LING 487 CALL

Lita Brusick Johnson

April 24, 2014

Final Project

Online Teaching Unit: Onward House ESL Website (oheslunit8.weebly.com)

Introduction
Background and Purpose. This project website was designed to be an integrated element of a
semester-long high beginner/low intermediate community-based ESL course. It was created with a very
specific set of students in mind: the thirteen individuals who participated in a semester-long course offered
by Wright College at Onward House (OH), a community outreach program on Chicagos northwest side.
All of these thirteen students were L-1 Spanish speakers, who ranged in age from 18 to 65 years old and
who had been in the United States for 3-20 years. The class textbook, provided by Wright College, was
Chicago Ventures-3, which takes an integrated four skills communicative approach to language learning.
The overarching goal of this course was to help students move toward greater communicative competence
in daily life situations. The class met in a classroom at OH for two hours/night on Mondays and
Wednesdays and in OHs new and well-equipped computer lab for two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The idea to develop this website grew out of the observation that OHs computer lab provided a
nicely appointed physical space for these students to meet but very limited pedagogical exploitation of the
technology was occurring. Indeed, the students appeared to benefit little from sitting in front of a computer
as opposed to sitting at a desk. However, imagining how a website might enhance student learning in this
situation meant thinking about the students whole-class experience the integrated arc of instruction and
learning that includes face-to-face classroom work and work done in the computer lab, both aligned with
the learning goals of the class. The planning document found in Appendix A outlines the dance between
in-class and in-lab time that could happen in an integrated, blended plan for learning.
Two factors relating to student proficiency were also taken into consideration in the initial planning
for this website. The first relates to English language proficiency. While the class was listed as
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intermediate, most students appeared to be at the high- or mid-beginner level. In consonance with the
research on the critical role of vocabulary learning at the early stages of language acquisition (Barcroft
2012, among others), the OH-ESL website gives intentional priority to vocabulary learning (exposure to
new words, repeated encounters with and elaboration of newly learned words, and exercises to deepen
processing of those words). The second factor relates to the students digital literacy. While a few
student were internet savvy, others lacked even the most basic of computer skills. However, to a person,
these students were eager to learn to use computers more effectively and clearly saw enhancing their
digital literacy as a major value added to this ESL course.
These contextual elements contributed to the choice of two overarching purposes for this project
website: (1) to maximize use of computer-based technology available at OH in ways that would optimally
assist students to increase their English language proficiency, in consonance with the scope and sequence
outlined in Chicago Ventures-3 (a given of this course) and with an intentional vocabulary focus; and (2)
to provide a comfortable learning environment in which learners can, with the least possible anxiety,
acquire the basic computer literacy skills that will enable them to continue and deepen their language
learning and to engage more fully in the US (and global) community in which they live.
Design Principles and Assumptions. The following design principles and assumptions informed
many of the choices made about what activities to include and what technologies to utilize in this website.
(1) This website is not a supplemental, stand alone resource. Rather, its activities and tasks are
fully integrated with those done in the face-to-face teaching sessions. Thus the overall flow of instruction
in this blended course of study determines in large part the design of this website.
(2) This website focuses on one unit: CV-3 Unit 8 (between the beginning and the middle of the
course), the real world topic of which is Work: Finding a Job. The units specific learning outcomes
include vocabulary learning relating to that topic, understanding/practicing interviewing and other skills

related to finding work the U.S. context, mastering the present perfect continuous tense, among other
elements.
(3) This unit website is just one part of a far larger class website that scaffolds both computer- and
language-learning. In this regard, Goertlers (2011) observation was taken to heart in its design: it may
be that the very audience of non-traditional courses is least prepared for [the CALL format] Navigating
unfamiliar technology can add to the cognitive demand of the learning task to a degree that not enough
cognitive processing capabilities remain to focus on language learning (p. 476). This website reflects
commitment to using computers in ways that enhance, rather than eclipse or actually diminish, the
possibilities for language learning. Carefully scaffolded training and repeated use (practice) of technical
elements is key to not overwhelming or frustrating students. A design priority is providing ample
opportunities for students to achieve incremental small successes that lead to greater and greater digital
competence, which can be used to advance their L2 learning.
(4) This website seeks to be a comfortable space that is co-owned by the students and their
teacher, who contribute to it and use it to learn together. It is intended to provide a foundation for the
development of greater learner autonomy and support for life-long learning, in consonance with the 2008
TESOL technology standards that Hubbard (2013) cites (pp. 173-174).
(5) This website, part of a blended class environment, allows the face-to-face classroom work to
be more communicatively interactive, with a very heavy emphasis on speaking and listening; given the
overarching class goal of improving four-skill proficiency, this website thus tips toward reading and writing.
(6) This website is designed not just to be an exercise-heavy assist to the real learning that
happens in the classroom setting. Rather, it is designed to be a complementary learning space where
these adult learners can exercise more individual control over how and at what pace they learn a place
that enables students to develop as autonomous learners better equipped for lifelong learning. As Hubbard
(2013) suggests, this requires a shift in the teacher role from explainer of course content to
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trainer/coach/encourager, who assists students to develop CALL strategies that effectively enable them to
achieve their language learning goals. This website design assumes an active (and interactive) role of the
teacher as both technical trainer and pedagogical trainer who uses the website and the time together in
the computer lab to clarify why [students are] working on a given lesson and what strategies would help
them navigate it most usefully (p. 167). This type of approach, as Youngs, et. al (2011) suggest, builds
awareness that, by virtue of their own actions, successful language learning experiences can be realized
(p. 35) contributing to greater motivation to learn and creating a virtuous cycle of engagement that can
have a long-term positive impact on students lives.
Structure. The project website is structured on a class-by-class basis for the four days the students
will be in the computer lab engaging in CV-3 Unit 8 work. Students will be able to click on the current
dates tab to see what they will be doing in each two-hour lab session. A suggested time-frame is provided
with links to individual online activities; this encourages movement through the material, though the
individualized lab environment enables students to proceed through the material at their own pace, using
the affordances provided as they choose. In addition to the activities for each day, activities and tasks that
continue from unit to unit are separately listed on the navigation bar, along with a separate Resources tab.
The website is designed primarily for in-lab use, but it also allows the few students who have computer
access to utilize it from home.
Description and Rationale
The following is an element-by-element description of the OH-ESL website, which includes the
reasons why specific elements were included.
(1) Home page. The home page sets the unit context and includes a Padlet bulletin board, on
which students can post items of interest to them. Padlet provides easy-to-use technology that can build
student confidence even as it contributes to the building of community. The board provides strong
motivation for students to share with others written content and photos that are meaningful to them.
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Elements like the Google Docs sign-up sheet for a class potluck provide safe, low-stress ways for
students to practice using computer technology.
Dated class activities are immediately to the right of the home page on the navigation bar.
However, to understand the flow of work in each of these four classes, it is necessary to first understand
the three instructional strands that are threaded from class to class: the class Word Bank and related
Podcast; Student Choice, the process for exploration of additional ESL resources; and an element called
Working Together, which encourages students to engage in computer-mediated communication. While
many of the elements under the dated tabs are exercises, the three recurring elements encourage more
meaning-focused, interactive, and student-determined engagement. Together, these three strands take
more than half of the time available in the computer lab.
(2) Word Bank and Podcast. Vocabulary is the place where form meets meaning at a very basic
level (Barcroft 2012, p. 24). This class Word Bank is one of the set of intentional strategies for building
vocabulary that are embodied in this website. Horst, et al. (2005) describe the value of Lextutors online
Word Bank. Had this been a real course, the teacher could have requested that a class Word Bank be set
up on Lextutor. But on this project website, the Word Bank is an Excel spread sheet (Google Docs) that all
students can edit; it is linked directly from the Word Bank page. Each student is asked to contribute at least
three words each week; time is provided in the lab for them to make these entries and for students to read
the entries of others. Weekly Word Bank activities include discussing as a class the new words students
have entered. This provides opportunity for oral production using these words (and likely also negotiation
of meaning). In this activity, which is both meaning-and form-focused, learner autonomy is enhanced as
students identify the words that they deem important to know; they also engage in deeper processing and
hone their online dictionary skills as they enter the words in the class Word Bank. The inclusion of not only
L2 but also L1 dictionaries on the Word Bank page (as well as on other pages on this site) reflects research

findings that the use of the L1 is regaining its legitimate place as a means for providing modified input
(Chapelle 2003, p. 48) especially for learners at the beginning stages of language learning.
Two additional elements on the Word Bank page were included to enhance learner interest and
motivation (and to encourage students to review what other learners have entered). First, students can
post on a Padlet board comments about (or pictures of) the words they entered or they can respond to
others posts. Second, students can vote each week to make one of their new entries the next Word of the
Week; this word becomes the subject of the class Podcast. In addition to voting on their two favorite words
(using an Survey Monkey element), students indicate why they chose these two words, using a multiple
choice list that the class itself develops and adds to as the class progresses.
Students can subscribe to this podcast (following the directions provided on the main Podcast
page); those (most) who do not have the technology to do this can listen to it during the Student Choice
time in the lab, accessing it on the class Website. Each podcast credits the student who identified the word
and provides 2-4 minutes of spoken elaboration on the chosen word. The target word is repeated many
times, with examples provided of often-used used collocations (Schmitt & Carter, 2004), use of derivational
and inflectional forms in the elaboration (Hunt & Belgar, 2005) as well as explicit connection to the words
part of speech, and, where possible, a recycling of earlier vocabulary (Barcroft, 2012). These researchsupported aspects of vocabulary learning are also embodied in the sites other vocabulary exercises. A
future task for students would be to themselves (individually or in pairs) to produce their own podcast(s).
(3) Resources: Other ESL Sites. Each day that students are in the computer lab, 30 minutes is
set aside at the end of the class for them to explore different ESL learning sites (listed in the UIC Tutorium
in Intensive Englishs Coolsites). The teacher might, at the beginning of class, recommend that students
visit a particular site and do a brief tutorial on how to use it (and/or include brief Jing tutorials in the
resource section). He/she should also actively circulate among the students, encouraging and supporting
them in their exploration. Again, a Padlet board is provided for students to post brief thumbs up/thumbs
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down advice to other students about the sites that they have visited. Related to this largely studentdirected time would be the task for students of posting on Voxopop a brief oral review of the most useful or
interesting site visited that month, which they might recommend to other students. Students would then
have the opportunity to listen to their colleagues advice, visit the sites, and vote to select the class favorite
ESL website each month. This multi-layered meaning-making task encourages individual engagement,
oral production, critical thinking, and the development of computer-based skills; it also includes all members
in the creation of common pool of knowledge about what sites are helpful to their language learning.
(4) Working Together. Posted under this tab are three scaffolded activities related to posting blog
entries on a class Wikispace. This Wickispace, open only to the class, is a simple platform for students
introduction to computer-mediated written communication via blogs. To join, students respond to the
teachers e-mail invitation and sign up; this gives them experience in joining (and eventually creating) online
spaces. The class Wikispace provides a place at the top of the page for teacher to provide directions;
these can be regularly updated. Sample posts are provided as models for student writing, starting with the
most simple (brief written introductions), to more complex individual entries (the product of a two-day
scaffolded process for developing a short paragraph-length text, with partner support), to individual
responses to what others have written. Other more open blog sites might, in the future, be used to
encourage such written output. However, Wikispaces seemed like a user-friendly site, and working in a
closed system with a clear linear listing of the full text of blog entries seemed appropriate, given the digital
proficiency level of some students.i
The following provide the schedule and activities for the four Unit 8 classes held in the computer lab:
(5) February 4. Clicking on each of the dated tabs brings students to the schedule for the day in the
computer lab. Each class begins with whole-class conversation, in which the teacher reviews this
schedule, make links with the previous day, and answers questions. This provides the opportunity for
students to understand the connection between specific activities and their language learning goals.
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a. Activity 1: Reading, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The first CV-3 Unit 8 reading is reproduced
online. Students encountered this reading and began discussing it during their face-to-face classroom
work the previous night. However, the online version visually draws students attention to key words (in
purple) and also provides opportunities for deeper processing of these words, should they choose to
avail themselves of the input enhancements: L2 glosses (Glossmaker) and an online L1 (EnglishSpanish) dictionary. The use of such glosses is in consonance with the results of the research
Chapelle (2003) reports, which suggests that highlighting linguistic forms and vocabulary in a normal
text is useful, but alone it appears to be insufficient for learners to acquire the forms. Additional
glossing or explanation appears to be needed (p. 42).
Both L1 and L2 dictionaries were included on this and many other pages of this site to
encourage dictionary use because, as Chapelle suggests, the attention, mental effort and evaluation
of potential words prompted by looking in the dictionary are among the features that Laufer and Hulstjin
(2001) suggest are factors that increase the probability that words will be remembered (p. 65). As
Hunt and Beglar (2005) suggest, providing access to both bilingual and monolingual dictionaries can
enable more EFL learners to reach intermediate levels of proficiency or higher more quickly (p. 36).
The final element of this page is a comprehension exercise (Evalmaker) that supplements the
oral work done in the classroom by providing an opportunity for simple student written output related to
comprehension, which students can immediate check against the teachers input.
b. Activity 2: Vocabulary Review. A word-level multiple choice exercise and a sentence level
matching exercise (Hot Potatoes) that also addresses register provide additional opportunities for
students to notice Unit 8 target vocabulary and engage in different types of intensive vocabulary
activities that can help consolidate their word learning. As a recent study by Min (2008 ) suggests,
such intensive vocabulary exercises might be a better option [than narrow reading] for EFL teachers
who [are] bent on enhancing students receptive and productive word knowledge acquisition and long8

term retention, especially for teaching the frequently used words to a threshold level (3,000-5,000 word
families)To effectively and efficiently enhance EFL learners vocabulary acquisition and retention of
new vocabulary, reading plus vocabulary-enhancement activities might be the key (p. 102). Even
Blake (2008), who argues that drill-and-kill exercises (albeit with technological bells and whistles)
should not be the driving force behind a web-based L2 curriculum, also acknowledges that
incorporating such exercises into the curriculum might be appropriate in the early stages of L2 learning,
where new morphology and syntactic structures present so many challenges to L1 learners (p. 40).
c. Activity 3: Listening, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation. This activity is the monthly integration of an
English Central (EC) video and interactive lesson into the curriculum; an EC video theme is chosen that
meshes with the unit theme (in this case, job interview tips). Links are provided to the Jing tutorials
explaining EC, which are found in the resource section, to assist students who might not remember
how to use that resource. One EC lesson is done as part of the class, but students can also choose to
do one additional lesson/month during the Student Choice time. EC provides multi-media input (some
of it more authentic than others), which students can manipulate (slow down, repeat, use glosses, hear
pronunciations) all of which given them control over their own learning processes. The site also
includes vocabulary exercises for additional new words. But what may most benefit (and intrigue)
students is the automatic speech recognition feature that allows them to record and listen to their oral
output (reading of the text) and receive computer-generated input on pronunciation. Though this
technology is not perfect, it does provide useable feedback related to comprehensible output.
d. Activity 4: Vocabulary Word Families. Multiple choice quizzes that focus student attention on
morphology/word families related to the units target vocabulary are included twice in this unit: on
February 4 (focusing on nouns) and on February 13 (focusing on adjectives). This focus is supported
by the research cited by Hunt and Belgar (2005), who report that over 30% of written word types either
are inflected or have a derivational affix; for this and other reasons, they suggest that knowledge of
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morphology can contribute to expanding and elaborating learners vocabulary knowledge (p. 33). The
word family exercise on this page can also deepen students dictionary skills, moving beyond looking
up a definition to using the dictionary to explore the relationship between words in a word family.
e. Activity 5: Student Choice (described in (3), above).
(6) February 6
a. Activity 1: Word Bank (described in (2) above).
b. Activity 2: Comprehension and Vocabulary. The second of the two readings in CV-3 Unit 8 is
reproduced in this section as a fill-in-the-gap exercise (Hot Potatoes). Students are provided three
different assists to choose from as they do this exercise, which tests both comprehension and
vocabulary: hints over the blanks (like a gloss of the missing word), links from the list of excised
words to the Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary, and a L1-L2 dictionary. This exercise provides
learners with another way to re-encounter words they have read and to process them more deeply.
c. Activity 3: Grammar - Present Perfect Continuous. This activity follows the introduction of the
present perfect continuous tense in class the day before. In the lab, pairs discuss with each other a
cartoon (visual and verbal processing) to activate prior knowledge; then individuals do a an exercise
(using Google Docs) in which they produce answers in written form in the same way they did orally the
previous day. The results of their work are discussed in class the next day.
d. Activity 4: Writing a Blog Entry Day 1 (described in (4) above).
e. Activity 5: Student Choice (described in (3), above).
(7) February 11:
a. Activity 1: Writing a Thank-you Letter. This activity illustrates the interplay between the face-toface work in the classroom and what happens in the computer lab. The activation of schema, teaching
about the elements of formal letters, analysis by students, brainstorming, and pre-writing work is done
in the classroom, following the textbook (Chicago Ventures-3). The writing of the letter is done in the
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computer lab, providing the opportunity for students to both produce meaningful written language and
practice their word processing skills using Google Docs. The letter students write is both shared with
the teacher and brought back into the next days session in the classroom, where it will be discussed.
b. Activity 2: Pronunciation Separable Phrasal Verbs. CV-3 also includes in this unit a focus on
pronunciation. The computer lab provides a context for the related resource a student CD to be
utilized, allowing students to listen and practice their pronunciation individually, and then with a partner.
c. Activity 3: Writing a Blog Entry Day 2 (described in (4) above).
d. Activity 4: Student Choice (described in (3), above).
(8) February 13:
a. Activities 1-3 and 5. These activities are the weekly Word Bank work, described in (2) above;
Vocabulary Word Families (adjectives), described in (5)d above; Writing a Blog Entry Day 3,
described in (4) above; and Student Choice, described in (3) above.
b. Activity 4: Review of Earlier Unit 8 Computer Lab Work. About a half hour is provided for students,
who have reached the end of the unit, to go back and review what they have done and redo or finish
elements of their choice. At the end of this time, students are asked to complete a simple evaluation
survey (Survey Monkey) that lists the various elements done over the past two weeks and asks which
elements were most helpful, least helpful, most fun, and least liked. For each question, students are
invited to provide additional information that will help the teacher to improve future online elements.
(9) Resources Credits.
One additional course design feature merits mention: every day in the computer lab, the final ten
minutes is devoted to whole-class reflection on the work done that day. This, provides the teacher with
ongoing feedback and early warning of problems. It also provides a regular context in which students can
learn from each other about effective CALL strategies and give/receive tips for making the online work
more fun or productive.
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Summary
The OH-ESL website is designed to be an integral and equal part of a blended ESL class for lowintermediate/high- and mid-beginning Spanish-speaking students in a community ESL program. The two
main purposes of this website are (1) to maximize use of computer-based activities to help students to
increase their English language proficiency, in consonance with the scope and sequence outlined in the
class textbook (Chicago Ventures-3) and with an intentional vocabulary focus; and (2) to provide a comfortable learning environment in which learners can, with the least possible anxiety, acquire basic computer
literacy skills. Daily and unit-end student feedback about website elements are part of the class design.
Every effort was made to include exercises, activities, and tasks that have been found in recent
research to optimally support language learning, with constant reference to the overarching learning goals
of the specific CV-3 unit to which this website relates. Looking at the whole class environment (equal time
spent in classroom and computer lab), consideration was given to which provided the best setting for
achieving specific learning objectives. Care was taken not to use technology for technologys sake but
rather to utilize it to help students meet language learning goals. At the same time, the commitment to help
students deepen their digital competency required careful scaffolding of training on both how to use
computer technology generally and ESL pedagogical elements specifically. The commitment to create the
most comfortable space possible for online learning was also a key design principle.
The website itself provides a roughly equal balance between form-focused interactive exercises
that give students immediate feedback and the three activity/task strands that engage learners in
interactive, meaningful language production (primarily written), substantial elements of which are mediated
by computers. And throughout, the website reflects a commitment to heed Schmitt, et al.s (2011) advice
that in the end, more vocabulary is better, and it is worth doing everything possible to increase learners
vocabulary knowledge (p. 39). Developing this website was both challenging and fun and it would be
very interesting to actually use it in real life to see which elements work and which do not!
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References
Barcroft, J. (2012). Ten principles of effective vocabulary instruction. In Input-based incremental vocabulary
instruction, 17-40. TESOL International Association.
Blake, R. (2008). Web pages in service of L2 learning. In Brave new digital classroom: Technology and
foreign language learning, 17-39. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Chapelle, C. (2003). The potential of technology for language learning: Chapter 2. In English language
learning and technology. Philadelphia: PA: John Benjamins, 35-68.
Goertler, S. (2011). Blended and open/online learning: Adapting to a changing world of language
teaching. In Arnold, N. & Ducate (Eds.), Present and future promises of CALL: From theory
and research to new directions in language teaching. CALICO Monograph Series, Volume 5,
2nd Edition. San Marco, TX: CALICO, 471-501.
Horst, M., Cobb, T., & Nicolae, I. (2005). Expanding academic vocabulary with an interactive on-line
database. Language Learning & Technology, 9 (2), 90-110.
Hubbard, P. (2013). Making a case for learner training in technology enhanced language learning
environments. CALICO Journal, 30(2), 163-178 .
Hunt, A., & Beglar, D. (2005). A framework for developing EFL reading vocabulary. Reading in a Foreign
Language, 17(1), 23-56.
Min, H. (2008). EFL vocabulary acquisition and retention: Reading plus vocabulary enhancement activities
and narrow reading. Language Learning, (58)1, 73-115.
Savage, K.L., Ed. (2009). Chicago Ventures-3. NY, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N., & Carter, R. (2004). Formulaic sequences in action. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), Formulaic sequences:
acquisition, processing and use. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The percentage of words known in a text and reading
comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 95(i), 26-43.
Youngs, B.L., Ducate, L., & Arnold, N. (2011) Linking second language acquisition, CALL, and language
pedagogy. In Arnold, N. & Ducate (Eds.), Present and future promises of CALL: From theory
and research to new directions in language teaching. CALICO Monograph Series, Volume 5,
2nd Edition. San Marco, TX: CALICO, 23-60.
Note on (4), p. 7: the directions for three days work and all three threads all appear on the submitted
website, which might appear jumbled/confusing. However, in a real-life situation, since each days work
would be entered sequentially, that days directions and the related new thread into which students would
add their comments would appear at the top of the screen, making it easy for students to follow and use.
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