Celebrating 25 Years of CALL

Celebrating 25 years of CALL: Forging new pathways

Vance StevensFormer chair and founding member of CALL-IS

Petroleum Institute, Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates

March 26, 2009, TESOL Conference, Denver

Based on blog posting at http://adVancEducation.blogspotcom/http://tinyurl.com/callis25years

http://advanceducation.blogspotcom/

http://tinyurl.com/callis25years

Vance Stevens - TESOL Denver 2009

25 years ago Fax machine did not exist Software schlepped around conference to conference on

physical 5 1/4” diskettes Information disseminated through newsletters mailed to

people who WROTE us snail mail to sign up for them Grad students typically composed essays on typewriters,

then retyped them Teachers used typewriters and mimeograph machines;

offered computers, many chose typewriters Sharing entailed costs which needed institutional support

to bear


Future as seen 25 years ago

Computers seen as passing fads Doubters (most people) had to be convinced

that there were pedagogical benefits to computers

Computers seen as devices for algorithmic learning (behavioristic)

I wrote in favor of humanism in CALL Mindset was the read only century; now it's the

read-write


Implications of the Read/Write Century: Paradigm Shift

1. Pedagogy - from didactic TO constructivist2. Networking - from isolated TO connectivist models; e.g. CoPs

and distributed learning networks3. Sharing - from copyright TO creative commons4. Literacy – from print dominance TO communication that tends

toward multiliteracies5. Heuristics - from client/server TO peer to peer6. Formality – from Trepidation, fear of being exposed as not

knowing TO F.U.N. = encourage class to explore despite risk of Frivolous Unanticipated Nonsense

7. Transfer – from lecture, sit/get TO modeling, demonstration8. Directionality – from push TO pull e.g. RSS9. Ownership – from proprietary TO open source10. Classification – from taxonomy TO folksonomy


Who are CALL-IS A group? A community? A network?

What is an appropriate metaphorfor conference attendance?

Group? Community? Network?Is it ok to cut teachers / students off from

their networks?At a networked conference Who benefits? Who loses?


PD models for Networked Interaction

CALL-IS (1984) EVO (2001) Webheads (1998, 2002) Free online conferences

George Siemens WiAOC

F2F conferences with rich networking potential Learning 2.0 (Jeff Utecht) IATEFL right now, getting better NECC in July


The future: 25 years from now Hard to imagine, considering ...

Extent of changes in last 25 years Accelerating pace of change

Social networking via social media is the new CALL; that is ... Used and promoted for education by growing number of

advocates Denied as unhealthy; even dangerous by diminishing few Insinuating itself into our culture (Amazon, eBay) and work

and social lives (Facebook) Relatively untapped potential for learning and education


Whither CALL-IS?

Now that the C in CALL is almost seamless, almost taken for granted, social networking is the new front-line SMALL? (Social media assisted LL?)

(… enhanced … won’t work)

THINK SMALL


Whither TESOL? Some givens:

Growing numbers of teaching practitioners no longer focus professional development activities on annual conferences

Professional development is done daily (weekly, etc.) for free at individual's pace and convenience

Via Twitter, Ning, Skype, YouTube, Facebook, YahooGroups, TappedIn, WiZiQ ...


Professional Development

Ongoing PD requires connection to a network Annual conferences are good for face to face

interaction and interpersonal networking But inefficient for professional development Many conferences / schools etc require participants

to leave their networks at the door


CALL-IS as Change Agent

CALL-IS has a 25-year history of change agency in TESOL

In future, successful conferences and professional

organizations will combine opportunities for interpersonal connection with connectivity and seamless interaction with distributed personal learning networks

Those that do not will become irrelevant CALL-IS can help bring about positive change

You can find this presentation online

http://slideshare.net/vanceshttp://tinyurl.com/callis25years

More presentations by Vance Stevenshttp://vancestevens.com/papers

Vance Stevens blogs at http://adVancEducation.blogspot.com

http://slideshare.net/vances

http://tinyurl.com/callis25years

http://vancestevens.com/papers

http://advanceducation.blogspot.com/