Thoughts on technology

To be earnest, I had always felt certain reluctance when coming across articles about the impacts of technology in FL. All I used to pay closer attention to was the pedagogic section, rather than the very outcomes of the research. Now, after having discussed some readings about the historical overview of CALL, the current perspectives on technology use, SLA & CALL, I am feeling that this field is quite instructive and promising. As far as I have researched, the connection between Second Language Acquisition theories and the implementation of Internet is being examined from different perspectives, as well as the development of communicative competence between said fields is being explored. This week I presented in class the section on SLA & CALL. Here is the PowerPoint I made and used:

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Out of the readings so far, I would like to point out “Processes and Outcomes in Networked Classroom Interaction: Defining the Research Agenda for L2 Computer-Assisted Classroom Discussion” (1997) by Ortega , for presenting in a clear-cut manner the benefits of CACD, what we know about CACD so far, and what we could do with CACD in the future. Focused on the use of synchronous computer-mediated interaction in the second language (L2) classroom, it is stated that "the scope is intentionally limited to research concerned with evaluating the potential benefits of computer-assisted classroom discussion (CACD) in terms of second language acquisition (SLA) theory". Since I was curious, in order to corroborate certain questions from this article, I contacted Ortega and a conversation with her (by the way, she is from my hometown in Spain!) helped me see not only how far we have come in this area, but also how far we still have to go. Also she gave me some reflections about her article "Interaction and attention to form in L2 text-based computer-mediated communication" (in press), which poinpoints the literature review from 1997 to 2007 and its outcomes.
Thus far, I have enjoyed learning about the SlideShare (basic for many, new for me), which is a place to host and share presentations, as well as further functions for blogs. We, as teachers, should take the best advantage of blogging in our classroom, especially in FL classes. By using blogs, we can communicate with students via blogs; blogs can be excellent opportunities for students to practice their reading and writing skills; etc. For further reasons, I invite you to watch "Why Let our Students Blog?" As far as wikis are concerned, I also use them very much. To me, the level of instruction might be one of the inconveniences. However, as far as it is appositely employed, it should not be to worry about. When I use wikis, the main goals for them are posting lesson summaries, collaborative notes, as well as for the threads for discussion boards. Thus far I know that there is some controversy about when and why use blogs vs. wikis, or vice versa. To witness a debate about this , I encourage you to watch Blogs vs. Wikis .
With some readings and looks at diverse articles, I grew some special interest in the use of discussion boards through CourseCompass as CMC in my Spanish classes. I wondered why I would not have used this tool before, if I had always had access to its use. Lack of reliance? At the beginning of every chapter, I invite my students to discuss a thread I post. Needless to say, this line goes with the content we are studying in class and usually touches upon cultural issues. I like the discussion boards because after posting my message, by clicking on their response, we can see what others think on the same subject. Besides, this also allows me to see the views of quieter, more introverted people who don not always speak up in class. In other words, this tool provides students with the chance to say what they want to without being put on the spot in the classroom. With CALL, I believe that there is a raise of language awareness. CALL allows students to see the language being used in more and different settings and, therefore, brings more cultural and authentic language awareness. Besides, students are aware of the nature of their language production. I think that using chat and other CMC activities and micropublishing can allow students to see their language production progress and grow.