CLAUDIO COLABIANCHI INSET PLAN

A SESSION ON CALL

“NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SLA”

Bridging the gap between ready-made and authoring software in EFL

INTRODUCTION

The computer has been largely responsible for the creation of an information-based society. It permits quick, flexible, effective and varied operations in various channels where communication and information are automatic, and it is particularly useful at school to teach and learn languages because of its high degree of versatility. Thanks to the latest technologies, there is a wide range of useful tools and operations available for EFL educators. In an educational environment the EFL teacher can follow two different paths. S/he can approach the computer either to develop receptive skills at using the available software (SW) or to produce her/his own materials with the aid of authoring programmes. This wide choice allows her/him to present new content and new strategies that can be further customised1. The commonest and simplest operations for the acquisition of a foreign language are those based on word processing: copy-paste, insert, drag-and-drop etc., whereas a more complex level of programs, either pre-fabricated or not, are characterised by automatic devices such as scoring, immediate feedback and tutorials. On a higher level the computer offers more complex multimedia features: it reproduces sounds, pictures and video. The mode of programs that we are going to consider ranges from SW on diskettes and CD-ROMs, to Internet-based courses online for distance learning. Since in Italy the majority of teachers lack adequate theoretical and practical knowledge of the application of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), it is necessary to run courses that raise awareness, stimulate curiosity and provide information of the huge potential of the computer and prepare the teachers to make informed teaching choices suitable for promoting Second Language Acquisition (SLA).

1 “The need for developed software by teachers in our field is essential because these individuals are the most immediate experts on the needs of ESOL learners, the cognitive abilities of different age groups, and the language learning process of their specific learners. “Kessler G, Plakans, L. Spring (2001). Incorporating ESOL Learner’s feedback and Usability testing in Instructor-Developed CALL Materials, TESOL Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1.

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In the course I also deal with some aspects of e-mail and chat whose importance for language instruction are becoming more and more relevant for the implicit high degree of authentic language that is generated.The course that I consider covers meaningful areas of so-called edutainment (educational entertainment). Thanks to the flexibility and variety of approaches that the computer offers, catering for both the introverted and the extroverted learner, the logical and also the creative can feel comfortable, stimulated or relaxed in front of the monitor, since the PC offers a suitable path to any learning style. Great emphasis is given to the concept of multimedia and hypertext related to the issues of constructivist pedagogy and of modularity. Moreover, these issues lend themselves to further investigation in the fields of NLP assumptions and of Multiple Intelligences. For example, the visual learner can profit from the wealth of images and graphics, while the auditory one will find suitable stimuli from the sounds and recorded language available on CD-ROMs or Web pages and last but not least the kinaesthetic student can enjoy operating on the keyboard or manipulating peripherals (i.e. scanner, or CD burner, etc). My attention now will be focused on ‘Hot Potatoes’, freeware that can be easily downloaded from a Canadian University Web site. This SW is an authoring programme which enables the teacher to create her/his particular sets of exercises that can be customised either on a whole-class basis, or for groups, or at single student-level, for example when a learner is particularly weak and needs remedial work or has special needs, i.e. disabled students. The technical features of this SW acquire pedagogical relevance since they promote individualised tuition, a great deal of interaction, self-access and self-assessment, learner autonomy and distance learning. The learner is freer to explore and to make her/his own choices according to her/his needs and personal pace. S/he becomes even more responsible, s/he can get immediate marking, feedback and tutorial without feeling the judgmental presence of the teacher.Hot Potatoes has proved to be one of the most popular and principled CALL programs in the last few years. Recently it has been implemented with fully multimedia features and the most appealing combinations of interactivity, so that the teacher has only to write a text and select from easy visual options to create a tailored exercise. Since there is the risk of focusing on and developing only technical skills, a teacher’s main commitment consists not only in getting the technical know-how of various types of exercises – ranging from multiple choice to crosswords, gap filling, matching, quizzes, jumbled sentences – but also in reflecting, evaluating and choosing when to integrate a session of CALL to promote SLA.

There is no doubt that s/he will be soon rewarded in her/his professional growth by remarkable results due to this added value of the digital age.

The course will explore the technical aspects and pedagogical implementations of the following programs:1. Ready-made SW 2. Multimedia and hypertext3. Hot Potatoes, authoring freeware

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APPROACH

The trainer will adopt a variety of approaches depending on the content s/he is exploring.

S/he will open the sessions with warming up activities to elicit interest, motivation, and attention in teaching/learning with computers

When dealing with technical details the workshops will become mainly experiential involving group- or pair-work, since it is assumed that the trainees do not possess a solid competence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Moving from theory to practice when dealing with pedagogical aspects in which trainees are more competent to provoke critical thinking.

Finally, this approach enacts a “loop input” experience in which the content of computers is processed and learnt through the computer.

PROCEDURE

The general procedure of all the sessions follows these stages: Warming up – use of induction sheets or of Mind Maps to concretise a concept and to visualise it in a memorable pattern- background music (UK national anthem in order to give a hint of British atmosphere)Orientation – slides review with MS PowerpointExploration – use of ready- made SW on diskettes or CD-ROMsPractice – use and evaluation of SW with grids and checklists

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The trainer starts with a welcome message projected with Powerpoint to give informationon the programme.Presentation: the trainer introduces the programme

The workshops will be organised at two levels: 1st level workshop: navigation in ready made SW, Browsing in the Internet, e-mail 2nd level workshop: produce automatically generated exercises/production of

Hypermedia with authoring programme – in this phase the trainer gives assistance one-to-one

Technical skills will be acquired through direct instructions, tasks, workshops, reflections and discussions. The teachers will be trained to work on their PCs by following step-by-step the detailed instructions given and projected with a beamer on a big screen by the Trainer. They will also be delivered a concise written manual.

The general outline and the deductions of what has been done in a session will be normally drawn in the final plenary part.

SETTING

The computer room of an Italian state school: ‘Corrispondenti in lingue estere’ in Verona. The lab is equipped with at least 15 multimedia PCs networked to a central server. The programmes already installed are MS Office suite and the operative system is MS Windows 98, the network is MSWindows 2000 or better Linux (freeware).

Internet facilities and e-mail, beamer, a CD burner and 2 printers are available.

TARGET POPULATION

The trainees are Italian in-service EFL and ESP teachers of lower and upper secondary school, with at least three years’ experience and have an average linguistic and methodological competence. They teach in different types of schools both with classical, humanistic, technical and vocational backgrounds. Almost all are eager to discover alternative teaching paths. Some are strongly willing and quite motivated to learn about new trends in teaching EFL with CALL. A few are sceptical and resistant to changing attitudes and to innovations.

Technical prerequisites before the course: having the know-how of basic operating systems and the commonest skills in word processing operations. Some teachers have worked with AMICO2, an Italian school SW that enables to create Hypermedia.

At this stage after 30 hours they have also acquired the skills to create web pages.

2 AMICO, freeware published by Garamond (Rome), is a reduced release of Toolbook (Asymetrix)

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PROGRAMME OF THE WHOLE COURSE

This is an intensive course that will comprise 8 sessions of 5 hours each. I am going to focus on the phase that bridges the gap between the use of ready-made SW and authoring SW. The last session will finish with the show, evaluation and the delivery of the product (after having burnt a CD-ROM) to the trainees.

Navigation on ready made CALL SW on diskettes and on CD ROMsPedagogical and technical implications (see evaluation grid)General technical instructions Mapping and projecting hypermediaInstruction for automatically generated exercises with Hot PotatoesProduction of HTML pagesFinal evaluation of the product ready for the Web and creation of a CD-ROM

SYLLABUS FIT

This is the 7th training session and it aims to provide a detailed set of information, activities, procedures and insights to bridge the gap between ready-made SW and authoring SW, in particular for the construction of exercises with HOT POTATOES.

This comes after the teachers have worked for 30 hours with simple or more complex EFL SW. Now they are evaluating advantages and disadvantages, approaches, interactive processes, functionality.

So far the teachers have learned how to devise presentations with Powerpoint and to create Hypermedia pages in HTML, the multiplatform language of the Web.

They are thus encouraged to make a decision on the SW they consider most suitable for their teaching related to English acquisition. Among the five hours of this session two will be devoted to individual work for the creation of the exercises.

In the end they will be able to insert useful and contextualised practice exercises in the Web pages of their educational sites.

RESOURCES

Computer lab, 20 networked computers, floppy discs, CD-ROMs, CD burner, beamer, printer and scanner. MSOffice and Hot Potatoes are installed on the computer. Internet and e-mail are also available.

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General problems related to traditional Italian teachers

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS ALTERNATIVE /POSSIBLE SOLUTIONControversy between methods and media Making trainees aware that particular SW

has characteristics that promote second language acquisition (SLA) see NOTES

How to motivate unyielding teachers Convincing them that ICT is trendy, that PC will not replace them because the focus is on language, but that at the same time, they could be replaced by more computer-literate teachers. ‘Change can help against burnout and routine’. Guiding them gradually in pairs so that they become more confident

Lazy/reluctant teachers who don’t perceive the value of or don’t believe in CALL for SLA

Submitting SW evaluation checklist based on linguistic and pedagogic criteria Eliciting advantages, effectiveness, Showing products, CDs

Cost of SW and HD(exorbitant!) Freeware available on the WebUse school HD

Trainees’ ongoing problems in carrying out technical instructions

Delivery of written manual-One to one tuition of the trainerPeer tuitionE-mail tuition, newsgroup, e- Forum

System crash Experts Technical Assistance

THE AIMS OF THE WHOLE COURSE ARE

Transferring to trainees insights of experimental and theoretical issues of teaching/learning English with ICT

Enabling trainees to use ready-made SW and exploit it reflecting on pedagogical considerations

Enabling trainees to acquire skills and creative abilities to develop SW in the field of exercise generator programs and hypermedia

Encouraging trainees to become more critical towards their teaching practice Evaluate technology-mediated language learning and its effectiveness vs. traditional

methods Promoting professional growth

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OBJECTIVES

1. Technical

Trainees become expert in selecting suitable SW Trainees project and produce customised SW

2. Pedagogical

Trainees facilitate SS co-operation Trainees counsel SSTrainees become self- critical and classroom observersTrainees facilitate self- access and self- assessment to learning

1st Part

11 ACTIVITIES

USE OF METAPHORS - Timing 5 min.

1.-The trainer asks for a metaphor that recalls CALL in order to reinforce a message in our mind in a multi-sensory way - Some of the various responses may be: a Cyborg, Neurons, the human brain, a spider web, a CD-ROM, a Diskette… then others more sceptical Big brother

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2.-As a recap of the previous sessions the trainer starts a discussion on CD-ROMs and diskettes and the trainees answer this ready-made SW evaluation grid on programs they have worked on at school or at home. This grid should be considered more a checklist for reference than a task to fulfil in every detail. Timing 35 min.

In order to set criteria for rapidly selecting the items of the grid, the trainer assigns a task, asking questions like these:

Which aspects would you take into consideration as fundamental? Which elements are more suitable for your class? In which points can you meet your teaching needs? Is the price the first element to take into account?

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questions answers trainer role timing

Title of SW

Author/s Publisher Year Price Is it support material for a course-book? Is it meant as an independent, stand alone, autonomous ’ self-sufficient’ course? Hypermedia elements: Format: size, pictures, graphics, lay out. Is it attractively designed? Are links on ‘ Hot words’ on Icons or on hot-zones? Are there drawings? Does it provide any photos? Does it provide any animations? Does it provide any videos? Are links meaningful and functional? Are there any sounds, music, songs, noises? Is it ” user friendly” or difficult? Is navigation easy? Can you take print-out? Is it mainly designed to show spectacular effects or…? Does it run the risk of becoming easily dated? Is it so varied that it often becomes an element of distraction, is it balanced or is it repetitive and monotonous?

Structure

Is it divided into Units? Lessons? How many CDs is it made of? For which school- level is it suitable? Elementary Intermediate Advanced Is it meant for one year or more? Is there any information about the approach? Is the approach suitable for cross-cultural objectives? Is there a teacher’s guide? Is it meant for a local class and for local students or for an international class? Are instructions in L1, in L2 or multilingual. Are they clear? Methodology: Does the methodology consider learner’s autonomy: “ self access”? Is it suitable for mixed ability-classes? Are listening activities presented at the beginning? Is listening presented for dialogues repetition, for tasks or for both?

…………..

………...

observes, suggests procedures,gives explanations

35 min.

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Does it provide any aspects of phonetics? How? Does it provide a comparative method (physical diagrams of the sound wave of a native speaker compare to the one produced by the learner) to check pronunciation? How much emphasis is given to oral production? Are dialogues natural and topics relevant? Is there one, two or three story lines? Are they coherent and organic? Does it provide varieties of English? International E.? Is language presented to introduce culture or to develop learners’ strategies? Is the stress on grammar, structure or function or…? Are the four skills balanced and integrated, i.e. audio and writing? Are there guided and free activities? Which ones? Are they graded from skill getting to skill using? Are exercises mainly manipulation activities or are they task based? Are activities simple or difficult from the cognitive point of view? Are topics and contents relevant to students’ interests? Is the teaching strategy line cyclical?

Extras

Does it provide cultural elements? Does it provide literature? Are there any games? What kind? Does it lead to creative learning i.e. poetry? Are there any songs? Are there test? Are there self- evaluating tests? Which ones? Does it present projects to develop through language? Is it preparatory for any institutional exam? Do you like it? Comments: compare relevant didactic aspects to the price and the real possibility of using it in your I.T. lab…to draw the threads.

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3.-Before planning a session on CALL, the trainees in groups of three are stimulated to reflect on which teaching activities and strategies may emerge from the ready-made SW they have analysed so far. They brainstorm for 15 minutes, and then the trainer asks for responses. The trainer, or a volunteer teacher who feels confident with Powerpoint, writes what follows on the server PC connected with the beamer. The outcome is displayed on a slide.

Ready –made SW teaching strategies and features in logical progression Trainer Timing goes through the groups debatesprompts

20 min.

4.-In this activity the trainees, in groups of three, are asked to reflect on how to integrate a CALL session in the syllabus and how to implement it in the classroom. The following suggestions may be the outcome:

Objectives Grammar or function consolidation/remedial workIntroducing new lexis

trainer timing

Phase Practice or testing observes 20 min.Level Language related to SS level of competence takes notesTiming Length devoted to activities in PC lab suggestsPre- computer Technical instructions, revision of language items discussesComputer work SS work (in the practice phase SS may co-operate) TT

assists, facilitates, promptsPost- computer Revision, consolidation, expansion, development,

dramatisation, SS evaluate the SW,

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To recap and to consolidate some features of what has been debated in previous brainstorming sessions the trainer draws a Mind Map (MM) which helps stimulate order and ideas and these is an efficient way to visualise and to concretise concepts.

ProcedureIn the first step the trainees are asked to jot down key words and draw MMs in their copybooks. Later they report them on OHP or on the PC screen (using Word, Powerpoint or a graphic editor like Paint shop) by the Trainer or by a highly competent teacher. 5.-The MM regards the concept of Authoring SW. Timing 15 min.

6.- The Trainer asks which types of exercises the trainees expect that can be created with authoring SW like Hot Potatoes.

The answers range from Gap filling to crosswords, match, multiple-choice. Timing 10 min.

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7.-The trainer displays 1 or 2 exercises ( i.e. A Crossword, B Gap Filling) created with Hot Potatoes3. All the teachers are invited to do the exercises on their networked computers. The trainer helps and assists when/where needed. Sometimes he tells the solution. Timing 25 min.

A crosswords exercise

COFFEE BREAK 30 min.

2nd Part

8.- The Trainer provides the Web site4 on which the trainees can download Hot Potatoes and asks how they feel, what their first impressions about Hot Potatoes are, if they feel stressed or relaxed, if the technical aspects are adequate, if they are pedagogically relevant to SLA . Some teachers may show enthusiasm and in their hidden agenda they have a strong will to learn how to create similar exercises soon. Timing 10 min.

Logo of Hot Potatoes

3 http://space.tin.it//scuola/cnccol4 http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/

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9.-Workshop: authoring phase. The trainees are asked to follow the technical instructions. The trainer projects all the phases on the big screen step by step: from text writing (in which there is certain degree of freedom in writing a meaningful text according to a part of the syllabus), to page configuration, to save as a Web page. The trainer observes, gives assistance, prompts, encourages, supports and praises because s/he knows this is a difficult and delicate moment that can lead to enthusiasm but also to frustration.

After almost 1½ hour the trainees try the effective practicability in the reader-phase. Some show enthusiasm, some show a sense of fulfilled achievement, some seem enchanted by a magic spell, others, on the contrary are puzzled and strive eagerly to find what has not worked.

Timing 1,30 min.

10.-This activity comes after trainees have created 2 or 3 tailored exercises with Hot Potatoes.

To raise more awareness the trainees are requested to form 2 teams and to name them. The BLUE-IN FAVOUR team discusses about the advantages of this SW and supports it, the RED-AGAINST one instead is more traditional and tries to find ways to reject it. The following grid will be drawn to resume the reasons of the 2 contestants in the end.

Timing 30 min.

BLUE - IN FAVOUR RED - AGAINST TRAINER TIMING

It’s innovative and efficient it increases learner motivation there is a lot of freeware available and

good programmes don’t require big PCs it is adaptable to the syllabus and to the

individual it is easy to deliver you can install it on the web and SS can

learn also at home SS don’t feel anxious and they feel freer to

follow their pace SS like it there are cheap anti virus programmes- and

be careful SS and TT can use PCs and SW at school some SW is free it fits individualised tuition and distance

learning it is suitable for disabled students it is rewarding and gratifying SS take on responsibility SS can work at their own pace

one can be innovative also adopting other

methods a good teacher always knows how to

motivate with her/his resources it is very expensive and quickly

obsolete it requires a lot of work to be

programmed SS can feel comfortable also with a

good book PCs are in danger of easy crashing

and of viruses it is all dry it is dehumanising there are a lot of bugs PCs are expensive the SW is expensive it is frustrating teachers will be replaced by

computers some SS may use the PC to escape

observesgives promptsand explanationscounselsmediates

30 min.

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It increases collaborative learning It is a tool for authentic communication It plays an important role in the cognitive

process

from the work they should be doing some SS are machine-phobic Some parents say it is wasting time

11- Activity 20 min

The Trainer tries to encourage with comments that may reinforce and reconcile the two groups i.e.“ try gradually and work in team”, “the teacher’s role won’t be penalised because she/he has the grip of language”, “it is a good start against syndrome of emotional exhaustion”, “it can give you new enthusiasm in teaching” " by following this path you are projected into the future "s/he distributes a photocopy with more considerations to balance the different opinions to soften contrasts and for further reflections.

“Computers will not replace teachers because they cannot do most of the significant things teachers can: lesson planning, individual counselling, preparation, and selection of materials, evaluation of process and product, and so on.” - 5

“computer technology is no longer just a possible tool for teaching English-rather it is an essential new medium of language and literacy practices, alongside face-to-face communication and the printed page” 6

5 - Hanson-Smith, E, (1997) Technology in the Classroom- Practice and Promise in the 21st

Century- TESOL Professional Papers # 2,

6 Warschauer quoted by Bicknell, J., (Vol. 8, No. 1 Spring 1999)Promoting Writing and Computer Literacy Skills through Student-Authored Web Pages-TESOL Journal-.

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FUTHER READING

Boswood, T.(1997). Computer Applications in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge Applied Linguistics.Chapelle, C.A.(2001). Computer Applications in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge Applied Linguistics.Davies, D.(1995). Using Computers in Language Learning: A Teacher’s Guide(2nd edn). Centre for Information on Second Language Research.Eastment, D.(1999). The Internet and ELT. Summerstown Publishing.Hardisty, D. & Windeatt,S.(1989). CALL. Oxford University Press.Higgins, J.(1988). Language, Learning and Computers. LongmanSharma,P. (1998).CD-ROM: A TEACHER’S HANDBOOK. Summerstown PublishingWarschauer, M & Kern,R.(2000). Network-Based Language Teaching Concepts and Practice. CUPWindeatt,S. & Hardisty, D. & Eastment, D. (2000). The Internet. OUP

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