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How have computers helped us to do this?

• We have moved from making behaviorist teaching paradigms such as tutorials and drill and practice more efficient,
• through more cognitive approaches such as simulations and better use and analysis of corpora and multimedia,
• to comprensive access to a world of authentic target language documents via the Internet,
• and most recently to all of the above plus genuine communication and empathy with native and non-native speakers of a target language through formation of Communities of Practice online and in blended learning situations.

From: Overcoming the CALL firewall in the mind, Vance Stevens presentation April 11, 2002, at the 36th Annual TESOL Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/tesolarabia2002/outcomes.htm

CoP's have (at least) three aspects:

• On site, with face to face classes,
• remotely online ('distributed' CoPs)
• and in blended situations

See our March 26, 2003 Colloquium: "Case study of a community of practice" at the TESOL 2003 Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/tesol/baltimore2003/copractice.html#colloquium

Discussion:

• At which of the above stages would you categorize your pedagogical computer use?
• What CoPs do you feel a part of?
• How can you encourage community cohesion in your classes?

<< Index >> 5: How can insights from work with blended CoP's inform face to face teaching?

©opyright 2004 by Vance Stevens