Bridging the Language Gap With Emergent Technologies

Overview On Call And Tell

When exploring the use of technology and its application in second language acquisition, it is important to understand the concepts of CALL and TELL. Both have been instrumental in their own right to establish the important vision of using technology as a way to bridge the language gap. CALL has an established presence on academia (Hubbard & Levy, 2006) and it is defined as the application of the computer in language teaching and learning. CALL followed a behavioristic approach when it started back in the 1950s and 1960s. It was full of extensive and repetitive language drills, grammatical explanations, and translations tests which made the English language learner bored and not engaged. Later Communicative CALL emerged focusing on the cognitive theories of the 1970s and 1980s where learning became a process of discovery, expression, and development. As part of the changes, computer-based activities were implemented and thanks in part to the emergence of the personal computer grammar was started to be taught explicitly rather than implicitly, along with simulated individual and pair exercises (Figueroa, 2015). In the last part of the 20^th century, CALL moved to an integrative approach based on a socio-cognitive view and focusing specifically on providing authentic social context experiences (Figueroa, 2015). This approach implemented by CALL gave the opportunity to English language learners to work with task-based, project-based, and content-based activities along with a student-centered use of technology. Integrative CALL gave them the opportunity to develop, practice, and combine their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as gaining substantial knowledge of the technology tools.