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PREFACE TO THE FIRST ISSUE
When a
teacher becomes
aware of new developments in pedagogical theory or technology, the
first reaction is
frequently
“Sounds great!”, and the second “but?” There
is almost invariably conflict between the ideals
stimulated by
the linguistic theory, the pedagogical approach or the technological
innovation, and the
practical matters
which must be taken into consideration for effective implementation of
those ideals.
Brian
McCarthy, 1992
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This
journal is the
result of ten years of continuous search for
resources on the WWW for language teaching which have produced some
good results: A web site for practice, participations in National and
International Language Teaching Conferences, and some papers reflecting
the implications of the use of Communication and Information
Technologies in the EFL classroom.
Perhaps
a few
language teachers still ignore the benefits of using
Communication and Information Technologies for their classes. No one
needs to be an expert in computer programming in order to start using
Computer-Assisted Language Learning in his or her classes.
To
start from
scratch, there are very basic tools anyone can use to
change a classroom's dynamics: Slide presentations with movement and
sound effects for explaining tough grammar topics, recommendations from
the WWW, movie clips and songs and some other affordable technologies
that can be at hand with a few practical tips and some practice. The
fact is that teachers have to dare and not be afraid of the challenges
that show up every day with the advance of technology.
This
lighthouse
showing the path to CALL includes some papers collected
through the years, from 1995 to present, in order to share the
practicalities of CITs with other fellow language teachers within
Colombia and other countries who migh happen to find this valuable
resource. These papers are the result of classroom experiences and
participations at different national and international language
teaching conferences within Colombia:
- 14th ELT Conference, Centro
Colombo Americano,
Medellín, Colombia, 2003.
- 39th ASOCOPI National
Conference, Santa Marta,
Colombia, 2004
- I International
Conference on CALL
Solutions for Language Learning, EAFIT University, Medellín,
Colombia, 2004.
- V & VI Researcher Teachers
Journeys,
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, 2003-2004
- I ACT Languages, First
International
Autonoma´s Conference on Teaching Languages, Santiago de Cali,
Colombia, 2005.
I
hope to receive
contributions from other language teachers so this
Colombian Computer-Assisted Language Learning Journal can grow and
illuminate the path towards the use of communication and
information technologies in language teaching and learning.
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Issue Number 1
January, 2007
Jorge H.
Villegas A.
Editor
CONTENTS
What readers have
said
about this
site
Papers by the
Editor:
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