Natzyelly Gonzalez

School of Education and Humanities

B.A in Applied Linguistics
2011
This unit is designed to help students to:

Understand the use of computers and technology in

language learning and teaching.

Identify the advantages and disavantages of computers in

language learning and teaching

Analyze the roles of the computer in language learning and teaching

Identify the changing phases of CALL

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-
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“Technology refers to all tools and procedures.
It is the state of knowledge and development
at any given time of our control of our
surroundings, and includes all tools (utensils,
devices, machinery, inventions, and
structures), all methods (skills, processes,
and techniques), and all applied materials
(both raw and manufactured).”

The Free Dictionary by Farlex

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/technology
 What is a tool?

“a device or implement, especially one held

in the hand, used to carry out a particular
function: gardening tools. a thing used in
an occupation or pursuit…”
 Determinism
• Technology is an autonomous,
deterministic force acting on society
• Technological determinism suggests that
the technology itself automatically brings
about certain results (whether good or
bad).
• Technological determinism either
celebrated technology’s modernizing
features or blamed it for the crisis of
western civilization
• Attributed a negative essence to
technology, seeing it as a force of
domination and totalitarianism
 Instrumentalism
• Technology is neutral
• The most widely accepted view of
technology
• Technologies are simply ‘tools’ serving the
purposes of their users
• Technology is ‘‘indifferent to the variety of
ends it can be employed to achieve’’
Feenberg, 1991;5
• It is not technology which creates
problems or solutions, but the way in
which technologies are used
Feenberg argues that ‘determinist’ and
‘instrumentalist’ conceptions:
• decontextualize technology
• abstract it from social practices
• fail to provide understanding of its social
and historical embeddedness
 Not one nor the other
• Technology is not ‘determinist’ because it
is shaped by human agency
• But is not neutral because “…people
cannot use technology towards any ends
they wish, as technology carries with it
certain values/biases which reflect its own
historical development and design.”
 Feenberg’s view
• Technology is a ‘battlefield’ or ‘site-of-
struggle’ where individuals and social
groups can struggle to influence and
change technological design, uses and
meanings
 Judge predetermined right-or-wrong
answers

d i n pu t Provide immediate, yet fixed, feedback,

pec t e suggestions, and encouragement
u n ex Pro
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Judg
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red i
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at ion n ed feed
inf or m l ist bac
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Provid ssa o
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Engage learner in rich negotiation of
Motiva meaning characteristic of face-to-face
engag t e depth
ement and qu interaction
charac alit
teristic y of s i s t e nce
interac of hum t as k pe r
eec h, and
tion an te sp
Motiva er’s writing,
o r d learn r o g r ess
•Rec g p
learnin
 What Computers Can and Can’t “Do” (based on Meskill,
2002, p. 122)
 

Computers CAN Computer CAN’T

Judge predetermined right-or-wrong Judge unexpected input
answers, e.g., multiple choice and fill-
in-the-blanks
Provide immediate, yet fixed, Provide individualized
feedback, suggestions, and feedback beyond a
encouragement predetermined list of
messages 
Provide authentic information through Engage learner in rich
multimedia - texts, images, sounds, negotiation of meaning
videos, and animations characteristic of face-to-face
interaction
Motivate task persistence Motivate depth and quality of
•Record learner’s writing, speech, and engagement characteristic of
learning progress human interaction
 Technology definition
• …technology is an elusive concept. It can refer to
material objects, such as machines, hardware or
utensils, but it can also encompass broader themes,
such as systems, methods of organization, and
techniques. It is an ever-evolving body of knowledge that
both shapes and is shaped by societies.
• The proliferation of new technologies… has left some
people believing that technology is a determinant force in
society… that it is an autonomous agent that drives
change. It would be more appropriate to… regard
technology as one component of a multi-faceted cultural
matrix, which includes social, political, historical, and
economic factors that work together to spawn change.
Aspects to evaluate Weight Due date
Homework 10%
Contribution to class 10% Every class
discussion showing
evidence of having read
and understood reading
onegroup presentation 10% Date to be established
during the term
Exams 10%
Written assignments Due: February
1)Midterm assignment: 30%
1000-1500 word written
2)Final assignment
1000-1500 word written 30% Due: May
assignment

100%

http://callnatz11.blogspot.com/
Warschauer (1997) proposes five guidelines
to help teachers implement computer
network-based activities into the second
language classroom. They are general
guidelines that can also be used in an EFL
context: 
•1. ‘Consider carefully your goals’: It must be clear to the teacher why this
    

tool would be more successful than a traditional one. Reasons for using the
Internet range from increased motivation to learning computer skills, but we
should not ask students to do something on the computer that a book could do
just as well.
•2. ‘Think integration’: Simply asking students to have a computer pen pal
    

will not ensure a significant educational outcome. Teachers must be more

involved in the activities and integrate them into the overall design and goals of
the course.
•3.    ‘Don’t underestimate the complexity’: A
number of students may lack basic prerequisites for
using the Internet, and it might be very time
consuming to train these students. Apart from this,
technical practicalities such as having computers
available, hardware and software malfunction and
excessively long waiting time to access web pages.,
may all hinder the use of the Internet in class.
•4.    ‘Provide necessary support’: We should not stop
trying to use the Internet due to the problems we
mentioned above, but provide support in the form of
hand-outs, training sessions, set up simple log-on
procedures, encourage students to work in pairs or groups
and help each other, and being available to help students
when they are carrying out their Internet tasks.
•5.    ‘Involve students in decisions’: Because of the
complexities and difficulties mentioned, the teacher must
be aware of the impact of these activities, consulting
them through class discussions and surveys. This does
not mean a passive role for the teacher, who should co-
ordinate activities, focus students’ attention on linguistic
aspects of texts and assist students in developing learning
strategies