INTERNET AUDIO COMMUNICATION FOR SECOND LANGUAGE
LEARNING: A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF SIX PROGRAMS

Three different kinds of communicative environments are offered by SCMAC programs:
(a) instant messaging,
(b) conferences,
(c) chat groups

A conference is a temporary gathering of three or more individuals, typically fewer than 10. A chat room, also called a "chat group" or just "group," is typically a more permanent gathering of up to
50 individuals.
AOL Instant Messenger provides text chat in both instant message (one-to-one) and conference environments. File transfer is also provided. AOL Instant Messenger currently has no video capability and while it does offer audio communication, its audio capabilities are limited.
Yahoo Messenger can be used in three different environments: Instant Message, Conference, and Chat Room. Text chat, audio, and video work similarly in all environments.
MSN Messenger has excellent audio capability, as it is capable of high-quality, full-duplex voice communication with short latencies. Talking with another MSN Messenger user is much like talking on the telephone, the only differences being more variable audio quality and a slight delay between the time one speaks and the time one's voice is heard by the other party.
PalTalk offers instant messaging, conferences, and chat rooms and is capable of multiparty half-duplex audio and still-frame video with up to three other users.
iVisit provides both user-created rooms and pre-established rooms, including "Help Desks" staffed by helpful and knowledgeable volunteers.

An Invitation to CALL

Computer-assisted language learning divides computer use according to the functional roles of tutor and tool according to Levy(1997). A vocabulary flashcard program or set of online grammar exercises are the examples of tutor uses. And a language learning activity involving a word processor, email program, or web search engine like Google would represent tool uses.

CALL began in the 1960s with mainframe-based drill and practice materials, especially those based on the University of Illinois' PLATO system. Then in the late 1980s and early 90s, the Apple Macintosh replaced the Apple II in many educational settings in the US and became an immediate favorite among teacher-developers because of the support of HyperCard, a powerful but easy-to-use authoring program. Two major changes came starting in the mid-1990s. One was the dramatic increase in commercial multimedia for language learning as CD-ROMs became standard in home computers. The other was the development of the world wide web. Since the web and increased access to the Internet in general, the past has seen a major shift toward tool uses, and many newcomers to CALL define the field almost entirely in those terms. Increasingly, CALL is being integrated into language learning activities both in and out of class.