My Experience with CALL

I have used some form of computer for as long as I can remember. In 1981 my dad brought home an Apple II+, and since then I have lived as a digital native. I have always had some form of computer at my disposal (with one significant exception that I will go into later). In terms of my own relationship to technology, I quite often find myself feeling ambivalent. It is likely that this ambivalence will influence my understanding of CALL and its usefulness in a language classroom. The ambivalence stems from a recognition that the digital route is not always the one that is best suited to particular tasks, but that gauging whether it is more effective than conventional routes is not necessarily an easy task either. The question I am faced with is how to determine when the usually front loaded effort of setting up digital media will result in greater dividends in the long run. This in terms of teacher speak would be phrased as when does taking the CALL route result in better learning outcomes.

I work at the Language and Culture Learning Center and have helped develop how-to documents for instructors to use CALL techniques in their classrooms. As teacher, I have yet to use most these techniques in my own classroom. I recognize that using these methods often entails not only providing an example of the kinds of work I would like to see my students produce but also teaching the technology required to produce it. In many cases I can see how this will pay dividends in the long-term, but I feel that in other cases it is less clear.

Does anyone else struggle with this kind of ambivalence? Has anyone established some kind of litmus test to determine whether using CALL techniques will be more likely to result in better learning incomes than more conventional approaches?