Computer Assisted Language Learning A Review of Educational Software for ESL & Non-ESL Classrooms By Bill Michaud, Sam Reales, Cher Trenholme-Pihl and

Computer Assisted Language Learning

A Review of Educational Software for ESL & Non-ESL

Classrooms

By Bill Michaud, Sam Reales, Cher Trenholme-Pihl and Sarah Forbes

Computer Assisted Language LearningSummer 2006

Who did what tasks?

Sam and Bill reviewed and created slides for Vocabulary Builders software.

Sarah and Cher reviewed and created slides for Ellis software.

Everyone participated in YM discussions to format, edit and

improve upon our project!


ESL Software Review

• Ellis Academic 3.0 2003 for Windows

• Designed for the middle grades

• Specifically for ESL learners

• Multi-media including video dialogues & voice recording/playback

• Provides drill & practice in all domains, comprehensible input,

• Contextualized through themes and simulation & role playing

• Applications for all proficiency levels:

– Basic 3.0 > NEP with or without literacy

– Intro 3.0 > Beginners with literacy

– Middle Mastery 3.0 > Intermediate (LEP)

– Senior 3.0 > Advanced (transitional)

Ellis Educational Software http://www.ellis.com

http://www.ellis.com/

http://www.ellis.com/


ESL Software ReviewEllis Educational Software

Purpose: to provide overall English language development for ESL students from a wide variety of backgrounds and proficiency levels.

This very comprehensive program includes reading, listening, speaking, writing extensions, and practice with grammar, reading- sounds > suprasegmentals, vocabulary, pronunciation, with a multicultural format, communicative context and with interactive multimedia features.

Research-based and

meets NCLBstandards



Pedagogical Considerations- Program Operation and Feedback

» How easy is the software to use? ● Easy to follow, audio and visual instructions for each page. ● Learners can easily navigate with clearly marked action buttons. ● Easy to use teacher assessment program makes learners work and scores available and allows tracking of student progress and time spent on particular activities.

The Ellis help menu is offered in 50 languages and is accessible by clicking a help icon visible on every page.

» How does the software program evaluate the learner’s response?• Allows learners to record their voices, repeat and listen to/compare their responses to check pronunciation • Allows learners to interact with characters through role plays, recording their own voices in a dialogue • Provides practice activities and games for each lesson• Provides immediate written and oral feedback for incorrect answers and gives students a chance to find the right answers


» Content Features: ●Well-Organized: The content of Ellis is organized in a visually pleasing and easy to navigate manner, with clearly marked sub categories and tabs. ●Well-Sequenced: Each lesson starts with a video of a real life situation and then goes carefully through the text and different aspects, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar of each. ●Provides effective practice: Feedback from teachers and students about the software claims that the Ellis software and method are effective, that it helps learning and introduces new language in a fun and meaningful way. ●Free of excessive violence & free of stereotypes: Real life situations that are useful and not controversial are the subject of each lesson. ●Takes advantage of computer’s unique capability: Provides students with audio record and playback features and uses video and audio for instruction and role plays.

» Program Output: ●Ellis is attractive, the color non-distracting, visuals necessary and clear, video relevant, and graphics and sounds all support learning.


Pedagogical Considerations


ESL Software Review

• Very comprehensive, with capability to individualize instruction and assessment to many levels

• Provides practice in all domains and multiple modalities• Teacher assessment component makes tracking of

progress and record keeping easy• Students are provided immediate feedback, monitor

features and chances to improve• Site is highly interactive, rich with graphics, sounds,

video and audio features to enhance learning• Correlates with standards and is research-based

Ellis Educational SoftwarePedagogical considerations: strengths



Pedagogical Aspects: Some Drawbacks

» Though Ellis has a well organized and appealing lay out and structure, it is also a very student dependent software. If a student is motivated by Ellis then they may succeed. However, it does not address the idea of students learning in different ways, nor does it allow students much creative input. In this sense, it is a very traditional software, using the practice and drill method of teaching. Though it provides games, and allows students to record their voices, there is no spontaneous interaction or personalization involved in using the software.

The program doesn’t require much in-class

student-to-student communication either.

The interactive portion of the software is a simply

interaction between screen and student, not

between students or student and teacher.


ESL Software Review

• This software is not particularly conducive to authentic Communicative Language or Task Based Learning approaches so relevant and effective in current ESL classrooms that aim to integrate technology.

• The “real-life” situations presented in the Ellis interactive video dialogues are limited because they are not authentic, student created scenarios.

• Ellis should be used in the ESL classroom as a supplemental CALL activity, not as a sole teaching tool. Teachers will want to extend lessons and activities by adding other computer based links, webquests and authentic tasks, such as ePals.

Ellis Educational SoftwarePedagogical Aspects: Some Drawbacks


Non ESL Software ReviewCollins Vocabulary Builder Software

Collins Dictionary

• Vocabulary Builders is for Windows• For students at the basic/low intermediate level from middle grade

school onward• Allows learner to

1) save work2) move easily from lesson to lesson,

3) open and save quickly 4) control options of the program

• Screens are attractive and free of clutter

Technical Aspects



Content

Vocabulary Builders is a well organized, enjoyable software for students. It provides effective, enjoyable practice. It provides meaningful interaction between computer and learner and is free of excessive violence (the drill below has the student shooting at a target and stereotypes.



• Learners can create their own Memopad for low frequency items that can be filed in their own PC.

• It offers valuable tools for students to learn the correct pronunciation of words as they have the opportunity to listen to models, record their own voices and check on pronunciation.

• Users learn vocabulary items as they play and fill out crossword puzzles.

• Users get familiar with the phonetic transcription and parts of speech of words in English that will help later for effective dictionary use and autonomous learning.

• Instructions are easy to follow and Ss’ can choose the level of difficulty.

Pedagogical Considerations

Correct pronunciations of the word. Practice In the Audiopad

Parts of the speech and Semantic features

Abbrerviations areexplained when the cursor

is positioned on them

Quick Search Field


Pedagogical Considerations-Feedback

• Tasks are designed for students to try to overcome their own and other users’ scores. Competition is an important element to motivate learners in this software.

• The activities do not foster interaction even though users can compete in groups to reach better scores.

• There is no negotiation of meaning and most exercises work at word level. • Correct responses are provided and learners are allowed to repeat the activities if

they wish.

Non ESL Software Review Collins Vocabulary Builder Software

Audiopad: learners can listen to their own speech at the same time thatthey listen to the native speaker


Pedagogical Considerations-Strengths

• The competition element can become a strong motivational factor for young learners.• Learners can tackle their pronunciation weaknesses by having some individual

repetition of difficult phonetic items in the Audiopad• The Audiopad shows learners the voice pitch facilitating the pronunciation and

understanding of difficult phonetic features. • It facilitates students’ search of vocabulary as it is cross-referenced. By clicking on

any word in the explanation section you can see its definition. • Spelling practice is emphasized through games and crosswords. • Learners get familiar with abbreviations and the International Phonetic Alphabet of

dictionaries. • Some activities (Shooting Gallery) can be set by the teacher so that assessment can

be done in different gamelike way.• The dictionary entries show formal and informal meanings of words so that they

become useful in different situations learners will encounter. • It becomes a strong support for beginning learners who will benefit from a bilingual

dictionary.



Pedagogical Considerations-Drawbacks

• Strategies to learn vocabulary are mainly word association and memorization. Learners could be shown other strategies to help them become better vocabulary learners (ie: grouping, semantic mapping)

• Learners do not get involved in activities to discrimate vocabulary items a context. • Visuals and images are needed for better vocabulary retention.• Decontextualized vocabulary items can lead students to low retention and poor use of

strategies for long-term recall.• It becomes an interesting and useful tool for students to use dictionaries but it can not

be used as a tool for vocabulary learning on itself.• Interaction is established mainly at a competition level. • There are no exercises that allow learners to work at a sentence level.• Word sound discrimation should be included as a complement for the Soundpad to

assess students



Pedagogical Considerations-How to fit it into the curriculum?

This sofware can be used as a complement to scaffold the work on thematic units.Teacher asks students to first draw their own mind maps related to the theme of the unit in their mother tongue or through drawings and create the need for them to use the vocabulary builder to find the meaning, practice pronunciation and make connections with other words related to that theme. Later on, everyone is going to collaborate to complement a class mind map with the new words. Semantic sets will facilitate students’ long-term recall and all together will be able to construct their own set of words that will be later used through out the lesson. As a follow up students will enjoy the games and activities that will serve as a consolidation. As students use the software they should gradually be introduced to the use of abbreviations and some other necessary tools that will help them become autonomous including the Audiopad. Teacher introduces different strategies that will help them memorize and remember new entries.


Ellis• Contextualized Learning• Offers video and sound• Grammar, vocabulary practice• Can help supplement

classroom teaching

Vocabulary Builders• Decontextualized• Offers voice recording and

sounds• Strictly vocabulary practice• Is a tool for the classroom

Ellis/Vocabulary Builder Comparison

Documents

Computer Assisted Language Learning A Review of Educational Software for ESL & Non-ESL Classrooms By Bill Michaud, Sam Reales, Cher Trenholme-Pihl and