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Period: to
1950’s and 1960’s
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THE LANGUAGE LAB
After World War II creation of language laboratory.
Pedagogical method – audio-lingual. This entailed repetition, substitution drills. -
SHORTFALL OF AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD
Used: Audio tapes, high-speed copiers, textbooks with tapes Shortfall: This method declined as tapes seen as boring by students, Students used wrong approach to listening exercises as they were not supervised.
Audio lingual method became less preferred. -
Period: to
1960’S AND 1970’S
FL methodologists looked at Computer Assisted language Instruction -
USE OF COMPUTER NETWORK IN FL CLASSROOM
Depended on access to computers
Programmed especially to provide immediate feedback as in FL exercises -
SHORTFALL
Students had to use public place, sit in carrel, to do repetitious work, use unfamiliar technology, variety of user interfaces (especially with respect to foreign characters), challenges with new and exciting graphics and visual vocabulary from programmes such a MTV. -
WHAT AIDED IN THIS DEVELOPMENT
Hardware and software more reliableIncreased compatibility between systems like Macintosh and Windows platformsTechnology afforded networking and more collective endeavors for education. -
Period: to
DAWN OF A NEW ERA- THE1990's
The dawn of a new era as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) was introduced. -
ADVANCEMENTS
Improvement in Multimedia capabilities: CD-ROM -
ADVANCEMENTS
Improvement in Multimedia capabilities: Midi ports -
THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Internet allowed for authentic language to learners direct and indirect exposure to target culture -
WHAT PROMOTED/ENHANCED TECHNOLOGY IN FL CLASSROOMS
EASE OF ACCESS
Operating systems like Windows created user friendly interface, made internet access easier.
Foreign Language Instruction became marketable especially for businesses. -
A WHOLE NEW WORLD WAS OPENED
WITH THE INTERNET:
The FL world can come here as students as they no longer have to travel to be exposed to an authentic FL experience.
