[0:00]In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Dear audience, Assalamualaikum. I'm Dr. Khurram Shahzad from National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. Dear audience, we are going to start a new subject, that is English language teaching and technology. So this is our first lecture, and in this lecture I will be giving you some overview of what we are going to do throughout the semester. English language teaching is also called here when we add computer into it or technology into it. Computer Assisted Language Teaching. Let's study the definition of CALL and then I'll talk about some of the other things that we will be covering in this lecture. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) was the expression agreed upon at the 1983 TESOL convention in a meeting of all interested participants.
[1:06]This term is widely used to refer to the area of technology and second language teaching and learning despite the fact that revisions for the term are suggested regularly. There are some other terms as well, for example, ICALL for intelligent computer assisted language learning. Okay, there is TALL for example. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) may be defined as the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning. Dear audience, it means that we are going to make use of computer or technology as a tool when we are going to teach English language as a second language in the context of Pakistan. Here most of these people, they speak Urdu as their first language or Punjabi or Pashto or Sindhi or Saraiki. But somehow or the other, because they are supposed to perform different kinds of tasks, one they have got the degree. So their papers are conducted in English language. Usually they are asked to write English composition, essays or precise or reports in English language. So English plays a very important role in the context of Pakistan, and here we instruct our students. The books that we teach to our students, they are in English language. So English language is there whether you are doing BS in English, MS in English or BS engineering or BS computer. Or any field that you have adopted, you will come across the subject of English language. And our university has employed a great number of teachers who are teaching our students English language. Today is the first day, that is Friday, where again our university has asked the teachers and the students to come online. And of course our teachers now they are well equipped, they know that how to use LMS, language management system. Or learning management system or CMS, course management system, and all the universities in Pakistan, they have developed their LMS or CMS. So teachers they will be taking their class on Zoom or Google Meet or some other, you know, tools which are available to them. So remember, technology is not a methodology. Rather, it is the theories which are coming from second language acquisition. They are the theories that we will have to situate our research, our teaching and learning methodology into it. So in second language acquisition, I will again not be talking about the educational theories. Rather, I should see that what is the role of linguists and what kind of theories they have developed so far as English language is concerned. No doubt, ideas will be coming from SLA, second language acquisition theories. For example, we have got behaviorism, we have got cognitivism, we have got interactionism. So I will be incorporating these theories into the technology because technology is neutral. Technology is not going to take any side. Rather, it is the use of the technology and it is up to the teachers and the learners that they how they are making use of technology in the classroom.
[5:20]Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has come to encompass issues of materials design, technologies, pedagogical theories, and modes of instruction. Materials for CALL can include those which are purpose-made for language learning and those which adapt existing computer-based materials, video and other materials. So technology can help us to design English language teaching materials. We will have to see that how we are going to incorporate the use of technology in materials in curriculum development. We will have to see that how the teacher is developing a lesson plan and what kind of role he or she is assigning to technology when he or she is developing his or her lesson plan. So any kind of lesson plan that you are developing, it should have certain goals. And of course, you need to accomplish those goals in the classroom. So technology is going to help you to accomplish those goals. And it is up to you that how you are going to make use of technology, how you are trying to reduce the disadvantages of that technological tool that you intend to use and how you are making use of, you know, good use of technology in the classroom. We have CALL-specific software applications designed to develop and facilitate language learning, such as CD-ROMs, web-based interactive language learning exercises/quizzes. Let me here introduce the concept of Web 1, Web 2 and Web 3. Web 1 is usually one way response. Web 1 works keeping in mind the second language acquisition theory of behaviorism. Where you go on the website, okay, and you pass certain instructions, and then the website, okay, it just shows you certain things. So you can listen to the listening material. You can get the feedback but you cannot interact with those tools. Same is the case with, you know, video with videos and tape recorders in the classroom. So teacher can play the tape recorder and some kind of cassette or some kind of CD, and it there will be only one way process. So you can listen to it and you can try to improve yourself. You can see how the native speakers they are making use of language, what kind of pronunciation they are exhibiting, how they are speaking the sentences. In video you can see that along with the language what kind of non-verbal communication they are performing, but you cannot interact with CDs or you cannot interact with cassette players. So this is based on a Web 1 methodology or approach, where it is one way traffic. Web 2 is two way traffic. It is interactive. You interact with the website, you interact with the tool. You input something and they give you the response. And sometimes they just categorically do not tell that whether your response is right or wrong, rather they engage with you, they interact with you. And it is based on cognitivism. So in cognitivism, we have got Chomsky. Though in some other videos I am talking about phrase structure rules, so I will not be going in detail here. Chomsky was a mentalist. He talked about that we have got LAD, Language Acquisition Device in our mind. And with the help of that language acquisition device, we interact with the human beings, we process the language, we try to understand what the other person has said and then we produce the language. So this language acquisition device, it helps all the people, okay, to understand, comprehend and produce the language, to process the language. So Chomsky is in the field of cognitivism. And he believes that every person has got language acquisition device. And of course we can take help from Chomsky's ideas. Chomsky gave the concept of universal grammar that I am not going to explore here, which means that all languages of the world they have got certain commonalities and certain differences as well. So so far as commonalities are concerned, we have got nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, lexical items. And we have got structures, all languages they have got word order and syntactic structures. So it makes inverse it universal grammar. So we can take help that how Chomsky has talked about different kinds of ideas. Then we have got in this field Krashen. Krashen's ideas like that there should be comprehensible input and mathematically people define it small i plus 1. Which means that when the students they are at this level, the teacher should be a little ahead of the students. So language should be this much difficult. As soon as students they try to reach this level, teacher should move forward. Okay. So it means that the kind of materials, the kind of things that you are sharing with the students, they should try to understand it. But at the same time, they should make use of their cognitive and metacognitive abilities. They should make use of their mind. Try to understand that how language is produced, what the language is saying. So all these ideas, they play a very important role when you enter into the classroom to teach second language. And of course in second language, we have got four skills. That is reading and writing. And speaking and listening and speaking. So two of them are receptive skills and two of them are productive skills. So once I talk about them, in detail, we will discuss them as well. Then we have got generic software applications designed for general purposes, such as word processors (Word), presentation software (PowerPoint), see an e-book made by students (Many Moons), and spreadsheet (Excel) that can be used to support language learning (& teaching) *Also see Microsoft Office Online Templates. And quite often teachers they make use of PowerPoint as I am also using technology, I am also using PowerPoint, okay, where I am interacting with you. I am presenting the material to you and I am discussing different kinds of things with you. We have got ebooks these days and spreadsheets on Excel that can be used to support language learning. Web-based learning programs: online dictionaries, online encyclopedias, online concordances, news/magazine sites, e-texts, web-quests, web publishing, blog, wiki, etc.
[12:49]It depends that what the teacher or you intend to use in the classroom. Are you making use of blogs? Are you producing something on wikis or you are making use of Facebook or Twitter? So Facebook or Twitter, they also provide you a platform where you can express your ideas and you can share what is going on in your mind. And of course, teachers or the other people who have joined your pages, they can interact with you, they can pass comments, they can further share your posts. They can either accept whatever you have said or they can pass comments and in this way teaching and learning process can go on. But here we should also remember the difference between synchronous and asynchronous computer assisted language teaching or learning process. I'll be explaining them. Computer mediated communication, CMC. Synchronous, online chat, asynchronous, email, discussion forum, message board. So asynchronous means that for example, when I make use of email, I don't know when I am going to get the answer. Maybe after 5 minutes, maybe after one day, maybe after 10 days, so this is asynchronous, because both the parties they are not available at the same time. On the other hand, in synchronous we have got, you know, Zoom. We have got Google Meet, we have got WhatsApp. So when you produce something, the other party can respond you there and then, they can listen to you live, okay, and they can respond, give you the response. So that is synchronous computer mediated communication. And when one party can give you the response after sometime, so that is asynchronous computer mediated communication.
[15:16]Different types of activities that we can do with the help of CAL, multiple choice true or false quizzes, gap filling, matching, reordering, simulation, writing or word processing, concordance. I will be explaining concordance to you. This is the time of, you know, corpus. British National Corpus BNC, American National Corpus ANC, they are available online. You can get registered and you can make use of them. Chomsky was not in favor of corpuses. Chomsky is known as an arm chair linguist who makes use of his mind and produces the sentences. So in corpus linguistics we try to understand because language items or language words or sentences they are coming from the people. When people were interacting live, their speeches or their ideas, they were recorded and they are made part and parcel of corpuses. Recently Air University has also developed Pakistani corpus of English. So you can make use of that corpus. In concordance line, we have got a long sentence. Where the kind of word that you want to see that how people they have made use of language, there will be certain words on the right side and certain words on the left side of that particular word. And you can see in what particular context that word is used or spoken by the people. Is it watch the movie or is it seen or see a movie? Most of the people will say watch the movie is correct, but you will come across through corpus that see a movie is also correct. Though it is not spoken by most of the people, but some of the people they also make use of this that see a movie. So through corpus, these days, you know, textbooks are being developed, dictionaries are being developed, and we also can generate teaching and learning material with the help of the corpus. And online communication, synchronous or asynchronous. So these are the various kinds of activities that you can develop through CALL. Computers can judge predetermined right or wrong answers, e.g., multiple choice and fill in the blanks. Computers can't judge unexpected input. Computers can provide immediate yet fixed feedback, suggestions and encouragement. Because already these things are fact to the computer, these things are input in the computer. But they cannot provide individualized feedback beyond a predetermined list of messages. Computers can provide authentic information through multimedia texts, images, sounds and videos and animations. English language learner cannot have, you know, negotiation of meaning characteristics with the computers or the technological tools. Computer can work as a tutor, if you are following behaviorism and only one way process traffic is going on, computer will work as a tutor. You can play the cassette player. You can play the video and the computer will work as a tutor. Computer can be used as a tool for writing, presenting and researching. When you fall into the category of cognitivism, when you fall into the category of communicative language teaching. So then computer will be used as a tool where interaction will go on between the technological tool and you. You remember, all these things are made to give you autonomy. All these things are there to make you an independent learner of the language. That if you cannot come to university, if you cannot join online on campus classes, so whenever you feel that you are free, you can log into your account, you can make use of these technological tools and you can learn the language. So it is there to give you independence. It is there to give you autonomy. Computer is a medium of global communication these days. When you fall into the category of interactionism. And when you go for task based learning or content content based learning, then after 1990s, post modern world, you enter into the field of interactionism. So these are the language acquisition theories, behaviorism, which talks about that there should be repetition, grammar translation method, audio lingual method, repetitions were given to you. Time and again technology can play the same dialogue and technology is not tired of this. But human beings they get tired and when you come to communicative language teaching or total physical response method, for example, or natural approach. So you fall into the category of cognitivism or communicative language teaching. Where communication will go on between the speaker and the listener. Context will be there. Participants will be there. Some goals will be there that you intend to achieve. Activities will be there, norms will be there, genre will be there. And these days it's an era of, you know, postmodernism. So the era of interactionism is going on. Where we make use of these technological tools to interact with the other people. Okay, and even we can interact with these technological tools like AI, which is very popular these days. And students they are producing their writings, their assignments from chat GPT. And if they think that teachers they don't know, it will be a kind of stupidity on their part. Teachers know this thing that students they are making use of AI and they are producing their assignments. And there are many ways, remember, that we can catch our students that they are not writing their assignments and they are writing their assignments through chat GPT. Turnitin is one of the tools that help us to identify these issues. Remember human beings, human agency is there, intervention is there. So human beings, the teachers, those who have already spent a great deal of their time in teaching and learning process, they know it very well that whether the students they can produce such type of texts or not. So you cannot make your student teachers fool. And frankly speaking, please write your assignments yourself. Use chat GPT. Take help from them. From from the AI generated tools or things, take help. But do not get the whole assignment written by AI. In behaviorism we have got structural approach. Views of language is structured, formal structures, drill and kill practice, grammar translation method. So what are the characteristics? Repeated exposure to the same material is believed to be beneficial or even essential to learning. A computer is ideal for carrying out repeated drills, since the machine doesn't get bored with presenting the same material again and again. It can provide immediate non-judgmental feedback as well. A computer is used as a tutor, presenting materials and feedback on an individualized basis, allowing students to proceed at their own pace and freeing up class time for other activities. Then we have got communicative language teaching era, cognitive approach, 1980s to 1990s. View of language is cognitive, a mentally constructed system through interaction. English language teaching teaching paradigm is language teaching, communicative language teaching. And principal use of computer is communicative exercises, to practice language use non-drill format. And objectivity is fluency. In behaviorism the objective is accuracy. So grammar translation method. In communicative language teaching, the objective is fluency, not accuracy. Though we demand accuracy and we think that grammar is not taught here explicitly, rather implicitly, so implicitly students will be able to understand the things and they will be producing the right kind of sentences. Characteristics, grammar is taught implicitly rather than explicitly. Computers are used to stimulate discussion, writing or critical thinking. Students are encouraged to generate original utterances rather than just manipulated pre-fabricated language. The program avoids telling students that they are wrong and are flexible to a variety of student responses. And the last phase of development, the 1990s, it is socio-constructive, socio-cognitive approach to language teaching, interactive approach, integrative approach. That you try to integrate tools, your own knowledge, socio-cultural background and then you interact with the students. View of language is socio-cognitive, developed in social interaction through discourse communities. They have their own external and internal structures. Their own, you know, knowledge, norms. English language teaching program is based on content based ESP, EAP, English for special purposes, English for academic purposes. Principal use of computer is authentic discourse to perform real life tasks. Today we are talking about authenticity. Today we are talking about agency. Principal objective is agency. And we have got web based CAL. With this dear students, I would like to summarize. In our today's class, I have talked about three different approaches to second language acquisition, behaviorism, cognitivism and social interactionism. I have talked about under behaviorism, grammar translation method is used and the focus of teachers' attention is accuracy. In cognitive approach communicative language teaching is made use of and focus is on accuracy. And these days computer is used as a medium and we are following interactionism. Okay, and our focus is on task based or content based learning. Remember, technology is a tool and we are making use of this tool in the right way. And then and only then we can help our students make progress in the society. Thank you very much.
