Nazli gunduz is a Turkish
author. She has written this article that talks about computers, the history of
CALL, the internet and the uses of computers in language classroom. Computers have entered the
school life in the late of 1950 and they are still developing day by day. At the
end of the 20th century, computer-mediated communication and internet have
reshaped the of computers for language learning. Nowadays, there is a huge
amount of foreign language materials. These materials include course book,
posters, charts and others. That does not mean all language teachers are using computers in their
classes. The chalk and blackboard still used in language learning classes.
Although computers
have been used since the first half of the 20th century, they were not used for
educational purposes until the 1960s. The 1970s witnessed the evolution of CALL
as a result of development in research related to the use of computers for
linguistic purposes and for creating suitable language learning conditions. In
America the computer based introductory courses in the 1960s was pioneering
projects in CALL, and was referred to as computer Assisted Instruction (CAI).
The 1980s have witnessed the spread of computers both in educational
institutions and in people's homes. Since the beginning of the '80s, computers
have also found their way into many schools.
The computer
This
device has changed the way people work, learn, communicate and play. It is a
device that processes information with great speed and accuracy. It is a human
tool made that cannot teach or learn by itself, but it will perform the
instructions given to it by a human user.
Computer assisted language learning
It
is a term used by teachers and students to describe the use of computers as a
part of the language course. Computers are a flexible classroom aid, which can
be used by teachers or learners, in and out of class and for a variety of
purposes. Computers have been used for language teaching for more than three
decades and we can divide them into three stages:
Behavioristic
CALL: it was formed in the late1960s and used in the 1970s under the influence
of Audio-lingual teaching method.
Communicative
CALL: it was the period of the 1980s with the appearance of personal computers. Communicative CALL
corresponded to cognitive theories which stressed that learning was a process
of discovery, expression and development.
Interactive
CALL: By the 1990s communicative CALL began
to be criticized. New second language acquisition theories and socio-cognitive
views influenced many teachers and lead them to use more social and
learner-centered methods. This time, emphasis was put on language use in
authentic social contexts.
CALL methodology
Computers
are not very good at teaching themselves because it depends on the way the
teacher and students use them. Computers allow the user to carry out tasks which are
impossible in other media such as providing feedback automatically on certain
kinds of exercises or editing a piece of writing by deleting, moving and
inserting text. The methodology used in CALL classes is similar to that which
is used in non-CALL classes, but there are some points that have to be
distinguished. The main characteristics of the methodology for CALL are:
*The use of a variety of interaction patterns in class.
Information-transfer and information-and opinion-gap tasks.*
Fluency and accuracy practice.*
Computer-work, pre-computer work and post-computer work.*
Types of software
* Do what
I tell you
*Guess what was there
*Can I help you?
*How do I get out this?
CALL and language skills
Reading skills
Writing skills
Speaking skills
Listening skills
Grammar development
Advantages and disadvantages of call programs
•
Word-processors come with spelling checkers,
•voice recording and playback,
• provide
the learners with some sort of computer literacy,
•
Multimodal practice with feedback,
• Individualization in a large class,
• Pair
or small group work on projects,
• The fun factor,
• Variety in the resources
available and learning styles used,
• Exploratory learning with large amounts
of language data
•
It could be wasting of students' time, especially those who don’t know how to
use the computer,
• isolation environment for the students,
• computers are not suitable for all the activities,
• Computers cannot cope with the unexpected happenings and ambiguity;
• Computers cannot conduct open ended dialogues and cannot give feedback to open ended questions;
• these programs need time to develop them and time to train the teachers.
• isolation environment for the students,
• computers are not suitable for all the activities,
• Computers cannot cope with the unexpected happenings and ambiguity;
• Computers cannot conduct open ended dialogues and cannot give feedback to open ended questions;
• these programs need time to develop them and time to train the teachers.
Internet and ELT
Provides students and
teachers with invaluable recourses of information; widens the rise of virtual
classrooms has reshaped the uses of computer in language learning; Communicate in real-time chat rooms; Share opinions and ideas
across cultures on sports, music, food, hobbies, etc.; Read and listen to up to
date news.
Multimedia
The arrival of CDs ROM
Personal and desktop
computers
Conclusion
The role of computers in language
teaching has changed significantly in the last three decades. Previously,
computers used in language teaching were limited to text. Simple simulations and
exercises, primarily gap-filling and multiple-choice drills, abounded.
Technological and pedagogical developments now allow us to integrate computer
technology into the language learning process. And the Internet allows for a
great number of opportunities to communicate in the target language, access
textual and multimedia information. Finally, the computer is a mechanical
device which can be used well or badly. Without careful choice and preparation
of materials, careful lesson planning and classroom management, and training of
both learners and teachers, the computer is useless. Therefore, the teacher
plays a significant role in implementing the computer into the lesson plan.
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