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INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

The emergence of CALL 

A broad discipline 

CALL's emphasis is to integrate technology and language education. It promotes employing digital resources, computer-based technologies, and software applications to improve language teaching and learning procedures. Correspondingly, Beatty (2013) proposes that CALL encompasses the process of using a computer while developing language skills, which in the educational field, it allows learners and teachers to acknowledge diverse teaching and learning techniques coupled with different materials or resources. 

CALL highlights the idea of integrating various technological implications and applications which are created expressly for language learning, just as relevant computer-based materials. By considering CALL as a broad discipline, educators can explore the vast possibilities of technology in language learning and teaching, promoting effective and engaging language education practices in diverse contexts.

Technology driving CALL 

Originally, CALL appeared as a concise computer program that offered interactive exercises and quizzes for vocabulary and grammar review. However, CALL has developed into an advanced and versatile learning tool with the growth of the internet and technological developments. According to Beatty (2013), "CALL materials have gone from an emphasis on basic textual gap-filling tasks and simple programming exercises to interactive multimedia presentations with sound, animation, and full-motion video" (p. 12). I.e., incorporating multimedia components has been one of the most significant advances in CALL technology. 

Early CALL programs were text-based exercises, while current CALL programs include audio, video, and interactive multimedia elements, which can promote a more engaging and dynamic learning experience by enabling learners to interact with actual language materials like videos, podcasts, and interactive simulations.

A brief history of CALL

The history of CALL can be divided into three phases:

• Behaviorist CALL (1960 - 1970) 

1. Repetitive language drills 
2. Behaviorist language model.  
3. Mainly used for drills and tests.  

• Communicative CALL (1970 - 1980) 

1. Focused more on using forms. 
2. Corresponds to cognitive theories. 
3. Grammar focused. 

• Integrative CALL (1980 - Present) 

1. Multimedia-networked computers
2. Socio-cognitive view. 
3. Integrate language skills. 

CALL-Related Acronyms.  

Reference

Beatty, K. (2013). Teaching & Researching: Computer-Assisted Language Learning (Second edition ed.). New York: Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.es/books?hl=es&lr=&id=S6WsAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=computer+assisted+language+learning&ots=dhPKsh8SDp&sig=O5sh5i9k7P9EPG_UZ_xjRmZEY5g#v=onepage&q=computer%20assisted%20language%20learning&f=false