Interesting chapter. Difficult to follow unless you google ever program to catch on. I can see why, "the Internet is the central focus of CALL because of its prominent role in today's FL classroom and in the lives of the students." We have 21st century learners and I agree that teachers need to get fully involved in evaluating CALL materials. I feel they have a professional responsibility to seek out and select what they consider to be the best set of CALL learning materials for their students in order to stimulate L2 development. I went to CALICO Journals and found that you have to pay $5 for an article. I am interested to see how the CALL software will fit with my teaching strategies and the learning environment for my students. I looked up Tell Me More Pro, ASR, ITS, Hot Potatoes, and Moodle and found that I have A LOT to learn. I noted a Bingo game a blogger/teacher had created in Hot Potatoes and after shadowing a Spanish teacher, I remember how much the students LOVED to play this game.
I recall the "CALL platform wars." I had one in my home when I wanted to buy a PC and lived in a Mac home! I was told they would disown me. I learned quickly what the differences and advantages were in the platforms.
Interesting to see how the Internet was first developed in the U.S., but the FL programs were rampid in Germany and Russia (PLATO project).
Lastly, I learned that Bringham Young University developed the earliest nonlinear programs to stimulate adventures in Spanish-speaking countries to force students to become involved in the storyline by making choices that branched off in different directions. Having been brought up in Latin America, I was so surprised to see so many young Mormon missionaries speaking rather well in Spanish in such a short time. They are given 2-year assignments to evangelize Mormonism and are sent to Latin America. They certainly were far away from home.
No comments:
Post a Comment