An Introduction to CALL

What is CALL ?

CALL is often associated (wrongly) with an old-fashioned approach to the use of ICT in language learning and teaching. Levy (1997:1) provides the following succinct definition of CALL
"Computer Assisted Language Learning 9call) may be defined as"the search for and study of applicatons of the computer in language teaching and learning".
This is catch-all definition, which is also endorsed by the leading international proffesional associations.

Three Phases of CALL :
1) Behavioristic CALL; entailed repetitive language drills and can be referred to as "drill and practice".
The rationale behind drill and practice was not totally spuious,which explains in part the fact that CALL drills are still used today. Briefly put, that rationale is as follows :
a. Repeated exposure to the same material is beneficial or even essential to learning.
b. A computer is ideal for carrying out repeated drills, since the machine does not get bored with presentin the same material and since it can provide immediate non-judgmental feedback.
c. A computer can present such material on an individualized basis, allowing students to proceed at their own pace and freeing up class time for other activities.

2) Communicative CALL; According to Underwood, 1984, p.52 communicative call :
a. focuses more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves;
b. teaches ammar implicitly rather than explicitly:
c. allows and encourages students to genearte original utterances rather than just manipulate prefabricated language;
d. does not judge and evaluate everything the students nor reward them with congratulatory messages, lights, or bells;
e. avoids telling students they are wrong and is flexible to a variety of student responses;
f. uses the target language exclusively and creates an environtment in which using the target language feels natural, both on and off the screen; and will never try to do anything that a book can do just as well.

3). Steps toward Integrative CALL:Multimedia.
Integrative approaches to CALL are based on two important technological developments of the last decade-multimedia computers and the Internet Multimedia technology-exemplified today by the
CD-ROM-allows a variety of media (text,graphics,sound,animation, and video) to be accesed on a single machine.What makes multimedia resources are all linked together and that learners can na
vigate their own path symply by pointing and clicking a mouse.
Hypermedia provides a number of advantages for language learning.First of all, a more authentic learning environment is created, since listening is combined with seeing, just like in the real word.
Secondly, skills are easily integrated, since the variety of media make it natural to combine reading,writing,speaking and listening in a single activity. Third, students have great control over
theirlearning, since they can notonly go at their own pace but even ontheir own individual path, going forward and backwards to different parts of the program, honing in on particular aspects and
skipping other aspects altogether. Finally, a major advantage of hypermedia is that it facilitates a principle focus on the content, without sacrificing a secondary focus on language form or learning
strategies.

*) Steps toward Integrative CALL: The Internet.
Computer mediated communication allows users to share not only brief messages, but also lengthy (formatted or unformatted) documents-thus facilitating collabotative writing-and also graphics, sounds,and video. using the World Wide Web (WWW), students can searchthrough millions of files around the world within minutes to locate and access authentic materials (e.g. newspaper and magazine articles,radio broadcasts, short videos,movie reviews,book excerpts) exactly tailored to their own personal interest. They can also use the Web to pulish their text or multimedia materials to share with partner classes or with the general public.