scholarly journals Virtual Classrooms in Brazil: teachers' difficulties and anxieties towards technology in language learning

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-132
Author(s):  
Andréa Machado de Almeida Mattos
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Virtual Classrooms ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Global Understanding ◽  
Learning Data

Many researchers, nowadays, have been enthusiastic in promoting the advantages of introducing technology in the language classroom, but few have been worried with the problems and anxieties that result from changes in a long-lasting culture such as the culture of language learning. This paper aims at discussing the problems faced by teachers who have been working with technology in their language classrooms. The research design was based on theoretical and empirical studies both in the areas of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teacher Development. The main objective of this paper is, thus, to achieve a global understanding of the teachers' anxieties in relation to the virtual environment of language learning. Data was gathered through interviews with the teachers, leading to a qualitative analysis of the findings.

scholarly journals Technology in the Language Classroom: How Social Media is Changing the Way EFL is Taught

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Hamza Alshenqeeti
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
The Past ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Classrooms

This paper explores how technology, and specifically the application of social media, in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom is changing how language is taught. The paper begins with a depiction of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and how technology has generally been employed in EFL classrooms in the past few decades. This critical appraisal, which provides the context for the paper, assesses how successfully technology has been viewed in relation to language teaching and learning and how it has developed up to the present day. The focus then moves to social media apps and mobile technology as a contemporary form of CALL. The discussion considers the ways in which social media is used in language classrooms and more importantly the things it can offer the EFL teacher and learner. Importantly, the paper concludes by proposing ways in which these types of technologies can be better incorporated across cultures and contexts to promote EFL teaching and learning.

The Meeting Point of Second Life® and Web 2.0

2014 ◽  
pp. 689-707
Author(s):  
Ya-Chun Shih
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Creative Writers ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Descriptive Writing

Researchers and practitioners endeavoring to incorporate Second Life® (SL) and Web 2.0 into language classrooms promise greater practical value from computer-assisted language learning (CALL). This chapter provides an innovative approach to blog writing, exploring SL as an immersive experience that stimulates follow-up description, imagination, and writing creativity. Drawing on experiences in 2009 and 2010 in linking SL and Web 2.0 applications to inspire the writing of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduate students, this chapter describes the characteristics of descriptive writing and presents the process of learning and writing of these students in cooperation with their peers in order to discover within themselves the motivation to be creative writers.

The Meeting Point of Second Life and Web 2.0

2012 ◽  
pp. 132-150
Author(s):  
Ya-Chun Shih
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Creative Writers ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Descriptive Writing

Researchers and practitioners endeavoring to incorporate Second Life® (SL) and Web 2.0 into language classrooms promise greater practical value from computer-assisted language learning (CALL). This chapter provides an innovative approach to blog writing, exploring SL as an immersive experience that stimulates follow-up description, imagination, and writing creativity. Drawing on experiences in 2009 and 2010 in linking SL and Web 2.0 applications to inspire the writing of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduate students, this chapter describes the characteristics of descriptive writing and presents the process of learning and writing of these students in cooperation with their peers in order to discover within themselves the motivation to be creative writers.

Transparency of reporting in CALL meta-analyses between 2003 and 2015

ReCALL ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifen Lin ◽  
Tsuiping Chen ◽  
Hsien-Chin Liou
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Research Synthesis ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Research Domain

AbstractSince its introduction by Glass in the 1970s, meta-analysis has become a widely accepted and the most preferred approach to conducting research synthesis. Overcoming the weaknesses commonly associated with traditional narrative review and vote counting, meta-analysis is a statistical method of systematically aggregating and analyzing empirical studies by following well-established procedures. The findings of a meta-analysis, when appropriately conducted, are able to inform important policy decisions and provide practical pedagogical suggestions. With the growing number of publications employing meta-analysis across a wide variety of disciplines, it has received criticism due to its inconsistent findings derived from multiple meta-analyses in the same research domain. These inconsistencies have arisen partly due to the alternatives available to meta-analysts in each major meta-analytic procedure. Researchers have therefore recommended transparent reporting on the decision-making for every essential judgment call so that the results across multiple meta-analyses become replicable, consistent, and interpretable. This research explored the degree to which meta-analyses in the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) discipline transparently reported their decisions in every critical step. To achieve this aim, we retrieved 15 eligible meta-analyses in CALL published between 2003 and 2015. Features of these meta-analyses were extracted based on a codebook modified from Cooper (2003) and Aytug, Rothstein, Zhou and Kern (2012). A transparency score of reporting was then calculated to examine the degree to which these meta-analyses are compliant with the norms of reporting as recommended in the literature. We then discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the methodologies and provide suggestions for conducting quality meta-analyses in this domain.

Integrating CALL into the classroom: the role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course

ReCALL ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNE O’BRIEN ◽  
VOLKER HEGELHEIMER
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Materials Integration ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Online Format ◽  
Listening Strategies

Despite the increase of teacher preparation programs that emphasize the importance of training teachers to select and develop appropriate computer-assisted language learning (CALL) materials, integration of CALL into classroom settings is still frequently relegated to the use of selected CALL activities to supplement instruction or to provide additional practice. For the most part, we are still quite a way from what Bax (2003) calls the normalization stage of CALL, i.e., the stage where CALL becomes invisible and truly integrated. Podcasting, a new method of delivering on-demand audio and video files via the Web, shows promise as a technology that may allow teachers to expand the confines of their classrooms, and is becoming increasingly popular in educational contexts. Current use of podcasting in education remains, however, limited primarily to the delivery of recorded lectures in a portable, online format. We believe podcasting has the potential to not only act as a rich source of input and instruction for students in the language classroom, but also to transform instruction. Consequently, this paper describes a structured attempt to integrate CALL activities in the form of podcasts into an academic English as a Second Language (ESL) course on listening strategies. Preliminary evaluation of this ongoing project suggests that both the teacher and the students find the podcasts to be a positive component of the course.

scholarly journals Computer assisted language learning in English language classrooms in Bosnia and Herzegovina

ExELL ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-46
Author(s):  
Nihada Delibegović Džanić ◽  
Amila Hasanspahić
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
English Language ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
English Language Classrooms

AbstractThe paper examines the application of computer assisted language learning (CALL) in English language classes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was designed as an empirical examination of the attitudes of teachers and students on the successful application of computer assisted language learning in English language classrooms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lack of motivation is one the problems that most teachers are faced with. There are many causes of poor motivation, but one of them is certainly the unattractiveness and dullness of traditional methods, teaching materials and resources. However, many authors with educational experience point out that the use of information technology can positively influence students’ motivation and encourage them to work actively. While adults, as digital immigrants, might not use modern information technology excessively, children and teens are true digital natives, who have grown up with the latest technologies and use them with great pleasure in all aspects of their lives adapting them to their needs (Prensky, 2001). The results obtained in this research are an indicator of the current attitude of teachers and students towards these issues, but they also highlight some important necessary reforms in the field of teacher education.

CALL research: Where are we now?

ReCALL ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structure Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Small Cohort

AbstractThis article considers the current position of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) research by producing an integrative synthetic overview of all the articles published in three leading international CALL journals: ReCALL (in its 31st year of publication), the CALICO Journal (its 36th) and Computer Assisted Language Learning journal (its 32nd) over a sustained recent period: 2006–2016. They are judged sufficiently representative to enable broad trends to be detected and the sector’s strengths and weaknesses to be identified. The focus is on CALL research’s international reach, the range of topics researched and the nature of the studies themselves. The findings suggest that CALL research is growing internationally in the number of countries and researchers involved. A wide range of topics is researched, but there is a concentration of papers published on a cluster of popular areas. Consequently, fewer articles are published on a large number of CALL topics or, in some cases, rarely studied. The research methods employed are rigorous: in writing, structure, theory, literature awareness, and discussion and presentation of results, yet there are still weaknesses. Most empirical studies are small scale: based on one institution, a small cohort of students, over a short period of time and seldom followed up. Based on these findings, suggestions are made with a view to broadening and strengthening CALL research through targeting neglected strategic areas with special journal issues and conferences, and improving the quality of research projects. Key areas for future research are proposed.

Guerrilla fan translation, language learning, and metalinguistic discussion in a Catalan-speaking community of gamers

ReCALL ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Boris Vazquez-Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
New Members ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Learning Language ◽  
Effective Integration

Abstract Driven by their affinity to popular culture, fans frequently engage in linguistic practices that may be conducive to language learning. This study seeks to find out how a group of Catalan-speaking gamers decided to start producing fan translations of video games from English into Catalan. Based on a digital ethnography (online interviews and observation of the group’s activity), two types of analysis were conducted: a content analysis for recurrent trends and a focused analysis of internal metalinguistic discussions on the quality of translations. Results indicate that fan translators (1) organize hierarchically with set roles and functions, (2) curate their group identity and care for the promotion of Catalan as a vehicle for cultural production, (3) learn language incidentally in three ways: while translating (ensuring the comprehension of English and the linguistic quality and creativity of the transfer into Catalan), through sharing language doubts with their peers on their Telegram group and dialogically agreeing on pragmatically acceptable English-Catalan translations, and through metalinguistic discussions on translation tests received from potential new members. The study resonates with a novel subfield in computer-assisted language learning: language learning in the digital wilds, which might be fertile ground for studies on incidental and informal language learning online. The study may also serve as inspiration for effective integration of translation into language classrooms in a manner that bridges vernacular fan translation and pedagogic translation, considering the importance of metalinguistic discussion for language learning and the sociocultural dimension of both translation and language learning.

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