Computer-assisted language learning facts for kids

"CALL" redirects here. For other uses, see Call.

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is about using computers and technology to help people learn new languages. In British English, it's sometimes called computer-aided instruction (CAI), and in American English, it's known as computer-aided language instruction (CALI).

CALL covers many different ways technology helps with language learning. This includes older programs that focused on drills and practice, as well as newer methods like using online learning spaces and web-based courses. It also involves using tools like language databases, virtual worlds, and mobile apps for learning.

The term CALI was used before CALL. However, language teachers preferred CALL because it focused on the student learning, rather than just the computer "instructing." CALL became popular in the early 1980s and is now used by many groups around the world. Another term, technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), also appeared in the 1990s.

Today, CALL aims to give students control over their learning. Materials are often interactive and personalized. CALL tools help teachers support lessons or give extra help to students. The way CALL materials are designed often uses ideas from how people learn languages, including different learning theories.

When face-to-face teaching is combined with CALL, it's called blended learning. This mix is very common and helps increase learning possibilities.

How CALL Started
Types and Stages of CALL
Learning Vocabulary with Flashcards
Designing CALL Software
Multimedia in Language Learning
The Internet and Language Learning
Corpora and Concordancers
Learning in Virtual Worlds
Human Language Technologies (HLT)
How CALL Affects Learning
Professional Groups for CALL
See also

How CALL Started

CALL began in the 1960s on large university computers. A big early project was PLATO at the University of Illinois in 1960. When personal computers (microcomputers) became available in the late 1970s, more people could use them. This led to a big increase in CALL programs and books about them in the early 1980s.

Today, you can find many CALL programs online. Some are free, while others cost money. Some are only available through university language courses. Many people have written about the history of CALL, looking at how it has changed over the years.

Types and Stages of CALL

In the 1980s and 1990s, people tried to sort CALL programs into different types. They found many kinds, like programs for filling in blanks, multiple-choice questions, and even adventure games. Most of these early programs still exist today, but in updated versions.

Since the 1990s, it has become harder to put CALL into simple categories. This is because CALL now includes using blogs, wikis, social networking, podcasting, and Web 2.0 tools.

Researchers have also looked at the history of CALL by identifying three main stages based on how they taught languages:

Behavioristic CALL: This stage was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Programs mainly used "drill-and-practice." The computer would give a task, and the student would respond. The computer would then give feedback. While these types of programs still exist, most teachers now prefer different methods.
Communicative CALL: From the late 1970s to the 1980s, the focus shifted to using the language in real ways, not just analyzing it. Grammar was often learned naturally. This stage came with the rise of personal computers. Programs offered skill practice through games or text reconstruction. Sometimes, even games not made for language learning, like Sim City, were used.
Integrative CALL: Starting in the 1990s, this stage aimed to combine language skills into bigger tasks or projects. It also came with new multimedia technology (text, pictures, sound, video) and online communication. This meant the computer became a tool to extend learning beyond the classroom. Early examples included interactive video programs on laserdiscs or CD-ROMs, like role-playing games (RPGs).

Later, some researchers updated these stages. One idea was that true "integrated CALL" would only happen when using CALL became as normal as using a pen.

Learning Vocabulary with Flashcards

A simple way CALL is used is for learning new words with flashcards. These programs often use a method called spaced repetition. This means the program shows you words you need to remember at longer and longer time intervals until you know them well. This has led to many apps like Anki and SuperMemo, which are designed to help you remember vocabulary.

Designing CALL Software

When creating CALL software, it's very important to think about the best ways to teach. However, sometimes software makers just follow the latest trends. Also, teaching methods for foreign languages are always changing.

Designing CALL software is a big job that needs many different skills. Large CALL projects are usually done by a team of people:

Language Teacher: This person provides the language content and teaching ideas.
Programmer: This person writes the computer code for the software.
Graphic Designer: This person creates pictures, icons, and helps with how the screens look.
Photographer/Sound/Video Experts: These people are needed if the software includes lots of photos, sounds, or videos.
Instructional Designer: This person helps make sure the software uses technology in the best way for learning. They help turn a textbook into an interactive computer program.

CALL naturally helps students learn on their own. This means students can decide their own learning goals. It's easy to make simple multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank exercises. But CALL can do much more! For example, some programs let students actively "build" new knowledge from what they already know. In these cases, students take responsibility for their learning, and the teacher acts more like a guide.

Multimedia in Language Learning

Language teachers have used technology for a long time. They used records to hear native speakers and tape recorders for foreign radio broadcasts. Other tools included slide projectors, film projectors, and DVD players. In the 1960s, courses that combined different media, like books and tapes, started to appear.

In the 1970s and 1980s, early computers couldn't play sound or show good graphics. This was a step backward for teachers who were used to using different media. But in the early 1990s, multimedia computers arrived! This was a huge step forward because they could combine text, images, sound, and video all in one place. This helped combine the four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Many CALL programs were released on CD-ROM and DVD from the mid-1990s. While some are still made, most multimedia CALL is now found on the internet.

After multimedia CALL became popular, language centers with multimedia facilities started appearing in schools. These centers offer many chances for language learning. However, sometimes these opportunities are not fully used. One of the main promises of CALL is to make learning personal for each student. But sometimes, these centers end up with many students doing the same drills, just like old language labs. Language labs became less popular because teachers weren't trained to use them well, and there weren't enough good materials.

Managing a multimedia language center needs staff who know languages, teaching methods, and technology. They also need to manage budgets and find creative ways to use the technology. These centers are great for self-study, but students don't automatically learn independently. It takes a lot of time to create materials and a good environment for self-study. Unfortunately, sometimes schools spend most of their money on computers but forget about software and teacher training.

This has led to the rise of self-access language learning centers. These centers focus on helping students learn independently. Students can access materials and manage their learning, but they also have staff available for help. Many of these centers use a lot of technology and offer online self-access learning.

The Internet and Language Learning

The arrival of the World Wide Web (the "Web") in the early 1990s changed how everyone used computers. While email existed before, the first graphical web browser, Mosaic, in 1993, made electronic communication much easier. Language teachers quickly saw the potential of the Web.

Teachers were already familiar with "hypertext" on single computers, where you could click on text or images to jump to other pages. The Web took this further by creating a worldwide hypertext system. You could click on something and jump to a page on a computer anywhere in the world! This opened up thousands of real foreign-language websites for teachers and students to use.

However, a problem was that students could waste a lot of time browsing without a plan. So, teachers started creating more structured activities and online exercises. There are now many websites with online exercises, dictionaries, and other tools for language learners.

The free Hot Potatoes tool, released in 1998, made it possible for teachers to create their own online interactive exercises.

In its early days, the Web couldn't compete with CD-ROMs for sound and video quality. But now, the Web has caught up. Sound and video are high quality, and interaction is much faster, as long as you have a good internet connection.

Since the early 2000s, there has been a huge growth in Web 2.0 applications. Web 2.0 isn't a new version of the Web, but a shift towards more interaction and sharing. Language teachers use many Web 2.0 tools, including:

Sharing images
Social bookmarking (saving and sharing website links)
Discussion lists, blogs, wikis, social networking
Chat rooms and virtual worlds
Podcasting (audio recordings)
Video sharing and screen recording tools
Animation tools (for comics, movies)
Mashups (combining different web tools)
Blog-assisted language learning (BALL)

The Web has become a major focus for language teachers, who are finding creative ways to use its many features. Using Web 2.0 tools also means teachers need to rethink their role in the classroom.

Corpora and Concordancers

Corpora are large collections of real language texts or speech. They have been used for many years to study language and create dictionaries.

Concordancers are computer programs that search these corpora. They can find every time a certain word or phrase is used and show it in context. This helps learners figure out the rules for words and how they are used. Teachers can also use concordancers to find examples of real language use to explain grammar points or common word combinations.

You can even use search engines like Google as a basic concordancer. However, special concordancer programs are usually better because they present the examples more clearly and allow more control over the texts.

Learning in Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are online spaces where users can interact with each other and the environment. They started with text-only adventure games in the 1970s. Language teachers found they could use these games as a basis for discussion. For example, students could play roles in an imaginary kingdom.

These early games led to "multi-user" versions called MUDs (Multi-user domains). MUDs were also text-only but allowed many people to play online together. Then came MOOs (Multi-user domains object-oriented), which teachers used for language learning and understanding different cultures.

The next big step was graphical virtual worlds. Lucasfilm's Habitat (1986) was one of the first, showing users as visual characters (avatars) who could chat with each other.

Later, three-dimensional virtual worlds like Traveler and Active Worlds appeared in the 1990s. Traveler even allowed voice communication. In Active Worlds, students used it for projects like a "Virtual Wedding."

The 3D world of Second Life launched in 2003. At first, it was seen as just another game. But language teachers became interested, and conferences about language learning in Second Life began in 2007. Many projects have focused on learning languages in Second Life.

Some people argue that Second Life is too difficult or unreliable for most teachers. But others strongly disagree. Regardless, teachers' interest in virtual worlds continues to grow. There are now many areas in Second Life dedicated to language learning, including commercial and free spaces. There are also special simulations created for language education.

Human Language Technologies (HLT)

Human language technologies (HLT) are areas of research that use technology to make communication easier in a world with many languages.

The most interesting parts of HLT for language teachers are natural language processing (NLP), especially parsing, and speech synthesis and speech recognition.

Speech Synthesis: This is when a computer creates human-like speech. It has improved a lot recently. It's often used in online dictionaries to show how words are pronounced. It works well for single words, but sometimes phrases and sentences can sound unnatural, even if you can understand them. Speech synthesis is very helpful for people who can't see well.
Speech Recognition: This is when a computer understands human speech. It's not as advanced as speech synthesis. It's used in some CALL programs where you try to imitate a native speaker. However, the computer isn't always 100% accurate and might not understand you even if your pronunciation is good.
Parsing: This is when a computer analyzes sentences. It can show you how a sentence is structured and label the different parts of speech. Parsing is also used in CALL programs to check what a student types and find errors. Some advanced programs try to "understand" student mistakes and offer helpful feedback. This is called intelligent CALL (ICALL).

How CALL Affects Learning

People have been asking about the impact of CALL on language learning and teaching since computers first appeared in schools.

It's important to tell the difference between the impact and effectiveness of CALL.

Impact looks at how much technology is used in language teaching. This includes things like how many computers are available, costs, internet access, and how teachers and students feel about using CALL. It also looks at how CALL changes the way languages are learned and taught.
Effectiveness tries to figure out if using technology is a better way to teach languages compared to traditional methods. This is harder to measure because many things can affect learning.

Around the world, the impact of CALL varies greatly. Developed countries use new technologies easily, but developing countries often face problems with costs and internet access. Research on the effectiveness of CALL is also varied, and many questions still need answers.

A key question is whether computers are taking over the teacher's role. Some people thought computers could become "intelligent" teachers, understanding student speech and diagnosing problems. However, these high expectations haven't been fully met. Instead, teachers are increasingly using computers as helpful tools, like using language databases or online communication apps.

Since the Web became popular, online learning has exploded. But how effective it is can be debated. Some believe online learning saves money or replaces staff, but these are often myths.

Regarding how CALL helps with the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), there's evidence it helps with spelling, reading, and writing. More research is needed for speaking online. Students generally like CALL, but the technology needs to be stable and well-supported. Technical problems can get in the way of learning. Older students might not feel comfortable with computers, and younger students might need help learning how to use them effectively. Training in computer skills for both students and teachers is very important.

Many resources are available for teachers to learn how to use technology in language teaching. Journals and professional groups focus on helping teachers prepare to use CALL in their classrooms.

Professional Groups for CALL

Many professional groups are dedicated to sharing research and ideas about using new technologies in language learning and teaching. Most of them hold conferences and publish journals about CALL.

[APACALL]: The Asia-Pacific Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning.
[AsiaCALL]: The Asia Association of Computer Assisted Language Learning, Korea.
CALICO: Started in 1982 in the USA.
EUROCALL: Founded in 1986 in Europe.
IALLT: The US-based International Association for Language Learning Technology.
IATEFL: The UK-based International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.
JALTCALL: Japan.
IndiaCALL: The India Association of Computer Assisted Language Learning.
LET: The Japan Association for Language Education and Technology.
PacCALL: The Pacific Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning.
[TCLT]: Technology and Chinese Language Teaching, USA.
WorldCALL: A worldwide group that connects different CALL associations.