#1 Key Concepts in CALL

  1. What can and can’t computers do in terms of language learning?
  1. How can learner autonomy be fostered by CALL?
  1. What does “interactive” mean? What kinds of interactivity can computers offer in terms of language learning?
  1. What does artificial intelligence (AI) include? In what ways is AI important in the development of CALL?
  1. What is the current focus of research in CALL?
  1. What are the main differences between a behaviorist design and a constructivist design?
  1. Why are behaviorist approaches more product-orientated and constructivist approaches more process-oriented?
  1. What are some advantages and disadvantages in doing simulations in CALL programs?
  1. Murray, Morgenstern and Furstenberg (1991) provided guidelines as to what might be usefully included in multimedia learning environments (pp. 34-35). Do you think the seven guidelines are equally important for the design of CALL programs?
  1. How do you distinguish hypermedia from multimedia?
  1. What does “cyberspace” mean?
  1. What are affordances and misaffordances that CALL programs may have?
  1. What are the differences between printed text and e-text?
  1. Please compare the influences of Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press (in the mid-15th century) and the influences of the computer technology on learning.
  1. Why is the World Wide Web (WWW) essentially a huge database? Can you give some examples showing how it helps you in learning and finding information?
  2. What are some advantages and disadvantage of hypertext and multimedia in language learning?
  1. What kinds of help can word processing programs provide to language learners? Are they all “good” for them?
  1. In what ways can computer games help language learning?
  1. How can computer-based learning materials help the study of literature?
  1. What is a corpus? What is a concordancer? How can the use of corpora and concordencers help students to learn language?
  1. What is CMC? Specifically, what is asynchronous communication and what is synchronous communication? In what ways can CMC be used in language learning and teaching?
  1. Have you ever used any WWW resources to help you in language learning? Please give some examples.
  1. What is PDA? What are some advantages and disadvantages you can see using a PDA for language learning?
  1. Butler-Pascoe and Wiburg (2003) listed twelve attributes that they considered essential to the success of technology-enhanced language learning environments (pp. 15-19). Based on your language learning experience with CALL software/websites, do you think those CALL programs contain all the attributes? Among the twelve attributes, please choose five that you think the most important and explain your reasons.

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