A BRIEF HISTORY OF CALL CALL in the 1950s and 1960s The first computers used for language learning

were large 1950s mainframes that were only available at university campus research facilities. These presented particular organizational problems as learners had to leave the classroom and travel to a computer. The high cost of these early machines and demands upon them for pure research meant that time allocated for teaching and learning was limited. CALL in the 1970s and 1980s During this time the computers were classified into mainframe computers, mini-computers and microcomputers. Mainframe computers were room-sized machines. Mini-computers were close to what we now call servers. Microcomputers are what we would now call desktop computers or personal computers. CALL in the 1990s Provided guidelines as to what might be usefully included in multimedia learning environments: Multiplicity of protagonists Multiplicity of plot events Knowledge-based choice points Choice-points based on the temperament of the learner Whimsical surprises Multimedia for presentation Intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards

CALL in the 21st century Mobile telephones came to satisfy many of the demands of the average user like using a mobile phone for replacing a laptop. Tactile computing, virtual computers, speech recognition software, online music stores, portable music players such as the ipod and virtual encyclopedias like Wikipedia have made life a whole lot easier. High storage capacity USB drives allowed for: Web browsing Ability to transfer email messages Continuation of instant message sessions Shopping without having to retype addresses Calendars and contacts Word processing and spreadsheet Digital photo organization, editing, printing, etc Music collection storage Play a DVD movie on the video screen

Burn audio or MP3 cd Play video games on dvd

In conclusion,