Reading Prompt 10 reply

Richardson shared several interesting ways to use Flickr as a fun way to learn in the language learning classroom. Similar to the model of J. Goodall’s camp in Africa, a flower or vegetable garden in a student’s backyard would be one idea. This would include using the annotation tool to identify the different features of the garden. Or creating a Flickr photo of a flower and using the annotation tool to describe the different parts of the flower, including its stem. Another idea I might use with my adult ELLs is to take a poem or any short text and link Flickr photos to tagable words. This could be done in pairs or groups to promote interaction and collaboration. And…it could be a learning tool for increased vocabulary acquisition as well. Richardson barely scratched the surface on using Flickr in the classroom.

Kern’s discussion of electronic literacies fascinated me. Sociocultural context of CALL does shape the nature of online teaching and learning. Electronic literacies seem to be a by-product of CALL. After re-reading the concept of textual identity from Lam’s research of Chinese students, I see their development of new identities not only from their online usage and discourse. Escapism from their government-run state that subverts individualism is likely at work here, too. The internet has come to serve as a mask for their self-expression. Many people in our country and around the world have also developed textual identities online (for various reasons), and teachers (and parents) need to be aware of such. Psychologist perspective is needed to further research this phenomenon of textual identity. Moving on, Multimodal texts are excellent learning tools, largely due to the logics involved. Digital storytelling, as with our final projects, involves using various modalities to compose a product. I think learners need a certain degree of L2 composition knowledge and experience before venturing into multimedia authoring. Going full circle, multimedia authoring can further enhance their off-line literacy skills. While I’m not sure about the identity construction angle of internet literacies, online learning can be beneficial to SLLs. More qualitative research and longitudinal studies involving Chapelle’s suggested research teams is definitely needed. Pedagogically, smart decisions about how to integrate electronic literacies into a curriculum is essential toward fully developing L2 literacy. I don’t think traditional classroom literacy teaching is sufficient today.

Additional posting #3

Our Texas Bluebonnets

It's that time of year again, and I've been hearing talk on the local news and just in general about the legality of picking Bluebonnets. The myth is it is illegal to pick'em. The truth is no, it's not illegal. I was researching this online, through my RSS feed and otherwise, and came across an "official" article on it, which I've added below. So, for those of you that enjoy getting out to see the Bluebonnet fields and for those of you new to this area, enjoy this season! After their absence last spring due to the drought, they are a welcome sight, once again!

© 2000-2010 Texas Department of Public Safety.
Each Texas springtime brings flowers to fields and roadsides and a question to the minds of nature lovers - is it really illegal to pick bluebonnets?
The answer is no - there is no law against picking our State Flower. However, there are laws against criminal trespass so make sure you're not on private property when you stop to take your annual kids-in-the-bluebonnets photo.
There are laws against damaging or destroying rights-of-way and government property -so pick a few flowers, but don't dig up clumps of them and don't drive your vehicle into the midst of them. Remember, Mother Nature and in many cases, your fellow Texans, scattered wildflower seeds along medians and roadways so that everyone could enjoy spring flowers.
For the safety of yourself and others, as well as to limit your ticketability:

There are laws against impeding traffic - so be careful about slowing down to enjoy the view. Pick areas with light traffic conditions for stopping.

Signal before leaving or entering the roadway.

Park off the roadway (off of improved shoulders), parallel to the road in the direction of traffic, on the same side of the roadway that the flowers are on. Don't walk or run across lanes of traffic to get to the flowers.

Obey signs that prohibit parking on a particular stretch of roadway.

And remember that in addition to a ticket, snakes and fire ants also could put more blue in your day than you bargained for.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_information/pr032602.htm

Additional Posting #2

Top 10 Low Pass Flybys of All Time



Check out number 3! The guy has nerves of steel. Blame all this flying stuff on Wilbur and Orville Wright! Some 20 plus years ago while stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, having won a recognition program, I received an "F-16 Incentive Ride", in the back seat of one. The takeoff was just as low and fast as the low passes in the video. It was amazing to say the least!

Additional Posting #1

King George is coming home...

If you're a huge country-western music fan, King George/El Rey is finishing up his annual tour here in San Antonio on May 1st. If you don't listen to country music you might ask "Who is King George/El Rey?" He's GEORGE STRAIT...the king of country music...with over 57 number 1 hits! Reba, LeeAnn Womack, and the Randy Rogers Band will peform as well. It'll be a great, fantastic, Wrangler wearing, boot stompin' concert for sure! Yes, I'm going...got great seats...and yes I'm excited! This'll be my fifth time seeing King George and second time seeing Reba! First time for LeeAnn...love her great voice...she can do a ballad!

You Tube video "Gotta Keep Reading" w/comments

I came across this You Tube video when I heard on the news a middle school did a video to promote reading using a very recent mega hit pop song. Ocoee Middle School in Florida did a parody of the Black Eyed Peas mega hit "I Gotta Feeling". Apparently the school got the idea after hearing the Black Eyed Peas sing their song on Oprah's recent kickoff to her new TV season. In what's called a Flash Mob Dance the audience participates in the singing of the song. Back to the school, they changed the title of the song to "Gotta Keep Reading", with the melody being "Gotta keep reading cuz’ this book's gonna’ be a good book." They do a great version of the Flash Mob Dance. Their version of the song mentions ideas like "turn off the TV", "collaborate", "graduate", "reading...smart", "entertained" "feed your brain", etc. This is a really neat video...it's about kids using multimedia to promote reading to other kids (viewers of the video). It's about collaboration, inspiration, and teamwork. Brilliant idea and it's fun to watch! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did...

Reading Prompt 9 reply

Corpus linguistics is defined the same by Barbierie and Conrad, with Conrad going into a great deal more detail. In its simplest definition it’s “the study of language that relies on computer-assisted techniques to analyze large, principled databases of naturally occurring language”. Conrad delves further and comments its changing grammar research. Corpus-based research looks at grammatical patterns as they vary across registers. It also can be used to research connections between grammar and the lexicon—lexicogrammatical connection. Conrad mentions a third use of corpus linguistics is that it will allow grammar teaching to become more focused on conditions of use.
I didn’t see in either article discussion teacher excitement about corpus linguistics. Rather Conrad’s excitement about it was seen throughout her article. Her examples were great illustrations of the value of corpora. She makes a good point that corpora research could give teachers and texts a clearer understanding of typical uses of words/clauses, rather than having to rely on judgments of grammatical accuracy. Another good point is that teachers and teachers-in-training need to be targeted more to spread the word of “corpus-based research”.
I could envision using corpora to supplement textbook series based-lessons and classroom activities. My corpus-based research could focus on register variation of target words that can be confusing to my learners. Or perhaps frequency patterns could be analyzed to help me decide if emphasis is needed in the classroom. For advanced level students, viewing corpora could be learning lessons themselves. Depending on the target word(s)/clause, objectives could be conditions of use, register variation or frequency patterns. After reading both articles, corpus linguistics definitely has a place in the TESOL arena. It is a new view of grammar and should be infused into grammar teaching, as a compliment, but not a replacement of such.

CALL article with commentary

English Teachers' Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning
Kuang-wu Lee
Johnny [at] hcu.edu.tw
Hsuan Chuang University (Hsinchu, Taiwan)
Computers have been used for language teaching ever since the 1960's. This 40-year period can be divided into three main stages: behaviorist CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL. Each stage corresponds to a certain level of technology and certain pedagogical theories. The reasons for using Computer-assisted Language Learning include: (a) experiential learning, (b) motivation, (c) enhance student achievement, (d) authentic materials for study, (e) greater interaction, (f) individualization, (g) independence from a single source of information, and (h) global understanding. The barriers inhibiting the practice of Computer-assisted Language Learning can be classified in the following common categories: (a) financial barriers, (b) availability of computer hardware and software, (c) technical and theoretical knowledge, and (d) acceptance of the technology.
Introduction
In the last few years the number of teachers using Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) has increased markedly and numerous articles have been written about the role of technology in education in the 21st century. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which the links between technology and TEFL have already been established.
In the early 90's education started being affected by the introduction of word processors in schools, colleges and universities. This mainly had to do with written assignments. The development of the Internet brought about a revolution in the teachers' perspective, as the teaching tools offered through the Internet were gradually becoming more reliable. Nowadays, the Internet is gaining immense popularity in foreign language teaching and more and more educators and learners are embracing it.

The History of CALL
Computers have been used for language teaching ever since the 1960's. According to Warschauer & Healey (1998), this 40-year period can be divided into three main stages: behaviorist CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL. Each stage corresponds to a certain level of technology and certain pedagogical theories.
Behaviorist CALL
In the 1960's and 1970's the first form of computer-assisted Language Learning featured repetitive language drills, the so-called drill-and-practice method. It was based on the behaviorist learning model and as such the computer was viewed as little more than a mechanical tutor that never grew tired. Behaviorist CALL was first designed and implemented in the era of the mainframe and the best-known tutorial system, PLATO, ran on its own special hardware. It was mainly used for extensive drills, explicit grammar instruction, and translation tests (Ahmad, et al., 1985).
Communicative CALL
Communicative CALL emerged in the 1970's and 1980's as a reaction to the behaviorist approach to language learning. Proponents of communicative CALL rejected behaviorist approaches at both the theoretical and pedagogical level. They stressed that CALL should focus more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves. Grammar should be taught implicitly and students should be encouraged to generate original utterances instead of manipulating prefabricated forms (Jones & Fortescue, 1987; Philips, 1987). This form of computer-based instruction corresponded to cognitive theories which recognized that learning was a creative process of discovery, expression, and development. The mainframe was replaced by personal computers that allowed greater possibilities for individual work. Popular CALL software in this era included text reconstruction programmers and simulations.
Integrative CALL
The last stage of computer-assisted Language Learning is integrative CALL. Communicative CALL was criticized for using the computer in an ad hoc and disconnected fashion and using the computer made 'a greater contribution to marginal rather than central elements' of language learning (Kenning & Kenning, 1990: 90). Teachers have moved away from a cognitive view of communicative language teaching to a socio-cognitive view that emphasizes real language use in a meaningful, authentic context. Integrative CALL seeks both to integrate the various skills of language learning (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) and to integrate technology more fully into language teaching (Warschauer & Healey, 1998). To this end the multimedia-networked computer provides a range of informational, communicative, and publishing tools that are potentially available to every student.
Why Use CALL?
Research and practice suggest that, appropriately implemented, network-based technology can contribute significantly to:

Experiential Learning
The World Wide Web makes it possible for students to tackle a huge amount of human experience. In such a way, they can learn by doing things themselves. They become the creators not just the receivers of knowledge. As the way information is presented is not linear, users develop thinking skills and choose what to explore.

Motivation
Computers are most popular among students either because they are associated with fun and games or because they are considered to be fashionable. Student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make them feel more independent.

Enhanced Student Achievement
Network-based instruction can help pupils strengthen their linguistic skills by positively affecting their learning attitude and by helping them build self-instruction strategies and promote their self-confidence.

Authentic Materials for Study
All students can use various resources of authentic reading materials either at school or from their home. Those materials can be accessed 24 hours a day at a relatively low cost.

Greater Interaction
Random access to Web pages breaks the linear flow of instruction. By sending E-mail and joining newsgroups, EFL students can communicate with people they have never met. They can also interact with their own classmates. Furthermore, some Internet activities give students positive and negative feedback by automatically correcting their on-line exercises.

Individualization
Shy or inhibited students can be greatly benefited by individualized, student-centered collaborative learning. High fliers can also realize their full potential without preventing their peers from working at their own pace.

Independence from a Single Source of Information
Although students can still use their books, they are given the chance to escape from canned knowledge and discover thousands of information sources. As a result, their education fulfils the need for interdisciplinary learning in a multicultural world.

Global Understanding
A foreign language is studied in a cultural context. In a world where the use of the Internet becomes more and more widespread, an English Language teacher's duty is to facilitate students' access to the web and make them feel citizens of a global classroom, practicing communication on a global level.
What Can We Do With CALL?
There is a wide range of on-line applications which are already available for use in the foreign language class. These include dictionaries and encyclopedias, links for teachers, chat-rooms, pronunciation tutors, grammar and vocabulary quizzes, games and puzzles, literary extracts. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a virtual library of information that can be accessed by any user around the clock. If someone wants to read or listen to the news, for example, there are a number of sources offering the latest news either printed or recorded. The most important newspapers and magazines in the world are available on-line and the same is the case with radio and TV channels.
Another example is communicating with electronic pen friends, something that most students would enjoy. Teachers should explain how it all works and help students find their keypals. Two EFL classes from different countries can arrange to send E-mail regularly to one another. This can be done quite easily thanks to the web sites providing lists of students looking for communication. It is also possible for two or more students to join a chat-room and talk on-line through E-mail. .

Another network-based EFL activity could be project writing. By working for a project a pupil can construct knowledge rather that only receive it. Students can work on their own, in groups of two or in larger teams, in order to write an assignment, the size of which may vary according to the objectives set by the instructor. A variety of sources can be used besides the Internet such as school libraries, encyclopedias, reference books etc. The Internet itself can provide a lot of food for thought. The final outcome of their research can be typed using a word processor. A word processor can be used in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing a school home page. In such a Web page students can publish their project work so that it can reach a wider audience. That makes them feel more responsible for the final product and consequently makes them work more laboriously.

The Internet and the rise of computer-mediated communication in particular have reshaped the uses of computers for language learning. The recent shift to global information-based economies means that students will need to learn how to deal with large amounts of information and have to be able to communicate across languages and cultures. At the same time, the role of the teacher has changed as well. Teachers are not the only source of information any more, but act as facilitators so that students can actively interpret and organize the information they are given, fitting it into prior knowledge (Dole, et al., 1991). Students have become active participants in learning and are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language rather than passive recipients of it (Brown, 1991). Integrative CALL stresses these issues and additionally lets learners of a language communicate inexpensively with other learners or native speakers. As such, it combines information processing, communication, use of authentic language, and learner autonomy, all of which are of major importance in current language learning theories.

Teachers' Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning
The barriers inhibiting the practice of Computer-assisted Language Learning can be classified in the following common categories (a) financial barriers, (b) availability of computer hardware and software, (c) technical and theoretical knowledge, and (d) acceptance of the technology.
Financial Barriers
Financial barriers are mentioned most frequently in the literature by language education practitioners. They include the cost of hardware, software, maintenance (particular of the most advanced equipment), and extend to some staff development. Froke (1994b) said, "concerning the money, the challenge was unique because of the nature of the technology." Existing universities policies and procedures for budgeting and accounting were well advanced for classroom instruction. The costs of media were accounted for in the university as a part of the cost of instruction. Though the initial investment in hardware is high, inhibiting institutions' introduction of advance technologies; but Hooper (1995) recommends that the cost of computers will be so low that they will be available in most schools and homes in the future.
Lewis et al. (1994) indicate three conditions under which Computer-assisted Learning and other technologies can be cost-effectiveness: Computer-assisted Learning costs the same as conventional instruction but ends up with producing higher achievement in the same amount of instructional time, it results in students achieving the same level but in less time. These authors indicate that in examples where costs of using technologies in education are calculated, they are usually understand because the value of factors, such as faculty time and cost of equipment utilization, is ignored (McClelland, 1996).

Herschbach (1994) argues firmly that new technologies are add-on expenses and will not, in many cases, lower the cost of providing educational services. He stated that that the new technologies probably will not replace the teachers, but will supplement their efforts, as has been the pattern with other technologies. The technologies will not decrease educational costs or increase teacher productivity as currently used. Low usage causes the cost barrier. Computers, interactive instruction TV, and other devices are used very few hours of the day, week, or month. Either the number of learners or the amount of time learners apply the technology must be increased substantially to approach the concept of cost-effectiveness. There are other more quick and less expensive ways of reducing costs, no matter how inexpensive the technology being used (Kincaid, McEachron, & McKinney,1994.

Availability of Computer Hardware and Software
The most significant aspects of computer are hardware and software. Availability of high quality software is the most pressing challenge in applying the new technologies in education (Herschbach, 1994; Miller, 1997; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Noreburg & Lundblad, 1997). Underlying this problem is a lack of knowledge of what elements in software will promote different kinds of learning. There are few educators skilled in designing it because software development is costly and time-consuming (McClelland, 1996).
McClelland (1996) indicated having sufficient hardware in locations where learners have access to it problematic and is, of course, partly a financial problem. Computer hardware and software compatibility goes on to be a significant problem. Choosing hardware is difficult because of the many choices of systems to be used in delivering education, the delivery of equipment, and the rapid changes in technology.

Technical and Theoretical Knowledge
A lack of technical and theoretical knowledge is another barrier to the use of Computer-assisted Language Learning technology. Not only is there a shortage of knowledge about developing software to promote learning, as shown above, but many instructors do not understand how to use the new technologies. Furthermore, little is known about integrating these new means of learning into an overall plan. In the communication between McClelland and C. Dede (1995), Dede indicated the more powerful technologies, such as artificial intelligence in computers, might promote learning of higher-order cognitive skills that are difficult to access with today's evaluation procedures and, therefore, the resulting pedagogical gains may be under-valued. Improper use of technologies can affect both the teacher and learner negatively (Office of Technical Assessment, 1995).
Acceptance of Technologies
We live in a time change. Gelatt (1995) stated that change itself has changed. Change has become so rapid, so turbulent, and so unpredictable that is now called "white water" change (p.10). Murphy & Terry (1998a) indicated the current of change move so quickly that they destroy what was considered the norm in the past, and by doing so, create new opportunities. But, there is a natural tendency for organizations to resist change. Wrong conceptions about the use of technology limit innovation and threaten teachers' job and security (Zuber-Skerritt, 1994). Instructors are tend not to use technologies that require substantially more preparation time, and it is tough to provide instructors and learners access to technologies that are easy to use (Herschbach, 1994).
Engaging in Computer-assisted Language Learning is a continuing challenge that requires time and commitment. As we approach the 21st century, we realize that technology as such is not the answer to all our problems. What really matters is how we use technology. Computers can/will never substitute teachers but they offer new opportunities for better language practice. They may actually make the process of language learning significantly richer and play a key role in the reform of a country's educational system. The next generation of students will feel a lot more confident with information technology than we do. As a result, they will also be able to use the Internet to communicate more effectively, practice language skills more thoroughly and solve language learning problems more easily.

Reference
Benson, G. M., Jr. (1996). Combining Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and a live TV teacher to extend learning opportunities into the home. A learning productivity research and developmental project of the research foundation of the State University of New York and Instructional Systems Inc. Albany, NY: Instructional Systems Inc., State University of New York. (ERIC Doc. ED359936).
Belisle, Ron, E-mail Activities in the ESL Writing Class, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. II, No. 12, December 1996
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Belisle-Email.html
Boswood, Tim(editor), New Ways of Using Computers in Language Teaching, TESOL, 1997.
Bush,M.D., R.M.Terry(editors.), Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, 1996.
Dean, J. (1993). Alternative instructional delivery system: Implications for vocational education, The Visitor, 4, 2-4.
Froke, M. (1994). A vision and promise: Distance education at Penn State, Part1-Toward an experience-based definition. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 42 (2), 16-22.
Gelatt, H. B. (1995). Future sense: Creating the future. The Futurist, 3 (2), 35-43.
Hahn, H. A. (1995). Distributed training for the reserve component: Course conversion and implementation guidelines for computer conferencing. (ERIC Doc. ED359916).
Herschbach, D. (1994). Addressing vocational training and retaining through educational technology: Policy alternatives. (Information Series No. 276). Columbus, OH: The National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
Hill, M. (1995). What is new in telecommunication? Electronic Learning, (6), 16.
Kasper, L.F., ESL and the Internet: Content, rhetoric and research. Proceedings of Rhetoric and Technology in the New Millennium, 1998.
http://members.aol.com/Drlfk/rhetoric.html
Kincaid, H., McEachron, N. B., & McKinney, D. (1994). Technology in public elementary and secondary education: a policy analysis perspective. Menlo Park, CA: Stanford Research Institute.
Miller, J. V. (1997). Questions about communications technologies for educators: An introduction. In N. M. Singer (Ed.), Communications technologies: their effect on adult, career, and vocational education (Information Series No. 244,1-4). Columbus, OH: The National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
Mor, Nili, Computers in the ESL Classroom Ð The Switch from "Why" to "How". 1995
http://ietn.snunit.k12.il/nili1.htm
Murphy, T. H., & Terry, R., Jr. (1998a). Adoption of CALL technologies in education: A national delphi. Proceedings of the Forty-Fourth Annual Southern Agricultural Education Research Meeting, 112-123.
Office of Technology Assessment. (1995). Information technology and its impact on American education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Ortega, Lourdes, Processes and outcomes in networked classroom interaction, Language Learning & Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, July 1997, pp 82-93,
http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt/vol1num1/ortega/
Power, M. A. (1996). Interactive ESL in-service teacher training via distance education. Paper Presented at the Annual Conference of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Purdy, L. N. (Ed). (1996). Reaching new students through new technologies: A Reader. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Pickering, John, Teaching on the Internet is learning, Active Learning,
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Renner, Christopher E, Learning to surf the net in the EFL classroom: Background information on the Internet, TESOL Greece Newsletter, 60, Dec. 1998, 9-11 & 61, Jan. 1999, 11-14
Spotts, T. H., & Bowman, M. A. (1995). Faculty use of instructional technologies in higher education. Educational Technologies, 35 (2), 56-64.
Singhal, Meena, The Internet and Foreign Language Education: Benefits and Challenges, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. III, No. 6, June 1997
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Sperling, Dave, The Internet Guide for English Language Teachers, Prentice-Hall Regents, 1998
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Reading Prompt 8 reply

All the technologies Levy & Stockwell discuss have their pluses and minuses. E-mail and video conferencing are the only technologies I’ve ever used. I can see why e-mail is the most popular, as many language learners are already using it to communicate. Through tandem exchanges it’s a simple and efficient way for learners to access authentic/target language. The (delayed) synchronous aspect of chat allows it to most closely resemble face-to-face interaction. I’ve never seen a MOO and after reading about it, I’m assuming it could be a fun way of experimenting with a second language. From my Air Force days, I’m familiar with VTC (video-teleconferencing) and agree it’s a potentially powerful language learning tool. Verbal and non-verbal language skills can be practiced/observed with this technology.
Collectively, these technology resources’ most promising feature is their capability to expand learners’ exposure to the target language through authentic language interaction with NS interlocutors. A major pedagogical consideration is knowing the features each type of CMC can offer, before deciding on which one would best suit the learning objective. With that, the technological and language proficiency skills of the learners should also guide pedagogical decisions about which CMC tool is the best choice: synchronous (MOOs & conferencing), delayed synchronous (chat), or asynchronous (e-mail) CMC tool. Linguistic progress can occur with sufficient participation, but I think CMC requires more attention to manage it as compared to textbooks or more traditional language learning instruments. Not a bad thing necessarily, but teachers simply need to be aware of this as they venture into the CMC arena.
Dr. Sauro’s research compared metalinguistic feedback versus recasts and found that one was not significantly more effective than the other for immediate or sustained gains in target form knowledge. The pedagogical implication is that feedback is still a critical part of language learning, whether the learning is via CALL or face-to-face. Knowing your learner type(s) and the learning objectives should be considerations when choosing type of feedback.

Reading Prompt 7 reply

Results of Grgurovic & Hegelheimer’s study revealed a couple things about the ‘help options’ choices—using subtitles and/or using a transcript, or not using help at all. Subtitles were used more frequently and longer than the transcript; the higher proficient group more so than the lower proficient group. Possible rationale for subtitles preference was that participants were predisposed to such in daily life, for example watching TV with subtitles. Along with that finding, the ‘help options’ were not used as the researchers had anticipated. This occurred more so with members in the lower proficient group whose non-interaction resulted in the weakest performance. A couple implications from this study were raised. The best solution is to offer choice to students as this study did, including adding an option to skip help altogether to accommodate various learning styles/preferences. The other implication involves how to encourage ‘help options’ usage on future CALL designed activities of this nature, if help use is found to be beneficial. Using software demos and tutorials were ideas mentioned to promote such, along with creating CALL tasks requiring help use.
Levy’s chapter on practice contains lots of practical information and issues to consider when employing CALL to language skills and areas. My first consideration would be to define my language-learning objective. For example, is it text comprehension? Or perhaps grammar usage? Only then does CALL become a tool of choice. As Levy points out, a common trap for many teachers is to consider the computer first and then a lesson objective. I think the chapter conclusion sums up the practice of CALL best. Namely, that CALL is multifaceted with a variety of technologies, materials, and resources. In the same way many L2 teachers select material appropriate for the curriculum and their students, CALL should be managed the same way. With that, essential to CALL practice is knowing your learners in terms of their linguistic and technology skills, along with their backgrounds. Good common sensical stuff!