Advantages & Disadvantages of CALL

TSL641: CALL

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesExperiential learning

The "learn-by-doing" approach allows youth to experience something with minimal guidance from an adult.

Instead of being told "the answers," they are presented with a question, problem, situation, or activity which they must make sense of for themselves.

Learning by doing is called "experiential learning" because it is based on learning from experiences.

Example: Search the web to find information on the Beijing Olympics WWW allows tackling large amount of human experience Also through computer simulation or games - SIMS

Learn by doing things themselves Through creating and receiving knowledge

Thinking skills are developed and have choice of what to explore

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The objective of SimCity, as the name of the game suggests, is to build and design a city, without specific goals to achieve (except in the scenarios, see below). The player can mark land as being zoned as commercial, industrial, or residential, add buildings, change the tax rate, build a power grid, build transportation systems and many other actions, in order to enhance the city.

Also, the player may face disasters including: flooding, tornadoes, fires (often from air disasters or even shipwrecks), earthquakes and attacks by monsters. In addition, monsters and tornados can trigger train crashes by running into passing trains. Later disasters in the game's sequels included lightning strikes, volcanoes, meteors and attack by extra-terrestrial craft.

Activities – oral and written on your city building project

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CALL – Pros / Advantages Motivation

Computer popular with students Fun and games, fashionable

Increased in motivation Variety of activities – making them more independent Novelty of working with the computer – a new

experience compared to the old traditional chalk and talk, pen and paper

Diversity and sophistication.Students can take risks and experiment in a way that

might be psychologically threatening in a classroom or real-life communication situation – through chat

In a networked environment, the anonymity and ease of communication seem to encourage a spontaneous and casual “speak-writing” that results in more creative and natural language than in some other environments.

Reduce learning stresses and anxieties

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CALL – Pros / Advantages

Enhanced Student AchievementNetworked-based instructions

Strengthen linguistic skills by positively affecting learning attitude when students are motivated by using the computer/internet

Build self-instruction strategies (learning how to learn) Through interactive activities

Computer work may be effective for remedial or tutorial works (branching programs). Andrews (1973) found that students who scored low

on the pretest showed greatest gain. Students in large classes find that CALL is a way of

getting individual attention.Computers can capture, analyze and present

data on SL student’s performances during the learning processScores and progress are recorded automatically, so

students know where they stand. E.g. use of blog for writing skills

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesThe computer allows learning to take

place independent of time and space. Students can learn at their own pace

(review, skip, etc.). Students can learn at their own schedule

due to computer flexibility of time.

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CALL – Pros / Advantages Authentic Materials for Study

Various resources for authentic reading materials – school and at home

Accessible 24/7 and low cost

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CALL – Pros / Advantages

Social effect (the dialogue that occurs in front of the screen rather than on it).

Collaboration (networking promotes language learning by putting learners in touch with other learners and a multitude of other resources (Internet)).

Via e-mail, chat, blog, website creation

A tendency to band together to try to “beat the machine” (fun and competition in games or simulations).

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesGreater Interaction

Non-linear instruction through random access to Web pages

Via E-mail, newsgroups, weblog, YM etc, EFL students can communicate with people they have never met

Interact with classmates – in the computer lab Internet activities give positive and negative

feedback – correcting their exercises – immediate feedback

Students can receive individualized feedback – via e-mail, weblog – more time for teachers to write feedback and it’s recorded

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesIndividualization

For shy or inhibited studentsIndividualized attention can be given They get to do things themselvesThey get to work at their own pace

High achievers can realize their full potentialWill not prevent their peers from working at their

own paceEqual opportunities to participate in discussions via

chat, blog, all students can equal chance to participateUnlike face-to-face, discussions may be dominated

by out-spoken students

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesIndependence from a Single Source of

Information Escape from canned knowledge

E.g. referring only to 1 or 2 textbooks Opportunity to discover thousands of information

sources There are probably billions of web pages nowadays

As a result Education fulfils the need for interdisciplinary learning in a

multicultural world

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English

Culture

Anthropology

CALL – Pros / AdvantagesGlobal Understanding

A foreign language is studied in a cultural contextE.g. ESL is studied in the context of English language

speaking culture ( US, UK, Australia, New Zealand etc)Internet allows access to the learning of the cultureInternet facilitates access to this cultureInternet makes students feel citizens of the world

Since English is an International languageStudents get to publish on the Internet for the rest of the

world to see / read The computer environment, especially when combined

with hypermedia is a rich one which allows the user to enter new worlds and travels new territory (SL – language and culture).

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesFrom the point of view of the teacher,

the computer presents a versatility in handling different kinds of material.

One-way presentation of information (text, graphics, audio, video).

Two-way (question-answer routines, simulated dialogues, hypothesis testing).

The computer can present material (supplied by the teacher) in sequence or at random.

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CALL – Pros / AdvantagesComputers can model the cognitive and

physical processes required for linguistics perception and production (i.e. visual modeling of speech characteristics, thought processing programs (simultaneous writing programs), and reading comprehension programs).

Computers assist in the construction and elaboration of the SL grammar.

Example:http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation/http://www.essaypunch.com/

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesQuality of the software

Quality of software can be questionable

Especially when produced by companies that do not employ or consult experts (teachers, instructional designers etc.)

Failure of computer users to make full use of the software.

It is not the software, it is what you do with it.

The software might simplify the representation of the content and the structure of the task performed to such a degree as to be highly misleading (i.e. grammar checker programs).

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesDevelopment of CALL programs requires knowledge in pedagogy, target language and computing.

Possible solutions:

Computer and language experts work together.

Learn a programming and/or authoring language (i.e. HyperCard, Toolbook).

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesCost

Standford, successful Russian program had to be scrapped after it was found that the course was costing 3x as much as a traditional course. (Nelson et. al., 1976)

Unfair educational conditionsWhen it becomes a basic requirement for students to

purchaseUnaffordable for low-budget schools and low-income

childrenDigital Divide

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesTeachers and learners should have basic

technology knowledgeBefore incorporating CALL However, most teachers do not have

sufficient knowledge in technology to guide students exploring the computer and CALL programs

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesSkepticism.

Language teachers might regard technology with a mixture of anxiety and mystification, accompanied by the conviction that somehow machines do not belong in the humanities.

Vague suspicion that the computer is intended to replace teachers (however, instead the computer should free up time for us to do what only language teachers can do).

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesComputers are rigid and inhuman.

This might depend on who programs them

Learning via computer alone may lack non-verbal cues No facial expressions, gestures

Jokes, anecdotes that will help remember a learning point

Computers cannot handle unexpected situations.

Limitations in AI : Cannot deal with learners’ learning problems

Cannot response to students’ questions immediately

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CALL – Con / DisadvantagesExercises and activities are still limited.

It is an essential characteristic of language that it is primarily a spoken medium which is, to some extent, problematic for the computer.

Its ability to deal with speech is far less developed than its ability to deal with written signals, spoken dialogue, open-ended dialogue, translation (anything which requires understanding on part of the computer still presents problems).

The computer can encourage a form of “antisocial” behavior that amounts to working in isolation from others.

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NOTEWhether we want to get into it or not, CALL will

not go away.

Computerized language lab will be built, software will be produced anyway, and not necessarily in a way that will be useful to us or our students.

But, this is an opportunity, a chance to improve language teaching, raise the proficiency level of our students (and not incidentally, attract more students).

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