Q#6Do you think CALL was a necessary/vital

part of your education at MIIS? Please explain.

Andrew

OMG WTF kinda question is that?!?! (Just kidding ^^) It was HALF of my education at MIIS!!! Learning SLA theory, Curriculum design, etc, was every bit as important as updating my content/activity delivery methods. Considering my personal teaching style, it’s now extremely difficult to imagine teaching withoutCALL. My only regret is that I didn’t take CALL and Assessment.

Afiwa

YES!!! I do because I learned about tools that I am using now and will be using in the following semester, expecially the examples I mentioned above such as blogs and sites.

Heidi

Absolutely. I also noted some of these opinions in my critical reflection/commentary for portfolio as well as my program evaluation. Anyways, taking a project-based course right at the beginning or the tech-tools class REALLY helped me develop as a professional throughout this program. For me, what was important was exposure. Exposure to sites, tools, other projects, etc., and then let me create what I need to. That’s kind of how I learn and formulate my own ideas – I first need to see samples, and develop an understanding. Continued..

Heidi Continued

I suppose if there was a “create your online portfolio right from the first semester!” I would have really understood the importance of keeping an author/citation/idea blog or I would have revised projects right after I got the feedback so as to publish it on my site I don’t know, a more “holistic” vision of CALL should be used right from the onset so that students can grow into themselves and their ideas. Does this make sense? If it does not, I would love to talk about it, Ramon and Sarah. I am more of a conceptual and top-down thinker, who kind of figures out the details as I go along… and now that I have done that with CALL, I can kind of see “rewinding” so as to help other students in the future.

Kamila

Yes. If I hadn’t taken CALL I would still be resistant to the use of technology in the classroom. Now I understand the value of using it and how to use different tools in various contexts.

Karen

With CALL, I definitely learned a lot about the different kinds of online resources to help me better organize and get through grad school. But I’m not quite sure how it has assisted me in language learning because my professors do not use CALL in their classroom. But learning about CALL has allowed me to use it to my own benefit.

Alicia

I have appreciated my CALL classes because it has encouraged me to reflect on my values and see the ‘big ideas’ not only in the program but beyond. I have read quite widely surrounding CALL and CALL-related topics, and I appreciate the chance to think about the big picture, rather than always keeping my head down in the weeds.

Angelica

Yea I think so. With all the multimedia resources available and the “Monterey way”, I think CALL is essential – that embodies the global vision of MIIS in some way.