New interest..

Since completing my essay, which was mostly based on whether CALL can help improve pronunciation, I have developed a new interest in researching programs which aim to demonstrate the correct pronunciation and I now want to improve my pronunciation as much as I can.

I haven't found any free online facilities for getting feedback on my pronunciation but there are many sites which demonstrate clearly how to pronounce difficult phonemes.

Using CALL gives me a sense of language learning becoming more achievable.. I always think improving is in my hands and is possible if I try harder!

I think at an early age language learners should be introduced to online language learning facilities to help them develop their autonomous learning skills.

Hold on one second!!

By the way I just realised my clock is set wrong!! It's not 4.35 p.m, I'm not lazy and still in bed in case your getting any ideas..

It's actually 00:41!

Anyone know how to change this? Comment if you do, much appreciated!

Guilty Conscience...

Today I had a language learning free day! It's the first day in 12 weeks as my class wasn't on and with other assignments I was, dare I say, TOO busy to do any autonomous learning..

And the result???

An OVERWHELMING feeling of guilt..

So, its very late and I'm lying in bed unable to sleep because I feel so guilty for not practising my language or learning anything new! I'm hoping that by blogging my feelings I'll have a sense of relief and as penance I'll do extra language learning work tomorrow.. (Maybe..)

Anyway, I'm not going to learn anything now so I'm off to my bed.. G'night! x

The act of blogging..

For the past 12 weeks I've been writing reflective blogs on my language learning. Initially I was very enthusiastic and had a lot to post, however as time passed I became more critical and found it more difficult to post as I felt I was repeating myself and wanted to be more specific .

I find between my blogs I am most reflective as I am thinking about what I'm learning and what useful information I could share with other language learners.

I like critiquing CALL and WELL sites and participating in online learning opportunities and feel they are of advantage for those who have specific language learning difficulties in certain areas.

CALL V Traditional Language Learning..

This is the general theme of my LI4113 essay.

I'm comparing certain aspects of CALL and more traditional language learning strategies. I think this is a very enjoyable topic to study as it's very interesting to examine whether there is an advantage of using one above the other.

I believe that if used correctly, CALL holds a wealth of knowledge and advice which can potentially make learning a language much more enjoyable, but I also believe there is a lot of useless programmes which do not help.

Similarly, traditional methods like textbooks have their positives and negatives.

If anyone has any personal experience or thoughts on this subject that they would like to share please leave a comment... :)

So the big Q: Am I actually learning anything??..

And the answer is... Yes :)

Using CALL is a positive experience for me. I find it stimulating to challenge and teach myself and to push myself to different learning levels. With CALL programmes I am giving myself the opportunity to improve my language shills which in turn is hugely motivating. (And sometimes addictive!)

Unlike in-class work, which I take a strategic approach to, I find that I take a deep approach to my CALL work. I want to find out more and want to understand underlying principles when I am learning for myself.

With class work, time is limited per subject and all work has a specific aim and outcome, for example, studying the imperfect tense, doing a test, passing the test and progressing, thus learning becomes forced. This type of learning is useful but is not conducive to optimum understanding. By learning in my own time and concentrating on my own needs I am beginning to relate ideas and concepts to other knowledge and I am more interested and able in what I am learning.

I do question if their is room for CALL inside the classroom as I feel it is more about the 'personal desire to learn' than learning for exam purposes. I feel that CALL would become artificial within the classroom with the majority of students, e.g. a situation where blogs or exercises are all rushed and completed together to pass an exam or be done before a due date, rather than a more reflective approach taken towards learning.

I like CALL but I feel it depends on personal tastes and interests to be successful.