Computer Assisted Language Learning CALL

COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING  CALLProf. Omer Boshara Ahmed

CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is often considered a language teaching method, but this is not really the case. In traditional CALL, the methodology was often claimed to be based on a behavioristics approach as in “programmable teaching”, where the computer checked the student input and gave feedback (reward?) / moved on to an appropriate activity exercise. In modern CALL, the emphasis is on communication and tasks.

The role of the computer in CALL has moved from the “input – control – feedback” sequence to management of communication, text, audio, and video. Few people may realize that a DVD player is really a computer. Future domestic appliances will integrate and merge video, television, audio, telephone, graphics, text, and Internet into one unit as, in 2010, can be seen in newer generations of “mobile telephones / communicators”.

The starting point should not be that students sit at computers to learn a language. The starting point should instead be that students are learning a language and as part of that process sometimes sit at computers.

processing of language inputs. What is learned is mainly the result of this process and not just explanations, rules, and questions presented by a teacher or a computer.

CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is a great possibility to make language classes livelier and more engaging but it requires the language teachers to become computer

Literates

One of the worst fears when dealing with CALL and distance / online learning has always been the social aspect. It has been believed that the computer mediated community would imply some lack of social relations.

It is very interesting to see how Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has attracted many Arab students in learning English as a foreign language in the institutions of higher learning. It has great impact on their academic lives especially on teaching-learning process inside the classrooms. As a response to the students’ attraction in CAL, computer technologies have been brought into classrooms where they are considered to be effective in enhancing students learning and addressing certain educational problems. Thus, computers have taken centre stage and play an important role when it comes to language instruction in the world..

(CALL) in language teaching involves the use of computer technology to help in the process of presenting, reinforcing, and assessing learning materials that places emphasis on interactive elements. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) involves the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in learning and teaching a second or foreign language ranging from research to course development. Many researchers have investigated the effectiveness of
CALL in improving language skills and have found it to be very effective for both language learners and teachers.

(Warshauer and Healey, 1998). Some studies have indicated a recent increase in the integration of CALL to different education levels (Stepp-Greany, 2002). CALL is used to facilitate learning through teaching materials and is focused on learning rather than teaching. CALL materials are not teacher centered but rather student centered in order to promote self-paced learning. It does not refer to the use of a computer by only the teacher in order to prepare teaching materials.

In CALL hardware refers to not just the computer as a whole but rather the hardware that makeup the computer such as the monitor, keyboard, etc. Software in CALL refers to the instructions given to the computer in order for it to work. In today’s globalize world computers are being used more than ever in English AS a Second and Foreign Language classrooms for all areas of language learning ranging from composition, reading, writing, and even in handwriting with video and speech synthesis technologies being used in TEFL/TESL classrooms.

CALL is even being used by curriculum designers who have designed programs to help students from a wide range of age groups ranging from primary school to collage students and even adults. All this has created many questions the most important of which is regarding the role that these technologies play in language teaching and learning

How do we define CALL?

•      here are many well established definitions of CALL in the literature. Levy (1997) defines CALL as “the search for and study of applications of the computer in teaching and learning”. Egbert (2005) argues that no matter the context, learning a language through computers or with the aid of computers is defined as CALL.

And according to Hubbard (1996) with the use and advancement of computer technologies in education CALL has moved from being an idea to becoming an important part of language teaching. Beatty (2003) defines and characterizes CALL as any language learning process which involves the use of computers and argues that CALL is a relatively new branch in the field of applied linguistics. This definition despite being a solid starting point does however raise a few
questions as it is very broad. Two such questions that arise are: What do we mean by ‘computer’? And what do wemean by ‘improve’?

The answer to the first question is very important in defining the whole field of CALL as according to Levy and Hubbard (2005) computers do not only refer to desktop and laptop computers but also many peripherals that come with them such as CD/DVD drives cameras, keyboards. Also other digital devices such as mobile phones count as computers.

The second question with regard to the meaning of improve can be answered by different perspectives such as efficiency in learning which refers to how quickly teaching materials are learnt by the learner with the least amount of effort and how effective this learning is or in other words how long the information learnt by the learners is retained.

Improve also refers to students access to materials that are otherwise difficult to get a hold of and convenience in learning by being able to study effectively at different times and places. Improve can also refer to the students motivation and their enjoyment and full engagement of learning. Improve also covers institutional efficiency meaning less effort from teachers and less resources are required to teach students

Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has developed over the past decade as a sophisticated field within its own right, with an increasing number of articles that examine various mobile devices used in environments both inside and outside of formal language learning situations. MALL has been defined as the use of “mobile technologies in language learning, especially in situations where device portability offers specific advantages”

MALL includes devices ranging from MP3/MP4 players, smart phones, and e-book readers through to laptop and tablet computers. There has been a surprisingly large amount of research published over the past two decades that has seen the field develop along with the enormous steps forward that have taken place in mobile technologies.

Mobile language learning is a field that is quickly maturing, and to this end, a growing body of research has appeared that highlights the various ways in which mobile devices may be used in the teaching and learning of languages. Research has for the most part shed a very positive light on the potential of the role that mobile devices may play. At the same time

Physical Issues

By the very nature of mobile language learning, the devices that are used are portable and relatively small. While it is precisely these characteristics — along with the wide range of

functionalities that modern mobile devices now possess — that contribute to these devices being carried by learners, they also have the potential to limit the ways in which the devices are used. Given that the bulk of recent research into mobile language learning relates to MP3

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) it is not surprising that the most widely cited physical issues relate to the screen size and the methods of inputting  Additionally, other issues such as storage capacity, processor speed, battery life, and compatibility of devices (in terms of both operating systems and transfer of large amounts of data) have also been raised as points needing consideration in implementing mobile devices in learning contexts

While mobile phones have typically been the device of choice for many learners in recent years, other devices such as tablet computers are also

gaining popularity

Research into the use of such devices for language learning, however, still appears to be lagging behind that of the smaller devices, with only a handful of studies being carried out thus, while research on larger portable devices is still sparse, we can expect it to expand as tablet use in particular becomes more widespread.

One of the greatest challenges with mobile learning is to ensure that tasks are suited to the affordances of the devices used. In much of the early research into CALL, there was a tendency to see activities that were originally designed for pen and paper to be transferred essentially as is.

Thus, in many cases, early developers and practitioners did not take advantage of the potential interactivity afforded by computers. What we are tending to see with mobile devices is that many activities simply fall into the same trap of what came beforehand. Computer-based activities are essentially replicated without adequate consideration of the specific affordances of mobility.

There have been a number of attempts to use specific functions of mobile devices in language teaching and learning environments. for example learners can use the video recording function of their mobile phones to produce short English monologues. He found that the learners were able to make increasingly longer videos over time. In another study, provided young Dutch learners with mobile phones equipped with GPS capabilities in order to help them learn English vocabulary.

An additional feature that mobile devices appear to be suited for is that of what has come to be known as push and pull mechanisms, the pull mechanism is what is more typically associated with the type of learning that may be seen through more traditional CALL, where the access learning materials lies with the learners themselves. In contrast, the push mechanism “pushes” information on to the learners, typically in the format of a text message sent directly to them through a mobile phone’s existing SMS (Short Message System)

This brief list provides some indication of the innovative ways in which mobile devices can be used for language learning that go beyond simple replication of paper-based or even computer-based learning materials

Psycho-social Issues

Mobile devices have certain features that distinguish them from many of the technologies that preceded them. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that unlike desktop — or even early laptop — computers, the primary function of mobile devices has been for personal and/or social purposes, as opposed to work or study purposes.

When looking at the various applications installed on these devices, certainly almost without fail there will be applications for communication with others, either individually or in a group, such as LINE, Twitter, or Facebook. WhatsApp. There is also a large range of games available for most mobile platforms these days, and the number of downloads of such games is steadily increasing

The existence of such a range of personal and social applications implies that learners may not perceive their mobile devices as appropriate vehicles for learning. Indeed, results regarding learner perceptions of social networking tools for language learning have been somewhat mixed.

Principles for Mobile Language Learning

Principle 1. Mobile activities, tasks, and apps should distinguish both

( 1) the affordances and limitations of the mobile device and

(2) the affordances and limitations of the environment in   which the device will be used in light of the learning target.

Principle 2. Limit multi-tasking and environmental distractions. Mobile environments, such as when commuting, by their nature are likely to be distracting, and multi-tasking is a natural part of that environment. We have increasing data that most people, including so-called digital natives, are not good at multi-tasking and that it raises stress levels, increases error rates, and lowers productivity. As a result, it interferes with both deliberate and incidental language learning in both educational and workplace settings.