What is it?

CALL (Computer Aided language learning) is an approach of teaching and learning a language, such as presentation, assessment or reinforcement of material that uses the technology of computers as a aid for the learners to learn and it often includes interactive element that is substantial.

Interesting facts about the history of CALL (Computer Aided language learning)

• In the early of 1990s, an alternative term to CALL emerged and it was named Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) that it was designed to provide a much more accurate description of the learning models that was confined within the range of activities of CALL. In the end, however, this term TELL had never gotten nearly as popular as the original CALL.
• CALL was originated in the USA and was in common use until the early 1980s - that was when CALL became the dominant term for such technology.
• Throughout the 80’s CALL had improved its learning mode functions drastically by adding or upgrading the unique communicative approach as well as a range of bundled new technologies, such as multimedia and communications technology…amongst many others.
• Amongst some of the very first specialist businesses that developed CALL in the early 80’s was “Wida Software” originated in London, UK. And, the first generation of CALL included a feature that allowed the students to match two sentence halves or anything else that belongs together that it was commonly named “Match master”. On the other hand, “Choice master” was the classic multiple-choice test format, or “Gap master” designed for texts that were gapped together. “Text mixer” was used to jumble lines within a poem or sentences inside a paragraph. “Word store” as a function of a learner’s own secret vocabulary database that was to be complete with a definition plus some example sentence that the word was supposed to be learned and used in a context. Last (but not least), “Storyboard” where a short text being blotted out completely that has to be stored from scratch. It is important to note that all of the above unique features of CALL that continues to be popular nowadays merged into one general-purpose, multimedia authoring program known as “The Authoring Suite” designed from the one and same company “Wida Software”

What might the user expect when using CALL?

The typical CALL programs present a stimulus in a sense that the learner must respond that it may be presented in any combination of text, still images, or sound, and even motion video. Some of which might come with the format of CD-ROM, DVD, Web-Based CALL, Interactive Whiteboards (for the whole class), or Blogs and Pod-casts - the learner responds to the stimulus by typing at the keyboard and to point out; click with the mouse; speaking through a microphone, then the computer or program will give feedback to the user in order to indicate whether the learner’s response is right, wrong, or to analyze the user’s response pinpointing potential mistakes or errors. It’s been known that one of the common features of more sophisticated CALL programs come with the ability to branch and to help the student through designer-remedial activities.

Extra - (considerations for Pedagogical and methodological methods)

In the Golden early days of CALL, and many teachers were overly excited by the new technology that they neglected innovative pedagogical and methodological issues that would have been required to integrate the successful use of computers into the TEFL (Teaching English As Foreign Languages) curriculum. A good example would be the “battery chicken” syndromes where the learners inclined to isolate themselves from one another as they’re working in a computer lab. Fortunately, it was soon discovered that new technology doesn’t necessarily have to separate students inside languages classes and if anything - it improves it. Provided that team work ensue and if planned well, it could encourage the learners to use the foreign language communicating through each of their own computer(s) and to increase the time they spent practicing their oral skills.

How is the current situation like with the CALL technology?

Before we delve into the topic, it is equally important to pinpoint that there’s a website out there called “ICT4LT” that contains a wealth of information over the topic of and that describes the current situation in CALL. It was set up to target European Commission aid but it was also to provide a comprehensive set of ICT training resources for language teachers.

Finally, and as already implied from above, currently the CALL software has embraced the technology of CD-ROM, DVD as well as a growing interest in Web-based CALL; Interactive Whiteboards that applied the method of whole-class teaching, and the usages of blogs and podcasts along with the currently popular approach to “normalised” CALL that is to stress the possibility that computers may only become fully effective in language teaching and learning when we use them everyday (in language teaching) as we use pens and books…”Normalisation” of CALL could also be seen as potentially an extremely valuable aim and even agenda for the profession and learners alike. And with the additional aid of “learning management system” that would allow the user to explore language through environments with a breakthrough TEFL technology named “Moodle” that is designed for Language Teaching.

Michael Balcombe