☞CALL review 2☜

 Professor Kim displayed multiple online tools and resources for listening to us. On my blog, I posted activities which I enjoyed in last class, so you can check very useful CALL listening resources or programs if you click on the hyperlink here. http://younahing.blogspot.kr/2012/09/week5-1-class-activities.html

Manything's listening activities http://www.manythings.org/e/listening.html

              My favorite resource among a lots of online listening tools is Manything's listening activities http://www.manythings.org/e/listening.html. This homepage provides us many interesting things for ESL Students. As you can see, there are 5 parts 'Listen and Read Along','American Stories (Text & MP3 Files)', 'English Listening Room', 'Listen and Answer', and 'Dictation Quiz'.

         Firstly in 'Listen and Read Along' part, there are various reading materials which can be offered with sound (flash or MP3). We can listen native pronunciation reading sentences one by one just by simply clicking 'play' button.

       Secondly, in 'American Stories (Text & MP3 Files)' part, there are listening files about American stories which are very various, popular and interesting stories such as The Last Leaf. Like first part, we can listen easily funny stories just by simply clicking 'play' button.

       Third function in 'English Listening Room' is about listening cloze quizzes. There are cloze quizzes we can solve by listening and filling the blanks at the same time. If you fill in the all blanks and click 'Check Answers', you can find out what you write correctly and incorrectly.   

     Finally, in 'Listen and Answer' and 'Dictation Quiz'. we can enjoy and learn English by some questions such as dictations, T/F questions or multiple choices questions. We can solve the these questions with listening the English and check the answer easily.

   

     The strengths of this CALL resource are countless. First, we can use very various listening materials such as numerous English stories, interesting quizzes, etc. We do not have to waste of time to find listening files, reading materials separately. We can gain two things (reading materials & audio files) at a time. Also we can make our EFL students not to be bored and uninteresting to listening, because there are many activities we can provide. We do not provide just one way to listen, so student may be interesting to those ways. As a English teacher, we can make the best use of this CALL resource in listening class.

     Secondly students can listen and get some information at the same time.  In 'Listen and Read Along' part, there are various reading materials which can be offered with sound. And these materials convey informational content of interest and relevance to the learner. So this content- based listening have the potential of increasing intrinsic motivation and empowerment.

     However, this CALL resource also have some weaknesses, I think some quizzes which can answered by typing have some problems. They can not recognize the differences between upper and lower cases and type-off. If this CALL supplement some typing processes or a proper way to correct wrong answers, it will become a better useful site.

     Other weakness is about no division of level or proficiency. Many learners have different level, and Each man has a proficiency of his own. However in this CALL most listening materials are in same level. So if there are some separation, we can enjoy and utilize this CALL resource more usefully. If the site take some advises into consideration and try to change some defaults it has, then it will become a better useful site for all kinds of English learners around the world.

Finally I think this CALL is very useful and motivating tool for English learners. If I will be a English teacher, I use this effective site for my future students.