English Language Departmental Magazine - PSAU

are the references:
These
M., Reinders, H., & Warschauer, M. (Eds.). (2012). Contemporary
Thomas,
language learning. A&C Black.
computer-assisted
M., & Stockwell, G. (2013). CALL dimensions: Options and issues in
Levy,
General
It is observed that using
computers helps the
teachers and students in
improving writing in
many ways such as:
1- Select appropriate writing texts as models
2- Choose CALL programs that teach the genres as well as linguistic
knowledge and strategies.
3- Teach learners how to benefit in terms of interactive help and
feedback when using computers
4- Create learners’ opportunities to expand knowledge of English
through writing and to write for a real audience
5- Include explicit evaluation
6- Help learners develop their writing strategies.
(Thomas, Reinders, &Warschauer, 2012)
(Thomas, Reinders, &Warschauer, 2012)
Furthermore, using the internet can meet all the learners’ styles such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. It
is stated that success in listening to the computer is dependent on the design of the task in terms of catering to
individual learner differences, including learning styles and preferred learning modes (Levy &Stockwell, 2013).
From my experience of teaching a CALL course in the summer semester for level 7 students, I was amazed by the facility that
technology offers. I used some useful websites such as Macmillandictionary.com, Merriam Webster dictionary. These two dictionaries
are effective to expand the knowledge of the teachers and the students in learning English vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms, and
pronunciation. Also, I advised the students to use Grammarly.com. This software program is helpful to check the grammar and spelling
of the students’ work. They can edit their work before submitting it. Additionally, this program has features that can be added on the
smart phone keyboard to ease the editing. Besides using the PowerPoint presentations and word processor for the assignments, the hot
potato software program is used as an effective tool to create quizzes and tests. Students were active and enthusiastic, they created
wonderful tutorial videos and published them as web links after that they submitted them via the blackboard. The students presented
creative tutorial videos by using the screen-recording feature, the recording can be downloaded as a program or can be used through
PowerPoint processor. Moreover, the students enriched their classmates’ knowledge and mine about effective applications that can be
downloaded on smart phones, for example: Camply, Doulingo, Goodreads, Wordhippo, BBC, Shmoop. All these platforms help to improve
learners’ English language. To use some of them registration is needed and using them continuously is the key to success.
I am thankful for programmers who help us to deal with these applications easily. Also, many thanks for Sattam bin Abdulaziz
University that allows us to use Blackboard to deliver our courses and facilitate communication with the students. In fact, using
Blackboard opens my horizon about e-learning and e-teaching. I communicate, upload files, add useful materials, web links, and send
students’ grades.
computer-assisted language learning. Routledge
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