Introduction to CALL Workshop

Anne O'Bryan and Maja Grgurovic

Overview: In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to try using a variety of online tools and websites, as well as commercially-produced software. You will try out each tool, site, or software program at 1 of 5 stations centered around reading, speaking, listening, vocabulary, grammar, and culture. Some stations have more than one tool, site, or software program for you to try. While using each, complete the the evaluation checklist for each one. What are some strengths and weaknesses of each? How do you envision using these for language learning? What types of students would each be appropriate for?

Choose your station from the menu on the left.

Reading Station

Resource #1: The first site you will visit at this station is the CNN website Learning Resources

Directions:

1. Pick a story

2. Select "story"

3. Try one of the exercises on the left frame

Resource #2: English Language Center Study Zone

1. Begin going through the reading unit in a linear fashion, starting with Prediction Exercises.

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Listening Station

Resource #1: Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

1. Pick your level and a story. Listen to it.

2. Complete the exercise

Resource #2: Using Podcasting tools with Podomatic

  1. Click on the Podcast tab

  2. Fill out the registration form and click “Join Podomatic”

  3. On the “Personalize Podcast” page, you have the opportunity to set preferences that determine how your podcast looks. You can set your preferences now, or choose “Skip” to record your first episode.

  4. Follow the steps on this page to name your podcast, and then press the “Record” button to record your audio. You can preview or re-record your audio before publishing it. Once you’re ready to publish your first podcast, click on “Publish”.

  5. After this step, you’re taken to a page that encourages you to publicize your podcast in order to attract listeners by emailing your published to others.  If you’d rather skip this stage for now and want to view your new podcast, click on the“My Podcast Page”.

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Vocabulary Station

Resource #1: Visit Tom Cobb's Compleat Lexical Tutor

1. Click on Concordancers, Search a corpus

2. Click on Corpus-based concordances: English

3. Type in the word that you would like to search

Resource #2: The Case of the Missing Librarian

1. Click on the picture on the homepage and go through the activity

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Grammar Station

Resource #1: Visit the Englishclub

1. Select and complete one of the quizzes on the right

 

Resource #2: The Internet TESL Journal Self-Study Grammar Quizzes

1. Select and complete one of the quizzes

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Speaking and Pronunciation Station

Resouce #1: Berlitz Communicate and Connect Software

1. Go to Unit 2 Lesson 2

2. Do at least activity 2 and 6

Resource #2: Connected Speech

1. Choose level 1, and click on the woman's picture at the bottom in the center ("Becky")

2. Click on "Pitch change" and at least look at the tutorial and complete a few exercises under Mark and Record and Questions

 

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Culture Station

Resource #1: Cultural Gaps: Bridging the Gaps in Everyday Culture

1. Look around the website and tell us what you think!

Resource #2: American classroom culture

1. Look around the website and tell us what you think!

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Writing Station

Resource #1: iWrite

1. Login to iWrite (login: guest password: guest1)

2. Explore the site. Make sure to visit the "Solutions", "Essays", and "Marking" portions of the site.

Resource #2: WriteFix
1. Find “Parts of an essay” in the top menu and select Introductions

2. Read about introduction and look at some samples (bottom of the page)

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Other Resources

Projects at Iowa State

Additional online resources

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