There are a lot of issues to talk about CALL and I did have a chance to share opinions about it in Engl 510 class. So, I wanted to review our thoughts and add some more ideas here.

First of all, when I think of the most appropriate uses for CALL for my students, I believe that we need to consider proper ways and skills to adopt this technology in our classes. We also have to learn more about our students. For example, we have to think about their learning style, background, digital literacy, and most importantly, what they are trying to achieve in our classes. Depending on these matters, students may not need any technology at all for their L2 learning in classroom.

Next, like we already discussed in our class, training for teachers and learners is obviously important. In addition to that, I think that we specifically need preparation courses for both teachers’ training and learners’ training for the courses that involve CALL. We should be able to spend enough time for this prep course, other than the actually course.

Then, we have an evaluation issue. I used to work at a private English institute for about two years, teaching elementary school and middle school students. I had an online learning system and it was a task-based system. Teachers could assign homework, record students’ information, scores, and conversations with them and their parents. It was a great management system. However, I am not sure if it was an effective evaluation tool. Tests and exams that students took did not seem to evaluate their real skills. Teachers would not know if the results came from students, their parents, friends or websites. In terms of management, it was very effective, but in terms of evaluation, not so much. So, I think we would need to develop software to detect any websites that are not directly related to the tests for each examinations, or take exams in a lab where there are enough numbers of computers for each students.

Lastly, instructors would need flexibility and creativity when it comes down to actually utilizing these computer tools and resources in their classes. They should be skilled enough to tailor their lessons or computer skills to meet their class goals.