1	Trends in CALL: Software, Hardware, Communication Dr. Deborah Healey English Language Institute Oregon State University deborah.healey@oregonstate.edu http://oregonstate.edu/~healeyd
2	Agenda A brief look back... Current uses of CALL Tools – software and online Skill practice – software and online Communication – online Next steps – smaller, faster, ubiquitous What does it mean?
3	A brief look back... PLATO (1950s-70s) Mainframe-based Practice orientation The teacher as programmer Good record-keeping Computers as teachers Collaborative learning Small number of users
4	Early microcomputers (early 1980s) Green+white, text only Drill and practice (US), text-based simulations (UK) Command-key, not graphical (Ctrl-WS to save a document) Teacher as programmer Computers as teachers Individual learning (US), collaborative learning (UK) Small number of users
5	Graphical interface (late 1980s) Practice, simulations, multimedia-based learning with software Good record-keeping Teachers as facilitators One-computer classroom Students working together at a computer Computer as teacher and facilitator Growing number of users
6	Internet-ready (1990s-present) Easy global communication Self-publishing Students and teachers need to be Internet-literate Don’t forget good teaching practice It’s no panacea Computer as facilitator Increasing number of users
7	Now... Multiple media, mostly digital Smaller, faster, more widely available technology Internet – faster, more media capability Web 2.0 = ‘social web’ with user-created content But video still needs more capacity (bandwidth); more users = slower
8	Roles of teachers and computers Traditional ideas Computer as tutor Students work alone Immediate feedback Audiolingual orientation
9	Roles of teachers and computers Current ideas - traditional, plus Computer as tool, mostly Students work collaboratively Resource provider Stimulus for exploration Means of communication Constructivist orientation
10	"It's not so much the program, more what you do with it" Chris Jones (1986). It's not so much the program, more what you do with it: The importance of methodology in CALL. System, 14 (2), p.171-78. Strong teacher role "Program" then; “Internet" now
11	Current uses - tools Software and online Word-processing/presentation Easy authoring Digitizing audio/video Concordancers Course management systems Search engines SmartBoards, clickers, and other technology gadgets
12	MS Word options Insert comment: Voice and text annotations (sample) Track changes Compare documents AutoSummarize (sample) Grammar checking Translation
13	Audio comments in Word
14	What do you get? Another way for teachers and students to interact (T-S, S-S) Audio or text response Comments of any length Comments about comments
15	MS PowerPoint options Presentation wizard Step-by-step organizer Many templates http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx Easy use of media Graphics, sound, video Internet connections Form is easy; needs attention to content
16	Exploring PowerPoint Templates - for student and teacher use Appropriate size for viewing Real world skill Add media – audio, video Hyperlinks
17	Easy authoring Hot Potatoes Not just ‘wrong, try again’ Student-created exercises Record-keeping issue Quality takes time and effort Download at hotpot.uvic.ca MS Office: Save as Web page User-friendly web pages and blogs
18	Digital audio and video Audio: built into Mac and Windows Garage Band Sound Recorder Audacity: download for Mac or Windows – easy editing Video: built into Mac, add to Windows iMovie, Movie Maker
19	Digital audio: What do you get? Another way for teachers and students to interact (T-S, S-S) Audio response to audio journals A recording that can be reviewed later A recording that can be edited Easier for the teacher to transport Think about all those cassette tapes...
20	Student-created movies iMovie and MovieMaker Free Relatively easy to use Exciting for students Good group project Requires high-end equipment High-speed processor, lots of RAM and hard drive space Can share on YouTube (www.youtube.com) or Vimeo (www.vimeo.com)
21	Digital movie pluses and minuses Why not videotape? Easier to edit Easy to add titles, music Easier to make high-quality copies Easy to share online Advantages of tape Easier to record Cheaper Holds much more
22	Concordancers Data-driven learning for students Students as language researchers Deeper processing = remembering Lots of examples for teachers Create worksheets easily Online and software-based MiCASE, Cobuild online AntConc (download from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/ antconc_index.html), Conc (Mac); MonoConc Pro (commercial)
23	Cobuild – since (Cobuild)
24	Communication tools Course management systems Blackboard/WebCT Expensive; designed for large sites Free course management systems Nicenet – www.nicenet.org (limited options but easy to use and no ads) Moodle www.moodle.org Tom Robb’s site - http://www.langconcepts.net/moodle/ (more later)
25	Web-based discussion:Nicenet www.nicenet.org Conferencing Link sharing
26	Search engines Choose the right one Google isn’t perfect Category vs keyword Academic search engines and portals Noodletools – www.noodletools.com Teach students search techniques Create lists of links for students
27	Gadgets SmartBoard Interactive whiteboard Record for playback Clicker Classroom response system Good for large classes
28	Recording for playback SmartBoard tool PowerPoint add-on Saves a session as it is being delivered with screens and audio
29	Current uses: Skill practice Software and online Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Reading Listening Test preparation
30	Visual aids to pronunciation Ineffective Waveforms Formant maps Somewhat effective Pitch and intensity contours Useful Graphic representations of similarity Speech pathology tools
31	Pronunciation Power
32	EyeSpeak sample
33	SpeechViewer
34	Current uses: Communication Email pen pals (“keypals”) Discussion lists – Yahoo Groups Blogs – blogger.com Podcasting – podomatic.com Student/class web pages Regular page – tripod, geocities Wikis – pbwiki.com/education.wiki
35	Blogs Student publishing Interactive (or not) Easy to create Text-oriented www.blogger.com and more techteachingworldwide.blogspot.com/
36	Audio blogs & podcasts Created by students or teachers Blogs can be set to accept comments Interactive, but information is saved Free websites available www.podomatic.com
37	Sound recording- Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
38	Aiden Yeh’s Speech Class
39	Student or class wiki Easy way to have several people work together Private or public space pbwiki.com/education.wiki
40	What do you get? Student authorship Easy way to share – and have an audience Teachers can check student work and comment online or offline Students can comment to each other Motivating activity for students Need to set tasks for best results
41	Student-generated pages Motivating In-class or outside audience Hot Potatoes exercises Project reports ThinkWave competitions Watch for copyright violations
42	Less common tools Speech recognition Speech to text and text to speech Messaging – audio/video chat Texting Video file-sharing Wireless communication
43	Speech recognition IBM ViaVoice and ScanSoft Dragon Naturally Speaking (commercial); Microsoft Speech SDK (68MB file) Increasing accuracy in transcribing speech Forces speaker to focus on accuracy Text to speech improving
44	Speech recognition CALL applications TraciTalk – one of the first DynEd offerings: Dynamic English, Functioning in Business Rosetta Stone, Learn to Speak English, Tell Me More, Connected Speech, EyeSpeak Variety of implementations
45	Audio/video Chat Multi-modal chat One person or multiple (Yahoo Messenger, Breeze, Skype) Text, audio, video Transmission issues Instant Messenger/Yahoo Messenger
46	Computer phone Underlying technology: Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Skype (www.skype.com), Gizmo (www.gizmo.com) Can call a regular phone or another computer
47	Gizmo (www.gizmo.com)
48	What do you get? Add a computer speakerphone for class discussion with anyone Set up voice pals with another class Computer-to-computer is free Computer to telephone is cheap Often issues with the sound breaking up – transmission problems Does not record for later review
49	What do you get? Interaction with an audience for practice and feedback (maybe instruction, too) Practice listening for pauses/interruption cues The option to switch to text if the sound is too confusing Lots of (sometimes too much) input Often issues with the sound breaking up – transmission problems No record for later review
50	Video file-sharing YouTube as a prime example 100MB, 10 minute limit Hellodeo – www.hellodeo.com - very short clips Vimeo – www.vimeo.com Students and teachers can create and upload files Free website
51	Wireless communication: Ubiquitous computing Free to move around Connection to others and/or Internet Multiple types of hardware Laptop Hand-held – smaller, faster, cheaper iPod or MP3 player for audio Cell phone – voice and text Wireless lab
52	Cell phone with Bluetooth Bluetooth = short-range transmission Sample: features include V CAST Music, a music/video player, 1.3 megapixel camera & camcorder, Bluetooth capabilities This is a phone??
53	What do you get? One-to-one interaction for practice and feedback (maybe instruction, too) File transfer ability (short-range) Could listen to music and discuss it with a partner Cell phone costs – usually high during the day
54	What does this all mean? “Just a tool” Student focus More creativity and control for students More flexibility to respond to learner needs and differences More demands on teachers Know more and do more More mass-market options =>cheaper
55	Outcomes... Present and near future possibilities Better teaching and learning Focus on creativity Greater learner control Lower prices
56	Still needed Curriculum Organizational scheme for learning Not just programmed learning and direct instruction Link between language and people Make it real Research on best practices Constantly moving target
57	Next steps Do classroom-based (action) research Try it and share your results Pressure vendors to create products that work for us and our students Keep looking for the best fit Be creative and have fun!