CALL Class at UIC

I have learned some valuable ideas for the use of CALL tools in the ESL classroom. Prior to taking the CALL class, there were many CALL tools that I had never even considered using. If the resources are available, I think that I would incorporate e-journaling on blog sites as part of the course design. Since I have learned how to edit and produce a podcast, I can see myself using my own podcasts within contextualized lessons.

I have occasionally used some Internet sites in my own ESL classroom, and as long as I have access to computers at a course location, I will continue to do so. The ones that my students generally seem to prefer are those that allow for learner choice. I currently teach in a community context, and many of my students have no computer experience, so user-friendly self-access exercises seem to work well. In an English for Academic Purposes context, I think that I would be more likely to incorporate CALL tools, as there may be a higher likelihood that the students would be proficient in using computers.

Second Life, Second Language

I must begin with a confession. I constantly mocked the idea of going onto Second Life, that is until I explored the program and lost many hours of my Real Life. I must admit that I've become quite the fan of Second Life.

Music (playing and appreciating) has always been a large part of my (real) life, so I decided to explore some of the locations geared towards music. I am now in a couple of 'groups' on Second Life and am informed of Second Life 'events' in the Mod/Soul music scene. (New Wavers, Shoegazers, and Brit-Poppers...you're next!)

Aside from music, teaching ESL has become a central part of my life. I can see how Second Life (SL) could be useful for music fans and second language learners/instructors alike (ESL and otherwise). As an instructor, I believe that language learning is easier when it is contextualized around topics of interest to the learners. On Second Life, a language learner can visit different 'locations' that they find interesting and practice the four skills of speaking and listening (with voice chatting) and reading and writing (with typed chatting). Instructors and students can 'meet' on Second Life and explore places together (e.g. museums, tourist sites, etc.) and talk about them over voice-chat and use the typed-chat feature for clarification of spelling, etc.

Some students may not be comfortable with the idea of being seen over a webcam. This issue is resolved by the fact that, on Second Life, you have an avatar in place of your actual appearance. The anonymity could help in lowering affect, although one's facial expressions and gestures would not be visible (i.e. unless the Second Life participant is quite savvy with the 'gesture' feature). In addition, some students just may not be interested in this kind of format for language learning or have access to a computer that is powerful enough to deal with the program.

With lowered affect AND contextualization around any topic of interest, I think that Second Life is a win/win. However, I would encourage SL participants to set an alarm clock. One's Second Life may take over one's Real Life very easily. Consider yourself forewarned.

Question(s):
How would you use Second Life in language instruction?

Signing off,
Ladybird SecretSpy

Video Conference in the ESL Classroom

Until this week, I had never used a webcam. I can definitely see how they can be used in an ESL classroom (i.e. if students have access to computers and the Internet).

Now that I am somewhat acquainted with Tokbox and Meebo, I think that such tools would be useful for one-on-one ESL lessons, as well as for extra practice for students outside of the classroom setting. This would be great in an EFL context, where students may be limited in the types of authentic practice environments that are available to them.

One of the advantages of video-conferencing over just voice-chatting is the ability to see gestures and facial expressions. In my own experience as a language instructor and a language learner, it seems that telephone skills are diffucult due to the absence of inputs that can be made available via video-chatting.

E-journaling

In their article "A Web-Based Approach to Strategic Learning of Speech Acts," Cohen and Ishihara have documented their study of students' practice of and reflection upon speech acts that they had produced in Japanese. Students were able to practice different types of speech acts with web-based, self-access materials and provide feedback (via e-journaling) on the usefulness of the the materials and some of the challenges presented by the technology itself.

According to the article, a content analysis of the e-journaling entries indicated that a majority of the learners had found the curriculum to facilitate the learning of cultural/pragmatic contexts of speech acts (p. 15). A majority of the learners found the provided examples of speech and explanations of cultural aspects to be useful (p. 15). However, only 17% of the students found that the materials cleared up confusion about language and culture (p.16). About half of the students had no issues with the technology, and others generally had only minor issues (p.18).

I think that e-journaling could be useful in an ESL class. One possible use of e-journaling could be to create a student-generated electronic depository of vocabulary items. Students could compile a daily or weekly list new or interesting vocabulary items. For some of the days/weeks, the instructor could provide a topic and have students write all related words that come to mind (e.g. travel words).

Using Wiki Tools in the ESL Classroom

I think that using the Wiki format in an ESL classroom has both advantages and shortcomings. Depending on the types of information that are to be posted using this collaborative format, a Wiki tool could be useful. For example, the Wiki format would be great for students to compile a list of useful website links, create a student-generated vocabulary list. This format would also be useful for editing writing drafts.

One of the shortcomings of using the Wiki format is that a contributor may upload incorrect information or delete information that is correct and/or important to the overall wiki entry. I think that if the instructor is able to somehow monitor the uploaded material as well as who is uploading it, then the issue may be somewhat resolved.


Question(s):
Would you use a Wiki-based activity in an ESL classroom? Why or why not?

Computer-Mediated Communication

The incorporation of computer-mediated communication (CMC) activities into an ESL classroom has advantages and limitations. One of the advantages, particularly of using CALL tools that facilitate synchronous communication, is the opportunity for students to practice fluency in their communication.

According to Pellettieri, it is important for a CMC activity to be goal-oriented. The use of computer-mediated communication in a class can easily become an unstructured 'chatting' activity. This issue may be resolved by the assignment of a task that must be accomplished during the CMC activity.

There are a few things that an instructor must take into account when designing CMC activities: the task itself, the grammatical focus, difficulty, relevance, and authenticity.

Project Proposal (Bill Harris and Sabah Khan)

Bill and Sabah's ESL Teaching Tips: Project Proposal

The intended audience of the instructional activities is a four-skills English for Academic Purposes class. The intended level is intermediate.

The purpose of the instructional activities is to review and reinforce comparative and superlative structure formation through practice and production of these structures.

We plan to incorporate two CALL tools into our lesson. As one of the practice activities, we would be using a self-monitored multiple-choice activity, such as the following website:
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/compsup2.html. We also plan to incorporate YouTube into the lesson as part of a production activity, in which each of the students will be recorded while giving a presentation comparing/contrasting two local restaurants. There will be a minimum requirement of comparative and superlative structures that will have to be used in each presentation. Once the recorded video clips have been uploaded to YouTube, the videos could be used for teacher-to-student and student-to-student feedback in the form of comments posted under each video. The site will be set to 'private' so that the videos will only be accessible to students in that class.

We believe that the CALL tools that we have selected will enhance language acquisition for the targeted students. The online practice activity will give students the opportunity to self-monitor their understanding of comparatives and superlatives, promoting independent learning and consciousness raising of their own mastery of their ability to form the structures. The YouTube activity will give students (and the instructor) the opportunity to provide feedback about the students' use of the structures as well as any additional errors that they might encounter, all in an asynchronous manner.


The lesson will follow the following sequence (for two 2-hour class sessions):
DAY 1
1. Warm-up activity
2. Schema activation
3. Paired practice activity
4. Online practice activity (As described above)
5. Debriefing session
6. Explanation of presentation with model (Check, Please! clip on YouTube)
7. Preparation for recorded presentations
8. Record presentations

DAY 2
1. Warm-up activity
2. View presentations as a class
3. Students' and instructors' comments to be posted individually on computers as presentations are viewed as a class
4. Debriefing/feedback session


Links to sites that we will be using:
Comparative/Superlative Online Multiple-Choice Exercise
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/compsup2.html
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com