 1/4 lbs.
Onion chopped 1/4 cup
Fresh parsley chopped 1/4 cup
Carrot shred 1/4 cup

Extract 4:
Q: What is it like to be a 12-year-old New Yorker?A: It’s good, it’s fun. It’s to do a lot of stuff, you know...
Q: Can you imagine yourself living somewhere else?A: Not as a kid, not really. Maybe when I’m older.

Extract 5:
At that time I started to think of films I consider the best and the worst, and why I placed them into these two extreme categories. Was it because of plot, characters, main themes or maybe setting? At first glance all of these are essential and have a great influence on the whole of a film.

You may think the above lines were extracted from different resources: a dictionary for teenagers, an informal letter to friends, a cookbook, an interview in Children Journal, and a talk about films. However, in fact, it was taken from a blog for ESL students. It is interesting and amazing to see that students can define a word, conduct an interview, and debate around bad and good films, and then share to massive public. Thanks to information technology, students are able to do all as a normal daily work. Thanks to multimedia, learning languages, especially ESL has become more active, interactive and authentic. It is possible to assert that Computer- Assisted Language Learning (CALL) approach gradually plays a crucial role in language classroom. This paper provides an overview of CALL approach, its application in ESL/EFL classrooms and some implication on using CALL approach.

According to Mark Warschauer (1996), dramatic technology achievement in 60s generated CALL, and proceeded CALL development into three phases which are termed: “behavioristic CALL”, “communicative CALL”, and “integrative CALL” (Mark Warschauer, 1996). The first phase of CALL implemented in the 1960 and ‘70s was based on behaviorist learning theory in which repetitive drills are enhanced. In this period, the computer serves as a tool to deliver teachers’ instructions to students: giving repetition exercises and immediate evaluation.

Then, occurrence of other learning approaches and introduction of microcomputers in the late 1970s and early 1980s brought about a communicative method to use CALL in classroom. At that time, CALL was based on communicative language learning approach in which the computer articulates as a stimulus to facilitate the learner group work and interaction. Besides, the computer also become a “tool” and a “workhorse” (Taylor & Perez, 1989) to assist the learner in word processing and grammar checking, and empower students in using languages. In addition to this, drill and practice programs were still employed. So, the distinction between behavioristic CALL and communicative CALL does not involve which programs are used but how programs are used for what purpose.

Although compared to the previous phase, communicative CALL is an advance, it seems that the computer was not mobilized at the whole potential. CALL should be improved in a more integrative manner, in which the computer is used to help students do language projects or tasks. Technological developments such as CD-ROM and Internet, especially hypermedia, provide ample opportunities to students to navigate projects. Hypermedia which links many resources together creates an authentic resourceful learning environment. Students are able to study at their own pace, exploring and developing their utmost appropriate language learning styles. In addition, Internet allows students seek and share information easily. In this way, collaborative work, interaction, and research skills are stimulated.

Although There is much debate over CALL use in classroom, no one can deny its benefit to students. In ESL/EFL classroom, multimedia helps students and teachers become more involved in tasks. To students, with blogs, they can chat and share their thoughts to their classmates; with pod casts, they can record their oral presentations; with camcorders and cameras, they can conduct interviews in English and “publish” their own dictionary; and with powerful internet and English software, they have ample opportunities to practice four skills. To teachers, they can use multimedia to conduct classroom activities such as giving instructions, demonstrating lessons, and more importantly, giving guides to students’ projects. Multimedia actually creates a comfortable, authentic English learning setting to students.

However, as Roger asserts “The true power of what we do in our classrooms depends less on technology, and more on what we do with the technology we have” (as cited in Jonassen, Howland, Moore & Marra, 2003, p. 66), outcome of English learning does not only depend on multimedia but also on pedagogy and its use in classroom. Teachers should always keep lesson objectives in mind, prepare learning activities, select appropriate multimedia tools and design effective assessment tools. Teachers should combine CALL approach with other teaching approaches, even the traditional ones such as the translation method for student language retention. Computers are not going to “revolutionize” the way English is learnt (Kenneth Beare, 2007), rather, the way to use them to augment learning approach creates radical changes.

References
Beare, K. (2007). FAQ CALL Questions. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa071698.htm

Jonassen, D.H., Howland J. L, Moore, J. L., & Marra, R. M. (2003). Learning to solve problems with technology (2nd ed.). New Jersey, USA: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Taylor, M. B., & Perez, L.M. (1989). Teaching languages with computers: The state of the art. California, USA: Athelstan.

Tesol 2.0 (2007). Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.tesol2.blogspot.com/

Warschauer, M. (1996). Computer-assisted language learning: An introduction. In S. Fotos (Ed.), Multimedia language teaching (pp. 3-20). Tokyo: Logos International.

Ship of dreams vs Slave ship

Three or four days ago, I had a chance to watch the Titanic again on television. The first time I saw it was in Vietna, I couldn't listen to conversations and storytelling in English as Vietnamese commentary was so loud. So, here, I found it very interesting to experience how beautiful words are used in this film.

Rose, the main actress of this film, when describing the Titanic, said, "To many people, it is the ship of dreams, but to me, it is a slave ship". Perfect use of language to express how glamorous the Titanic was and how depressed she felt. Her word use enables viewers to imagine the marvel of Titanic and her sad feelings.

I am not good at language, so I am a little confused about structures of the two noun phrases. Why didn't Rose use dream ship and slave ship, or ship of dreams and ship of slaves to create the parallel in word usage? Are there any differences in terms of syntax or any mistake when employing dream ship and ship of slaves? Is it able to suppose that "slave" in "slave ship" functions as an adjective to describe slave situation while "dreams", as a subordinate noun to illustrate something, rather than its characteristics? It is a big question to me.

Any way, irrespective of any difficulty understanding language structures in this film, I still love it.