Integrating CALL into the classroom: the role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course

Despite the increase of teacher preparation programs that emphasize the importance of training teachers to select and develop appropriate computer-assisted language learning (CALL) materials, integration of CALL into classroom settings is still frequently relegated to the use of selected CALL activities to supplement instruction or to provide additional practice. For the most part, we are still quite a way from what Bax (2003) calls the normalization stage of CALL, i.e., the stage where CALL becomes invisible and truly integrated. Podcasting, a new method of delivering on-demand audio and video files via the Web, shows promise as a technology that may allow teachers to expand the confines of their classrooms, and is becoming increasingly popular in educational contexts. Current use of podcasting in education remains, however, limited primarily to the delivery of recorded lectures in a portable, online format. We believe podcasting has the potential to not only act as a rich source of input and instruction for students in the language classroom, but also to transform instruction. Consequently, this paper describes a structured attempt to integrate CALL activities in the form of podcasts into an academic English as a Second Language (ESL) course on listening strategies. Preliminary evaluation of this ongoing project suggests that both the teacher and the students find the podcasts to be a positive component of the course.

[1]  Robert Godwin-Jones,et al.  Skype and Podcasting: Disruptive Technologies for Language Learning , 2005 .

[2]  J. Michael O'Malley,et al.  Learning strategies in second language acquisition , 1990 .

[3]  Trena M. Paulus,et al.  The Impact of Call Instruction on Classroom Computer Use: A Foundation for Rethinking Technology in Teacher Education , 2002 .

[4]  Isabelle De Ridder,et al.  Visible or Invisible Links: Does the Highlighting of Hyperlinks Affect Incidental Vocabulary Learning, Text Comprehension, and the Reading Process? , 2002 .

[5]  Michael H. Long.  The Role of the Linguistic Environment in Second Language Acquisition , 1996 .

[6]  Richard E. Mayer,et al.  Multimedia Learning , 2001, Visible Learning Guide to Student Achievement.

[7]  Chui Kian Kon,et al.  The influence on outcomes of ESL students' performance strategies on a CALL listening comprehension activity , 2002 .

[8]  R. Oxford,et al.  A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning 1 1 The content of this artic , 2003 .

[9]  M. Rost.  Teaching and Researching Listening , 2001 .

[10]  Allan Paivio.  Imagery, language, and semantic memory. , 1978 .

[11]  A. Paivio.  Mental imagery in associative learning and memory , 1969 .

[12]  Paul Brett.  Multimedia for listening comprehension: The design of a multimedia-based resource for developing listening skills , 1995 .

[13]  Anna Uhl Chamot,et al.  Comments on Janie Rees-Miller's “A Critical Appraisal of Learner Training: Theoretical Bases and Teaching Implications”: Two Readers React… , 1994 .

[14]  Alain Desrochers,et al.  A dual-coding approach to bilingual memory. , 1980 .

[15]  A. Paivio.  Abstractness, imagery, and meaningfulness in paired-associate learning , 1965 .

[16]  A. Paivio.  Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach , 1986 .

[17]  T. Pica.  Research on Negotiation: What Does It Reveal about Second-Language Learning Conditions, Processes, and Outcomes?. , 1994 .

[18]  Linda Jones,et al.  TESTING L2 VOCABULARY RECOGNITION AND RECALL USING PICTORIAL AND WRITTEN TEST ITEMS , 2004 .

[19]  R. Mayer,et al.  Multimedia learning: Are we asking the right questions? , 1997 .

[20]  Carol A. Chapelle.  English Language Learning and Technology: Lectures on applied linguistics in the age of information and communication technology , 2003 .

[21]  A. Paivio.  Imagery and verbal processes , 1972 .

[22]  S. Bax.  CALL—past, present and future , 2003 .

[23]  Dorothy M. Chun,et al.  Effects of Multimedia Annotations on Vocabulary Acquisition , 1996 .

[24]  M. Warschauer,et al.  Computers and language learning: an overview , 1998, Language Teaching.

[25]  Mike Levy,et al.  Teacher education in CALL , 2006 .

[26]  Lise Desmarais,et al.  Evaluating Learning and Interactions in a Multimedia Environment , 1997, Comput. Humanit..