Advantages Of Computer Assisted Language Learning

New technologies have become part of the broader way of life at the turn of the century and will continue to style much of our life in the future. In this context, academicians can no longer underestimate the significant potential that educational technology holds for language instruction.

The advent of technology combined with the educational needs of the people brought about significant changes in the delivery systems of teaching and learning. Computer assisted language learning (CALL) is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned.

HISTORY OF CALL

Teachers who study a foreign language back in 1950’s or 1960’s often

The important factor using computers in a language lab is that it can be a valuable tool for both students and teachers, if training is provided to facilitate the use of the equipments appropriately. In the communicative view of language it is a system for the expression of meaning, its primary function being for instruction and communication, and its structure reflecting its functional and communicative uses (Richard and Rogers, 1998). Language learning activities which support this view of language are aimed at providing whole task practice using all skills in a natural context (Little wood).

At first glance, the language lab may seem to be a more unnatural context than a regular classroom for the activities such as gap-filling, role-playing, discussions, which require interaction between students in order for successful communication to occur. The lab can offer advantages for both students and teachers, which can be superior to other language

It acts as a tutor and guides the learner towards the correct answer while adapting the material to his performance. Several researches (Warschauer 1996) found a greater amount of student participation and seem to learn much more effectively when they are able to use a compatible learning style than they are forced to employ an incompatible one.

The use of computers in language learning enhance second or foreign language academic learning time by permitting learners to acquire specific information and practice specific skills and by helping students develop basic tools for learning which they can apply in a wide variety of settings.

For students communication labs can be very motivational. They can be the source of a significant amount of reading material. They can be fun and when it is fun, students learn! They help students produce excellent published works.

For teachers the advantages lie in the ability to individualize instruction according to the different learning styles and needs of the students. They are able to monitor and evaluate individual student performance (correct errors on an individual basis). A