Technology Integration in CALL and non-CALL Environments

Abstract

The paper examined how technology integration into teaching and learning in Technical
Communication course or a non-CALL course compared that with a CALL course. The finding was that
besides tools dedicated to CALL and non-CALL courses respectively, the applications of technological
tools in non-CALL and CALL environments shared the common characteristics. CALL as well as nonCALL practitioners were suggested experimenting available tools and considering the purpose of the
course and the learning tasks before technological tools can be utilized to its fullest potential in the
classroom.
Introduction
The use of technology in the classroom has increasingly been the subject of many studies in
recent years (Mohammed & Al-Karaki, 2008). That said, integrating technology and the Internet into the
classroom is becoming more of a focus because effective use of educational technologies has been
recognized as an integral part of providing high-quality education. Bax (2003) suggested using
computer-assisted language learning (CALL) as a normal component in the language classroom. Jarvis
(2004) noted, “Computers now form a significant aspect of academic study whatever the discipline” (p.
114). To effectively deliver the content knowledge of a course, teachers are expected to utilize some
sorts of technology to enhance students’ learning. Widely accepted, the integration of technology in the
classroom by different teachers within and across disciplines is different. For example, teachers of CALL
courses could use technology in the classroom differently from teachers of other courses, thereinafter
referred to as non-CALL courses. Alternatively, teachers in face-to-face classrooms might use technology
differently from those of non-conventional classrooms. According to Levy and Stockwell (2006),
applications and technologies used in language learning should not be necessarily the same to those used
in other courses in other disciplines, but integrating technology in the classroom to achieve the learning
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goals and continuity of technology use was essential. Therefore, the question to answer is how
technology is integrated into teaching and learningin non-CALL environments rather than CALL
settings, and whether the technological integrationof the two environments completely differs from each
other, or there are some applications in common between the two. Therefore, the aim of the paper is
addressing the aforementioned idea that is worded into the following questions:
1. How is technology integrated into teaching andlearning in non-CALL environments?
2. What application does this have in CALL, if any?