Wordle in EDU 401

Normalization of Bax in the Saudi Kingdom

1)

In this article, Bax presents the historical development of CALL and how can developed from a technology to be an essential part of the current practice in the educational process. The development of CALL from the frames to multimedia and internet has been accompanied with a development in language teaching practices from focus on grammar and drills to authentic discourses.

Bax is right in his claim that We should just know about CALL but CALL should be a common practice in classroom. The writer assumes that technology is no longer regarded as the book or the pen in the classroom. The process of making CALL an integral part of the classroom is claimed by the writer to be called normalization. Bax sees that CALL should be designed to meet the learners’ needs and should be secondary to the learning itself.

The author is correct in his claim that the two fallacies that prevent benefit from CALL in the class are the teacher’s attitude towards CALL and the successful implementation of CALL in the class.

A)

Bax argues that normalization can take place in stages : adaption to technology, knowing the existence of technology, trying technology, not fearing to use technology, and normalization (to be normal in our lives).

Bax has suggested some changes for achieving normalizations:

1-
There must be an interest in the teacher’s attitude towards CALL. The teachers should have a positive attitude towards CALL. Teachers should be convinced that CALL will be beneficial in instruction and that CALL is better than the traditional methods of teaching.
 

2- It is not only enough to have technology, but the most important thing is the usage and the actual implementation of technology in the class. The school directors should encourage teachers to use technology and provide them with training on the usage of CALL in the class.

3- The administrative procedures should allow students to use CALL in the class. The teaching load prevents teachers from using technology.

B)

The changes suggested by Bax can be available in the Saudi context if the context, teachers’ attitudes, students’ attitudes, and the educational authority are modified in the manner that allows space and resources for the usage of technology in the class.

Studnets should be made aware that technology will help them to learn better and that technology should be respected and not used for luxury in the class. Also, studnets should be trained on how to benefit from technology and they should be good researchers for web-based resources.

Also, teachers should be trained on the usage of technology and the technical skills required for using CALL in the class. There is already  a number of teachers today who have adopted new teaching methods that are student-centered and that promote active learning. Some of these teachers have computers in their classrooms and some do not. There are also teachers who choose not to use the computers because they computers do not suit their teaching styles. This variety of teaching methods does not necessarily suggest that teachers are not willing to keep up with the new circumstances, but using technology in the learning process depends on the subject matter and the context.

     Moreover, the educational authorities must monitor the teachers’ usage of technology and ensure that the infrastructure and resources are available in the schools.  Without such controls, technology will not be used in the class.

Challenges of creating web-based activites in Sally Morrison” Interactive lanaguge Learning on the Web”

According to Sally Morrison, there are five challenges of creating web-based activates:

1)   teachers do not have the knowledge and  technical skills to create web-based activities.

2)   Many teachers lack the basic tools to create web-based activities.

3)   Teachers do not have time to learn the skills of creating web-based activities.

4)   The students are variable in their access to computers and the type of browser and the connection speed they use should be determined beforehand.

5) There is a need not to ignore the students with disabilities or special needs. There must be web pages that meet their needs.

    

         As a Saudi teacher, I agree with the above mentioned obstacles for creating web-based activities in addition to some local obstacles. I agree with the writer that change is an evitable thing and the surrounding world is changing as an accomplished fact. But, there are students who have not exposed to technology and the internet due to demographic and economic reasons. These students still need the traditional means of instruction and address their traditional learning style.

  Also, most of the students here lack the technological resources that help the teachers to design their own web-based activities or to seek the help of a supervisor to assist them in the designing of web-based activities. In addition, most studnets still look at the technology as a matter of luxury in the class and do not dedicate sufficient attention to it in the class.

     Moreover, many teachers are reluctant to use technology in their teaching as they were taught according to the traditional methods of instruction and they need to teach their studnets in the same way. Teachers also are overloaded with their teaching classes and they have no time to design or even to learn how to design such tools. Teachers also assume some administrative tasks in addition to their teaching tasks and they will be forced to be away from innovation in their teaching.

     Contextually, the local curriculum is still lacking the integration of the technology in the instructional material. Teachers do not know how to design their classes using the technology. Furthermore, school directors are not encouraging and monitoring their teachers in the best manner in order to integrate technology in the class.

CALL and Language Skills

To learn any language the teachers should teach their students the 4 skills ( reading, writing, listening and speaking, also grammar and vocabulary. The student can not express their feeling or communicat with eachother without vocabulary, there are many vocabulary activities teachers can use to help their students to  be an expert in the language:

The teacher can give the students some words and ask them to find the Synonym and antonyms of the words by using:  (synonym)  )

1) Open the website.

. 2) Write the word in the blank space, then click enter

.3) Click Synonym or antonyms to get the answers

 

social networking sites

What is your most important reason for using social networking sites?

My main reason for using  social networking sites is to communicate with my friends and my family by sending messages, sharing videos and pictures, chatting and Also to make new friends from all the world. The other thing I love about social networking sites that sometimes I don't want other people to know who I am So I can write my opinion without  fear.

Is  it possible for  you to use them  in teaching EFL/ESL?

Of course,  the social networking sites are very important  for teaching EFL/ESL. By using social networking sites the teacher can create new ways to make their students interesting about the course. Also the students can easily ask about everything and communicate with each others and with the teacher.

Ex:  Twitter

I can use Twitter in a several way as:

  * Tweet about assignments and homeworks, upcoming due dates, tests or quizzes.

* Rather than keeping up with an e-mail train, my students can use Twitter to collaborate on different projects and keep a quick reference on any changes.

* I can Connect the classrooms, me and my students can collaborate on projects using Twitter as a communication tool that simultaneously educates students in different classrooms..