Assignment – FP010 CALL

SUBJECT ASSIGNMENT:

COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

Group: FP 010
Date: Saturday, December, 03 rd, 2022.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

INDEX

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 2
2. Assignment Instructions ................................................................................. 3
3. TheoreticaL Approach ................................................................................... 4
4. Teaching Setting ............................................................................................ 6
5. Proposed Activities (Challenges) ................................................................... 7
5.1 Challenge One: What’s your Talent? ................................................. 7
5.2 Challenge Two: Going Mobile .............................................................. 10
5.3 Challenge Three: Your Broadcast ……..….…….………………………. 12
6. Conclusion ………………………………………………….……………………… 14
7. References ………..…………………………………….………………………….. 15

1. Introduction

“In the present knowledge society, technology has an important role as the component
responsible for constant social changes. Any change or development in these
technologies entails in turn an evolution in the way of structuring thought, relating to
information and transforming it into knowledge.” (FUNIBER, page 6)

We are living in the knowledge age. This era is strongly marked by the use of
technology, tools and applications that enable anyone to create digital connections
which go beyond physical barriers and offer countless opportunities to share
information with other people, anywhere or at any time.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, technology was widely used as a mechanism to bring
people together in different environments such as companies, universities and schools.
Workers were able to work from their homes, so that social distancing was maintained.
Students from schools and universities took classes at home, directly connected
digitally with the educational institution, with the teacher and with the other students

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from class. The activities were developed through a compute or even through the
screen of a smartphone; these tools made it possible to exchange experiences and
share knowledge in an easy and simplified way.

The use of technology in the educational area has contributed to changes in the way of
teaching, changes which are reflected in the teaching context and in the way in which
the learning process has developed. The use of technological tools changes the
relation between teachers and students and impacts the teaching-learning relationship,
including the process of acquiring a second language. The influence of the use of
technology in the educational process contributes to the structure of digital classes
being interesting for students and having results similar to the results of face-to-face
classes. The digital environment adapted to the school provides the development of
connectivism, which considers where and how the activities will be carried out, keeping
the focus on the pedagogical proposal and considering the objectives established in
the teaching plan.

The present work aims to elaborate a sequence of three activities using technology, a
sequence which will be developed considering the theoretical approach about
Computer Assisted Language Learning. The activities will be proposed as challenges
for the students, so we will have challenge 1, challenge 2 and challenge 3. It is
important to note that the internet has unlimited information; teachers have the role of
filtering it to help students acquire and understand the use of language. In this way,
teachers collaborate so that students can develop effective communication to meet
their needs and help them to achieve their goals.

2. Assignment Instructions

GENERAL INFORMATION:

This assignment must be done in pairs and has to fulfil the following conditions:

- Length: 6 to 8 pages (without including cover, index or appendices –if there

are any).
- Font type: Arial or Times New Roman.
- Font size: 11.
- Spacing: 1.5.
- Alignment: Justified.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

Use the following Word document as the template for the assignment. Follow the
guidelines of presentation and format, as for quotes and bibliographical
references, which are detailed in the Study Guide.

Submit the assignment following the procedure specified in the Evaluation

document. Assignments must not be sent to the tutor’s e-mail.

The assessment criteria can be found in the Evaluation document.

Assignment:

Elaborate a sequence of three activities using technology. To do this, do not forget to

include:

 Teaching context (location, educational level, number of students, nationality,

age, english level, etc.);
 type of activity (pre-reading, etc.);
 objectives of the activities;
 content (functions, grammar, vocabulary, culture, etc.) that students should
master;
 skills that will be worked on in each activity;
 timing for each activity;
 how students will be evaluated.

Important: you have to write your personal details and the subject name on the
cover (see the next page). The assignment that does not fulfil these conditions
will not be corrected. You have to include the assignment index below the cover.

3. Theoretical Approach

CALL is an acronym used to summarize the expression Computer Assisted Language

Learning. CALL is an interactive method of instruction that enables a digital connection
between teachers and students. The use of technological tools adapted to the
teaching-learning process takes place through programs and softwares developed in
accordance with a pedagogical proposal. The use of these applications allows students
to develop their activities and achieve their educational goals respecting their own
pace.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

The use of CALL is characterized by the participation and interaction of users,

considering their values and culture in a communicative approach. Scholars in
language teaching consider that there are three main theories that address the
influence of Computer Assisted Language Learning in the language teaching-learning
process, which are: the Structuralist perspective; Constructivist/Cognitivist or the
Communicative perspective; and the Sociocognitive perspective. As explained below:

a) the Structuralist perspective: “It understands language as an autonomous structural

system and offers a model of “computer as a tutor”. ((Taylor, 1980) FUNIBER, page 6).
This theory is mainly based on transmitting grammatical structures to students. The
computer is used in the learning system to provide explanations, make corrections and
give feedback.

b) Constructivism/Cognitivist or the Communicative perspective: Initially, Structuralism

considered language as a system that emphasized motivation and interactivity through
programs with multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank activities. Currently, the computer is
seen as a stimulus for students and is considered a tool that enables students to
understand the use of the language.

c) the Sociocognitive perspective: This perspective implies a socio-communicative

learning approach through a variety of multimedia technology as texts, videos, sounds,
hypertext and other internet tools. This perspective has for focuses the improvement of
the communication ability and of doing things through knowledge sharing. Through the
internet, teachers and students can share their knowledge, develop their
communicative skills and improve their ability to perform different types of tasks.

Connectivism studies the influence of the internet and social networks in relationships
between people and in everyday life. Large social networks such as Facebook,
Instagram, Youtube, among others, are used daily by people in the most diverse
countries around the world. The use of social networks has brought advantages and
disadvantages to human communication. One of the main advantages is the great
ease of communication brought by social networks, as people digitally connect to each
other at any time and place. On the other hand, there is an incentive for users to be
increasingly connected digitally, which affects physical and face-to-face connections
and changes the way people relate and communicate.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

“the idea of leaning in a network, invites us to “open” the classroom, connecting with
other spaces and other people who are also learning, which is possible thanks to the
internet and networks.” (FUNIBER, page 13).

During the process of acquiring a second language, it is necessary for the teacher to
use technological tools for the development of the communicative skills and the digital
competence in language teaching. The internet and social networks are precious
sources that can be used in the process of education and research by schools. It is up
to the teacher to encourage students regarding the use of technologies in the process
of acquiring a second language and in the development of autonomy, interaction and
cooperation among students, making teaching more efficient. It is necessary that there
be adequacy of tools and technological devices to the teaching plan and objectives of
the course. It is also important that students' cognitive limits be respected, as well as
their interests and goals.

4. Teaching setting

We work as teachers in a public high school in São Paulo – Brazil. The school has a
very simple structure and serves students who are mostly poor or from the social lower
classes. We chose a class of first grade: students are all about 14 to 16 years old, with
about 40 students in class. Classes are in the morning and meet twice a week. Student
level is mixed, between A1 to B1; students can read texts and understand almost
everything that is explained and said in English, but they have some difficulty to speak
and make some grammar mistakes.

A textbook is used: New Alive High, by SM publishers. The textbook was chosen by the
teachers in the school and is provided by the government, to be distributed to the
students.

Each textbook unit has a different topic/theme. In class, it is possible to work on

grammar, vocabulary, reading and conversation. The use of the book helps the teacher
to monitor individual learning through specific activities aimed at each student.
Collective learning is verified through interactive activities in pairs or groups. It is

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important for the teacher to observe the level of understanding presented by the
students as well as their level of cognitive and linguistic development. This analysis
allows the teacher to use the book to review content that was not well assimilated by
the students or reinforce content that is considered relevant. It takes about three weeks
(6 lessons) to complete each textbook unit with all its activities. Evaluation and
feedback take one week (2 lessons).

In addition to the textbook, other extra materials are used, such as films, music,
posters, magazines, flash cards, etc. Under the guidance of the teacher, different
activities are developed, ranging from gap-fills to seminars and theater plays.

The school does not have many technological devices, but it has televisions in all
classrooms. TV sets are used in some activities developed through bluetooth or wi-fi.
The devices also work offline, when it is possible to use them for a slideshow, for
example. Most students have smartphones with internet access and in some English
classes they need to access the internet to do online research.

5. Proposed Activities (Challenges)

To stimulate and encourage students to carry out the tasks, the teacher will present the
proposed activities as challenges to be overcome. The activities will be developed in
groups of 5 students and are divided into challenge 1, challenge 2 and challenge 3.

5.1 Challenge One: What’s Your Talent?

Activity: What’s your talent?

Skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading
Time: Six classes (360 minutes)
Level: A1-B1

Objectives:

 Reflect on types of talents and identify personal skills.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

 Listen to non-native speakers, to validate variations in pronunciation.

 Greet people and make introductions – formal and informal ways.
 Produce multimodal presentations to discover someone’s talents.

First week (2 classes):

Introduction: This is the first Unit of the textbook. Students see photos of famous
people with different talents, from singers to graffiti artists. We start the class with a
warm-up: a discussion about famous people, appearing in the book or not, and their
talents. Through this discussion, it should be possible to discover different talents in the
students, as well as motivate them to talk about these very talents.

Tasks: After the discussion, some activities are proposed as homework. Students have
to read a text and answer specific questions about the text. They also have to answer
personal questions.

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Second week (2 classes):

After homework correction, the teacher starts a discussion about pronunciation of non-
native people, after hearing the students’ opinions. A video from Youtube featuring the
singer Anitta singer is played. Students watch it to answer the questions in the book.
Moreover, different types of greeting are explained.

Video from youtube:

[Link]

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Third week (2 classes):

To finish the unit, students are challenged to participate in a ‘talent show’ in which they
must present their personal talents.

Procedure:

1. The class will be divided into 8 groups of five students.

2. Each group will organize different presentations (in English).
3. Students need to choose a television program to imitate in the classroom on the day
of the challenge.
4. Each group will present different talents: one group can present a dance; another
one, a song; still another, a game; and so on, according with the tv program chosen by
them. Before starting the presentation, the group members have to introduce
themselves using the grammar and vocabulary studied in class and explained in the
discussions to define how the presentation would be.
5. Students will be instructed to create groups on Facebook to discuss how the
presentation should be made and what resources and devices should be used on the
day of the presentation.
6. Each group will present in class what they have prepared, using technology tools as
they wish.

Evaluation:

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

The followings aspects will be considered:

 Participation in the group, organization of exposition and oral performance.

 Cohesion and coherence in the oral presentation.
 Use of creativity.

5.2 Challenge Two: Going Mobile

Activity: Going Mobile

Skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading
Time: Six classes (360 minutes)
Level: A1-B1

Objectives:

 Explore texts that circulate in social media.

 Talk about technology-related actions.
 Create a text message in a digital context.
 Grammar review: Present Perfect tense – use of since and for.

First week (2 classes):

Introduction: This is the fourteenth unit in the textbook. Students see pictures of text
messages in cell phones. We start the class with a discussion warm-up: talking about
the language used in messages – which we can call acronyms (SMS language) –
emojis, abbreviations, stickers, among others.

Tasks: After the discussion, some activities are proposed as homework. Students have
to read a text and answer specific questions about the text. They also have to answer
personal questions.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Second week (2 classes):

After correcting homework, the teacher reviews the use of since and for with the
present perfect tense. Exercises are done and corrected in class.

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Third week (2 classes):

To finish the unit, an instapoem is proposed. Instapoems are poem in formats adapted
to the instagram language and published on this network, following the network's
standard publication format.

Procedure:

1. The class will be divided into 8 groups of five students.

2. Each group will create an instapoem.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

3. Each group will create an account on Instagram and at least post 2 instapoems on
the account created.
4. Each group will present in class what they have written on Instagram.

Evaluation:

The followings aspects will be considered:

 Participation in the group, organization of exposition and oral performance.
 Cohesion and coherence in the oral presentation.
 Use of creativity.

5.3 Challenge Three: Your Broadcast

Activity: Your Broadcast

Skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading
Time: Six classes (360 minutes)
Level: A1-B1

Objectives:

 Talk about video broadcasting and the language used in streaming platforms.
 Reflect on the world of youtubers and digital influencers.
 Create tutorials in English.
 Grammar review: imperatives.

First week (2 classes):

Introduction: This is the fifteenth unit in the textbook. Students see pictures of
different videos from YouTube. Class starts with a discussion as warm-up: talking
about the world of Youtubers and digital influencers, their lifestyles, the positive and
negative aspects of their world.

Tasks: After the discussion, some activities are proposed as homework. Students have
to read a text and answer specific questions about the text. They also have to answer
personal questions.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Second week (2 classes):

After homework correction, the teacher reviews the use of imperatives. That can be
done orally and/or on the board. Students do listening exercises about cooking classes;
these exercises are corrected in class.

Illustration taken from the book New Alive High from SM publisher.

Third week (2 classes):

To finish the unit, a video showing a cooking class is played.

Procedure:

1. The class will be divided into 8 groups of five students.

2. Each group will create a video explaining how to make a different typical recipe from
countries that have English as a first or second language.

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 Assignment – FP010 CALL

3. Each group will create a video with at least 5 minutes explaining the origin of the
recipe, showing the ingredients and the method of preparation. It is possible to record
the presentation like in a TV program, or to use a TV program as inspiration.
4. Each group will present in class what they have recorded in video.

Evaluation:

The followings aspects will be considered:

 Participation in the group, organization of exposition and oral performance.
 Cohesion and coherence in the oral presentation.
 Use of technological tools.
 Creativity.

6. Conclusion

This work aimed at meeting the requirements for the subject Computer Assisted
Language Learning. It included three pedagogical activities that were called Challenges
by the teachers. The proposed challenges intend to stimulate and encourage students
to develop educational tasks through technological tools and devices, internet,
applications, social networks, etc.

It is important that the teacher use technological resources within the classroom with
the students in the process of acquiring a foreign language. After all, we live in a
knowledge society and the internet offers many resources that can be used in teaching
activities and that facilitate learning and communication between teacher and students,
between students and school and between students and society.

The challenges proposed in this work consist of student-focused activities that

collaborate with EFL learning through classroom practice coupled with Web resources.
Technological changes and system updates happen very quickly; for this reason, it is
important that teachers be constantly trained in lifelong learning. This way, teachers will
be prepared to deal adequately with technological resources in the classroom, in line
with the guidelines set out in teaching plans. Teachers need to approach the use of

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technology in education in an open and flexible way, while maintaining a focus on

communication, cooperation and student interaction.

In the future, school and teaching activities will be increasingly connected to the
resources of the Web and to technology. Proper training of teachers and other foreign
language teaching professionals is essential for the success of students in acquiring and
mastering a second language. Teachers have the important task of planning educational
activities, with the use of technological resources in an inclusive manner that respects
students' cognitive levels and interests. It is the teacher's role to encourage students to
overcome language difficulties and encourage them to face learning challenges in a
positive, communicative and integrative way. The success of the teacher's work is
reflected in the success of the students' learning and in the achievement of their goals.

7. References

Braga, Junia. Racilan, Marcos. Gomes, Ronaldo. New Alive High. Língua Inglesa. SM.
São Paulo-SP. 2020.

Starkey, L. (2010). Teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and action in the digital Age.
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 16(2), 233-244.

Torres, Lola. Computer Assisted Language Learning. FUNIBER, 2019.

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