|
The Language Teacher | ||
|
As the 21st century approaches the question facing language teachers is not "Should I use CALL?" but "How should I use CALL?" The answer to that question is going to be different for each teacher who considers it. CALL is a field with infinite possibilities. As we add our knowledge and demands CALL will continue to grow into an indispensable language learning tool. We realize that most teachers are left to their own devices regarding training in CALL. Much like the misconception that "native speakers are inherent language teachers" the current misconception is that any computer user can teach with a computer. Purchasers of new lab equipment, aided and abetted by Ministry of Education grant policies, tend to concentrate resources on hardware and (to a lesser degree) software, while almost completely ignoring training. This month The Language Teacher examines different areas of CALL to help readers make an informed decision on how to utilize CALL in languageteaching. Many EFL teachers around the world are turning to the Internet as they try to provide native English speaker contact for their students. Ishbel Galloway and Douglas O'Brien explore the pros and cons of some of the possibilitits available on the WWW. My Share continues this theme with an activity provided by Scott Rule for students using search engines and a description of a Kanji activity written by Komori Saeko and Ueda Miki. E-mail projects are described by John Bauman while Larry Davies, Lesley Shield, and Markus J. Weininger document the more interactive MOO projects which allow students to communicate with students on the other side of the world in real time. Off-line CALL will also be of interest to many teachers. Steve Shucart outlines an evaluation technique to use on non-ESL adventure software such as Carmen Sandiego. A non-ESL. software activity is explained by Albert Dudley in My Share. Kizuka Masataka discusses administrative issues for those considering a CALL center (in Japanese). Teachers can find out about commercial software in JALT Undercover which is filled with reviews of electronic dictionaries, courseware with voice recognition, and children's software. Of course there are always those people who do not want to follow someone else's lesson plans. For them we have an article by Frank Berberich on software authoring. Recordable CD-ROMs and recorders are now reasonably priced bringing self-authored software into the reach of mortals and teachers. The only constraint left is time. We hope through this issue to communicate the excitement we feel and the myriad possibilities we see when we think about CALL. Kevin Ryan and Elin Melchior
All articles copyright © 1998 by their respective authors. |
