Week 4. CALL in Writing

Using CALL in writing is very popular in Lithuania. The situation isn't as good as it appears from the first sentence. Teachers usually ask students to type their essays and print them on the paper. It is easier to correct printed material than hand-writing. I do a little bit different. I am concerned about forests and nature, so I don't waste paper and ask students to send their works by e-mail, or Skype. I do it not only because of ecology, but also because of speed: it is faster to correct essays on computer and send them back to students. Students like getting quick feedback and I like reaching them everywhere. If I have a free minute, I can take my tablet and check their writings anywhere. It saves time!
Jarek Krajka in his research "Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction"  gives an idea of searching web sites before any type of writing. I liked that and I will try to assign to search for information before next writing task. J.Krajka talks about different types of writing:

• A Letter to a Friend
• A Formal Letter
• A Biography
• A Description of a Person
• An Argumentative Essay
• Notices and Advertisements
• A Description of a Festival of Ceremony
• A Description or Review of a Book, Film or Play
• A Newspaper Report
• A Person Opinion Essay
• A Description of a Place

He advises to use three basic elements in all these writings:

1. web pages (as endless source of authentic material)
2. e-mail (not only for connecting, but also as a necessary step for publishing)
3. web publishing (creating class websites)

That's simple plan to apply CALL in writing, which I hope will replace word processing tasks in Lithuania...