CAI Applications to Teaching Languages at a Distance

Whereas we have described the present situation of CAL applications to second language teaching at a distance as practically non-existent, we believe not only that many of the advantages have been missed, but also that new developments have made and will continue to make it difficult to ignore CALL as a tool for aiding the language learner at a distance. In expounding the benefits that computers can bring to the tele-teaching of second languages, however, it will become evident that the case for second language learning at a distance maybe quite different from the general directions elaborated upon in the previous section: for teaching languages at a distance, CAL may prove to be a much more important tool than computer conferencing.

Present Status of Call Hardware

While it would be foolish to fall into the trap that has lured many of those who have demonstrated an interest in CAL, namely an emphasis on the hardware at the expense of the software, it is nevertheless necessary to address briefly the computer-related media at the disposal of CALL.

It is generally agreed that the advantages of microcomputers far outweigh those of mainframe systems. Moreover, as far as CALL is concerned, the IBM or IBM-compatible machine is emerging as the educational standard (Craven & Sinyor, 1987; Higgins, 1987).

Of greater significance, given that we are still some time away from speech synthesizers of acceptable quality for most language instruction, are the uses which microcomputers are being put to in order to incorporate audio and video material into CALL lessons. This flows logically from the emphasis which has been placed in recent second language teaching and learning re-search on the important role which listening to authentic, natural language plays in second language acquisition or learning.

While the older PLATO curriculum, for example, demonstrated that computers could be used in combination with tape recorders, slide projectors, and other such media, recent hardware developments have allowed for fast and precise random access to connected audio and/or video equipment. Where audio is concerned, Tandberg developed and marketed the prototype computer-controlled tape recorder (TCCR 530) and both Sony and Tandberg now have random-access cassette recorders on the market (Tandberg TAL 812, Sony CAX-50). These allow for branching to different recorded segments, with access, in a 60- minute tape, in under 60 seconds. Given the cost of this technology, and the facility with which instructional material can be recorded and copied, it would appear that random-access tape recorders are a better investment for today's CALL developer than are random-access audio floppy (Instavox) or compact discs, which, while they provide even quicker access to different segments of recorded material, are not user recordable. Of course, this situation could change rather quickly. (For a detailed exposition of audio- enhanced CALL, see Dunkel, 1987.)