As the development of technology, English can be learned and taught through many ways. One of which is by using CALL (computer-assisted language learning) or in short, we can define it as the usage of computer technology in English teaching and learning activity.
There will be some explanation from general to specific about CALL as the basic for you to apply this method. You can read this explanation briefly to get the general knowledge about CALL, and for the further reading you can click the link given on each article.
1. What is CALL?
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is often perceived, somewhat
narrowly, as an approach to language teaching and learning in which the
computer is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and
assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element. It provides an effective learning environment so that students can
practice in an interactive manner using multimedia content, either with
the supervision of teachers or on their own pace in self-learning.
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.
3. The Developmental of CALL
- Behaviorist CALL
- Communicative CALL
- Integrative CALL
CALL programs/materials include (from ICT4LT Module 1.4):
- CALL-specific software: applications designed to develop
and facilitate language learning, such as CD-ROMs, web-based interactive
language learning exercises/quizzes
- Generic software: applications designed
for general purposes, such as
word-processors (Word), presentation software (PowerPoint,
see an e-book made by students
"Many Moons"),
and spreadsheet (Excel), that can be used to support language learning
(see
examples of using
Excel for language learning & teaching)
-
Web-based learning programs:
online dictionaries, online encyclopedias, online concordancers,
news/magazine sites, e-texts, web-quests, web publishing, blog, wiki, etc.
- Computer-mediated
communication (CMC) programs:
synchronous - online chat; asynchronous - email, discussion forum,
message board
5. Roles of computer in language teaching and learning
- computer as tutor for language drills or skill
practice
- computer as a tool for writing,
presenting, and researching
- computer as a medium of global communication
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