THIS IS AN OLDER VERSION OF THE COURSE WEBPAGE.

This course on CALL or TELL (Technology-Enhanced Language Learning) or WELL (Web-Enhanced ...) covers the theoretical and practical aspects of using technology to promote language learning.

Language teachers and learners have always looked to technology to help with the language learning process and the widespread adoption of computers in society today means that the question is not whether technology is used, but how. Students in industrialised nations are likely to use computers for email and for web-browsing. even if there is no official technology component to a language course.

How can technology be used to enhance language learning? Where does technology fit best in the complex process of learning a language? These questions will be explored in this paper and  at the same time we will use technology (fairly gently) throughout the course in order to increase your knowledge of technology use and also to foster some reflection on the manner in which content, interaction, and feedback may be assigned to computer-based systems. We will conduct the course partly in the online realm and make use of online resources as much as possible. The readings, for instance, are mostly online or are downloadable and we will hold some sessions in a computer lab.

Some students may be somewhat apprehensive about using technology. You might look at the questionnaire which you will complete during the first class session.

Any discussion of CALL naturally builds on ideas about the nature of language and language learning and so some familiarity with issues in applied language studies is necessary. On the computing side, you should have some basic computer skills, but no programming is required. You will learn how to use simple authoring programs during the semester.

Textbook
The class text is an electronic version (pdf file) of Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Concepts, Contexts and Practices, edited by Jeong-Bae Son.

The text can be downloaded from ebookmall.com for $US6.

Hot Potatoes, Wiki, Moodle etc.
There are a variety of options for creating CALL materials. For this course, we will use a popular program called Hot Potatoes. You can get from the Hot Potatoes website if you want to have your own copy of the software.