How to use: 

1.     Deliver: 5 mins recording online; upload the resulting recording as an email.

2.     Receiver: When received, click the link and listen to the recording.  

3.     Copying the code and pasting it into other platforms

Case:

The student was required to practice certain speaking activities in class. After the class, they were asked to do some recordings, self-evaluating the audios, and submitting the recording in their preferences for formal evaluation.  

 

Questions

1.     What is the added value of using technology in this case study?

 It could motivate the student to self-evaluate or peer-evaluate their recording to ensure the work of great merit before submitting for formal assessment.

 It could help students self-reflecting the quality of their English pronunciation and expression.  

 

2.     How could you evaluate the effectiveness of CALL in this case study?

Effective in getting feedback?

The simple recording could support and encourage independent and collaborative learning of students since they would take efforts in evaluating their work for a better grade. 

It might also provide a comfortable place to practice the target language besides the classroom, since some of students may feel anxious in public speech. 

It saves time since the recording and self-evaluation of students’ work would be accomplished on their own out of the class; which could enhance the effectiveness of the course and teachers could focus more on the content of the lesson. 

Adv:

1. Simple and convenient (one click on the button for recording; immediate uploading; available to be downloaded and transferred to other platforms by coping the code) 

2. Reflective (available for self-reflection from the audio; available for documenting and collecting the recording over the module which could show the progress)

3. Adoptable for some coursework; could be utilized in combination of some class activities. 

4. Easy to collect (received in email-box, hence teachers could collect the recordings of a class without too much efforts. 

 

Advantages:

-helping students produce output and construct input simultaneously

-increasing students engagement in learning 

-enriching the variety of learning styles

-improving students’ interests in learning 

-developing students’ competence of language use (e.g oral skills, vocabulary and grammar)

Disadvantages:

-high requirement of teachers’ competence in CALL

-high requirement of preparation before class (e.g designing and writing the walkthrough)

-the possibility of causing distraction
-needing to implemented in light of specific circumstances (e.g class size and students’ language level)
-lack of equipment(computer) in some Chinese school, especially in remote areas

Teaching on the English programme for business and economics students at a German university. ESP and EAP required. Students burdened by heavy workloads, time constraints will not allow for additional course hours.

LMS (Learning Management System): Moodle vocabulary quizzes, Moodle self-access writing tutorials, Moodle wiki, Moodle journal.

 

Questions

1. What is the added value of using technology in this case study?

-To support students both in expanding their academic and specific vocabulary and in developing academic and business-related writing skills. (Moodle gathering vocabulary in glossaries, vocabulary quizzes, Moodle self-access writing tutorials)

-To support collaborative and reflective work within a problem-based learning approach. (Moodle wiki tool, Moodle journal)

-To address the significant time constraints issue: Moodle has demonstrated the potential to provide students flexible self-access to language support, location-independent.

 

2. How could you evaluate the effectiveness of CALL in this case study?

-Online activity reports: students are using the Moodle vocabulary quizzes regularly, with many re-taking each quiz multiple times to review their learning during the course and before the examination.

-Students’ frustration with technical aspect: most of the project collaboration and editing takes place offline rather than in the Moodle wiki, so that the wiki only shows the end results rather than the process of learning.

-Journal reflections: successful, students articulating their learning needs, problems and personal sense of learning, enabling instructor to respond to the individual comments easily, as well as providing a useful source of information for needs analysis.

 

3. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of using the type of technology in your teaching context.

-Teaching context: English training centre

-Advantages:

1. Break the time and place constraints

2. Provide additional academic support after class

3. Give feedback immediately

-Disadvantages: 

1. Teaching software has its own limitations. For example, we need to adapt to different needs in terms of teaching details, so we need more technical support.

2. Higher requirements for teachers' coordination and learning ability. Language teachers not only have a high ability to coordinate professional teachers, but also need to master and master the relevant professional knowledge of the professor

3. Higher requirements for teachers' computer skills. In the real-time teaching environment, new media technologies can be applied to assist teaching in a timely manner.

4. Teachers spend more time preparing lessons. 

5. Less face-to-face collaboration among students.

1. These web tools enhance the learning environment and inspire creativity in the classroom. Specifically, they allow real-time live discussion and they extend the walls of the traditional classroom and they engage students to communicate with an authentic audience, and having an authentic atmosphere in class. Enhancing cross-cultural communication, students can share questions and answers.

 

2. Skype helps to improve listening skills as the user has to pay active attention to what the interlocutor is saying. It’s also useful to practise vocabulary and everyday language in a natural way, it fosters improvisation and puts our knowledge to the test when you are trying to write or to speak.

 

3. By using Photo Peach, the teacher receives comments from colleagues and friends from around the world, which help to motivate and inspire her learners, who find it very rewarding as well as exciting that what they do in their classroom has an audience in the real world outside.

 

4. By using MP3 Skype Recorder to make recording of Skype interviews, which allow the learners to listen to the interviews afterwards and understanding the information that they might missed the fist time round, during the live interview.

 

5. The learners joined the Facebook group, asking each other questions about a range of topics, and sharing information about their lifestyle, culture, traditions, festivals, some linguistic points, idioms or expressions in English, which was helpful to practice the language and intercultural communication.

 

Q2: 

Although there are a lot of added values which we have listed above, there are some limitations.

 

1 The technology in this case does not suitable for every student as everyone has different personality. Some introverted students dare not even answer questions in class, let alone participate in Skype to communicate with people from other countries. This may lead to a low participation of introverted students in class and thus a decline in learning enthusiasm.

 

2. Students are at lower grade. Their language competences are not mature enough. They may be attracted by the new form of learning a second language, however, it is probably that they merely imitate what the interviewers say rather than the contents and the purposes of language learning.

 

3. Class time is limited. Not every student has opportunities to express themselves if the classroom contains a great deal of students. Maybe this new technology is suitable for the small-class teaching.

 

4. If the network is interrupted or unstable, it may be difficult to hear or understand each other's words, which will be a waste of time, energy and the previous investment to the class.

 

5. Since skype is aimed at lower secondary school learners, what if learners start to lose interest and fail to participate to do something on their own. Besides, the form of online exchanges may make it difficult for some students to concentrate.

 

Q3:

Advantages:

1 The synchronous web tool allows real-time live teaching, which makes it possible for face-to-face teaching alter to online teaching. For English teaching institution, this can reduce their renting cost. For teachers and students, they don’ t bother to commute.

 

2 This technology makes the time to be flexible.

 

3. Online teaching allows teachers to reach a wider range of students across the country. Especially, teachers have more opportunities to help students in undeveloped areas. 

 

Disadvantages:

1 This technology may alienate the relationship between teachers and students. For example, if teaching and learning online, I, as a teacher, may not directly feel the emotional changes of students in front of computer.

 

2. This technology is not very suitable for younger students. Young learners are energetic but are always full of curiosity, in this way, this technology may become an obstacle for the teacher to manage the class, they cannot keep track of every students’ knowledge of language learning in time. Also, sometimes, teachers cannot provide students with the most explicit explanation immediately. 

 

3. If online teaching becomes one to one teaching, students' network equipment status and the environment of having class also have a great impact on teachers' teaching. For example, students may be in a noisy environment, or there may be many people around learners.