Week 1: Using computers for language teaching

I consider that the use of computers has increased in the classroom and impact possitively to students. Nowadays, the use of technology is so important because you can find more accesible information, visit different websites that help students with their assignments and homework. It is also benefitial for teachers because they can make use of multimedia, internet and different resources available to teach.

The article mentions that computer have been used for language teaching since 1960s and has been divided with the past of the time in three main stages: Behavouritic CALL in this stage computer was viewed as a mechanical tutor that allow students to work at individual pace.

The second stage is Communicative CALL this one corresponded to cognitive theories which mention that learning was a process of discovery, expression and development. In this period the popular CALL software was developed which included text reconstruction programs, allowing students to work alone or in groups to rearrange words and texts.

 The third stage is called Integrative CALL which looks to integrate various skills, such as listening, speaking, reading and writing and also integrates technology in the teaching process.

Something I learned from this article and that every teacher should know was the use of video recordings and games has helped a lot in the process of teaching a language. For example, using recordings help in order to improve student's pronunciation, also to speak fluently and the use of games to motivate language learning.

To sum up, the use of computer has changed in a great way throughout the years and with technology there's new resources and techniques that help teacher implement new methods and ways to teach a language.

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