Hello!
We are Francesca Helm and Sarah Guth, English language teacher-researchers at the University of Padova, Italy. We've been involved in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) for over ten years. We use technology in the classroom to give students access to opportunities for more authentic language learning beyond the classroom through online materials and interacting with people in other parts of the world. We're really looking forward to coming to Adama and would like to learn something about you and your teaching context in the next few weeks as we prepare to come over. Please leave a comment to this post in which you tell us who you are, what you teach, and how you use or would like to integrate CALL in your specific context.
24 comments:
I am so grateful for accepting my request and process your travel to come to Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU). I would also thank Prof. Graham Davies and my great condolence for he was a dedicated person who helped me my work at ASTU.
Since I am one of the first person who established our Multimedia Language Labs in the mid of 2008 and introduced Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), you are the first to arrive at ASTU in order to hold a workshop and share your experience to our fellow colleagues on enhancing language learning through technology.
Even though, i had some session to introduce CALL it wasn't enough and most of the staff member who was with me longing to have someone like you to have in depth understanding about the technology. Hopefully you will have splendid interactive session with the participants. I am a technical assistant and as always, I will be around assisting you in any thing you need to make your stay safe and sound as much as I can.
Beside the language instructors and professors, the major participants, the German Founder Dean and the Ethiopian Dean of School of Humanities and Law, the Head of English Department, and Head of Afana Oromo Department will accompany us.
Hi Akeya,
Thanks for replying to our message! We're really looking forward to coming, and finally meeting you and your colleagues.
We'd like to encourage other instructors and professors at Adama to 'take the plunge', join in on the conversation and tell us a little bit about yourselves and your work in a comment to this blog so we can have a better idea of your context before we come over to ASTU!
Francesca
Hi, I am a student at ASTU, indirectly I am a participant in your workshop thingie cause you will be workshopping my teachers. I think its a great idea that you are doing this,cause there are libraries with internet service and there is wifi, but it is very very rare when any of this is included in class. And I will wager that the number of students who uses either is very small. So if CALL is what I think it is it would be great for students (and teacher, of course)
Hi, I'm Temesgen from the Department of English. I teach English courses like Communicative English Skills and Writing Skills. I also usse CAll to support my students and to support myself in improving my English.
I found the training very useful in helping us improve our use of technology.
hi
we are enjoying the program on call very much.In fact there is a lot to do here in
ASTU to introduce call in to our EFL programs.We still are looking forward to techniques of incoporating CALL in to our curriculum and syllabus so that it becomes part of what we do in our classrooms on daily basis.
Hi, I'm one of ASTU instructors and teaching English in the Department of English. And I'm one of the participants in CALL workshop and and I found it very interesting and helpful. Expecting more in the future from you, I also want to say "Thank you for helping us on those ideas on your stay here!"
Hello.I'm seid, a lanuage instuctor at Adama Science and Technology University. I'm happy to attend your workshop being given at ASTU now.So I expect to to gain some knowledge how to apply call in my language classes with my studdnts.
My name is Mekonnen. I am from ASTU. I am teaching English as a foreign language. I am very happy for the opportunity I have got to participate in this training of CALL. I LIKED THE POINTS RAISED BY PROF.Sarah Guth. All the points I heared in the lecture were very interesting. The interactive environment of the classroom was very smart as it makes evryone of us busy. Above all the points on the intercultural communcative competence gave me new insights on how I am going to do things in my own class. Good thing for a new move with a fresh vision. Thank you.
I am Kalbesa. I am an English teacher at ASTU. I appreciate your effort to support us in our introducing CALL in our practice of teaching English as a foreign language. I have been using CALL in my teaching since 2010. It was with the initiative of the university administration that it came to be practical in my institution. In the future, I plan to integrate CALL by devising different techniques whereby the Ethiopian contexts could be included in English language teaching and learning. I believe that there is a continuous need for adjustments and readjustments in our practice of foreign language instruction. This, I believe, due to the dynamism in the overall sociocultural facts emerging nowadays. I let students utilize technology to their capacities.
HELLO Francesca, I am Dr. Meseret. I have been teaching English for ten years at secondary and tertiary levels. Now, I offer different English courses to undergraduate and post graduate students among which CALL is the one.
During this workshop, I am really intersted to know how to creat and use generic softwares in the languae teaching classes.
Hi ,I am happy to meet you ! I like your job much ,even if i am from engineering ,i have been using computer calls every day!
Thank you !
Woldetinsay Gutu
ASTu
Hi, there!
I am Abera from Adama Science and Technology University, a lecturer at the department of English in the university. I have been teaching English for about 8 years. I am glad to hear that we are going to have a training on CALL. I feel that it is a timely issue in language teaching as many students are highly interested in using coputer in language learning. I lack the skill of using CALL, however. Therefore, I am looking forward to your coming to Ethiopia to give us the training.
I am Yeshtla Habtemaria, an indtructor teaching English at Adama Science and Technology Universty School of Humanities and Law. I am very happy to be the first participant in the CALL workshop. I feel that I will get mor input from the workshop and there will also be a lot of experience sharing during the workshop.The workshop will also help to develop my skills in usin CALL. I have enjoyed the introductory session of the workshop for it was somewhat interactive.
Hi,I am Mengistu Zelealem,an English instructor at Adama Science & Tecghnology University.I have recently held my PhD degree from India.So you can call me Dr. Mengistu in the here after.At this time I'm assigned to teach both at Undergraduate as well as postgraduate levels at ASTU.
I am so glad that Francheska & Sarah are here to help us out with a training on CALL.
This much is enough for now!Chiao.
Please keep in touch.
Dr. Mengistu Z.
Hi, Sara, I am also very interested to improve mv english. I am German teacher and teaching my mother language. My students are beginners and some with small knowlege.
I hope we also can use internet programs for teaching german.
Ella
I am enjoying the training. I hope we will get to learn more in the coming days as well.
I am Dessalegn g.Shave been teaching different English course at this university for the last six years.in the past Iused to teach my students with the help of reference materials I gathered from books in the libraries.Thanks to technology Iam going to have more opportunities to teach the target language with the help of CALL.Iwould like to appreciate the training you offered to me and my colleagus to go with the modern teacing method.
HELLO, am glad to see you on this blog am instructor Desta Berhe Desta from dama Science and Technology university(ASTU) department of mechanical engineering really it's interesting your tutorial you give us in our campus computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Keep it up and I admire your effort you sharing for us.your knowledge and skill. that is better to give the course by computer-assisted to students on lab for active learning and attracting them in the class, laboratory and saving our time and energy. thank YOU Mr. Desta Berhe Desta (ASTU)
Hello,
I'm Girma Megersa, one of the teaching staffs at ASTU, English department. I have been teaching English for four years at ASTU. As English teacher, I feel very happy to get such opportunity which would enable us exploite technology of the time to enhance teaching English as a forien language.
I hope that the training you are providing would have greater contribution in making better progress in giving Engilsh courses in higher institutions where students have access online resources to learn English. So I would like to remind you that you will proud of what you are doing with this training when you will connec with many of our staff members and the students on internet.
Thank you in deed for your contribution!
Mekuria October 31, 2012
I'm Mekuria Abera. I'm a lecturer in the Department of English. Currently, I'm a research scholar at AAU studying Intercultural Communication between Pastoralist Groups in the Upper Awash Valley Region.
Dear Sara and Francesca, I appreciate your generosity to travel that long journey with your kids to share us your knowledge and skills on CALL the only, I can say, means to modern language teaching of mainly FLA.
Wishing Francesca a speedy recovery would you please emphasize on the practicalities of your training. Leaving your materials for reading to us so that we could exploity your precious skills and knowledge faster?
Hello, I am Kidane, an English language lecturer at ASTU. I have been using a computer for different purposes such as e-mail, downloding, setting tests and exams with a very limited knowledge. I expect much from this workshop to capacitate myself so as to help myself and my students.
Hello there!my name is Ashenafi;I am teaching in the school of humanities in the department of Afan Oromo.I am glad at having a training on CALL. I hope I will be having lots of inputs and experiences from the training.
Hello there!my name is Ashenafi;I am teaching in the school of humanities in the department of Afan Oromo.I am glad at having a training on CALL. I hope I will be having lots of inputs and experiences from the training.
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