Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in EFL:

Taking into account the phenomenon of globalization in which XXI century citizens

are immersed, we consider that the roles of school and teachers require to be redefined and

it is necessary to implement methodologies in order the teacher to stop being the unique

owner of the knowledge and become a facilitator in the learning process of the students.

An excellent alternative that teachers have today is the use of Information and

Communication Technologies (ICTs) which offers several advantages in order to develop

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and teenagers have had contact with ICTs since young age or even since their birth, they

handle them with a great ability that older generations (including most of current teachers) do not have as well developed. At that respect, Aflalo (2014) claims: “The perception that the use of computers will raise the teachers’ professional prestige motivates them to

integrate computers in teaching, while the position that the computer is not essential to their work leads them to use basic applications that do not alter their role”.

Since technology has made an incursion in almost all the fields of our lives, it has

involved certain changes in the environment and even in the way we communicate with others. In this way, Warschauer (2005) considers that “Technology is just a tool, but like all tools, it mediates and transforms human activity. Both, teachers and researchers, need to

take into account both, how this mediation occurs at the micro level and also, how it

intersects with, and contributes to, broader social, cultural, historical, and economic trends”.

Particularly, in the context of learning a language, in the 60s, it was introduced the

term Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to refer to some programs developed

to practice a language, but the communication possibilities at that time were too limited;

initially, the focus was mainly in contents.

Following Levy and Stockwell (2006), CALL has had three stages since it appeared:

The first stage called behavioristic approach was implemented in the 60s and 70s. It

was based on stimulus-response materials, mainly through text. The computer provided

feedback to the student according to his or her performance. The second stage took place in

the 70s and 80s. It had a communicative approach, in which text, audio and video were

integrated to pay a higher attention to the use of language instead of grammar, which was

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approach, it means that the communicative skills were focused on the accomplishment of

tasks and projects. A great contribution of this stage was the possibility of interaction

offered by the web.

It is exactly in the third stage of CALL in which the term Computer Mediated

Communication (CMC) appeared. It includes all the ways of communication through or

with the help of a computer. Today, the web offers innumerable possibilities of being in

contact with information and people, a situation that was impossible or very difficult years

ago; for instance, learners can establish a communicative practice with a variety of speakers

around the world. The previous phenomenon implies new challenges for teachers, who

should guide the students in order to take advantage of the great tool they have in their

hands, especially internet access.

Nowadays, thanks to the evolution of the technological devices, two kinds of

communication are possible according to Warschauer (2005): the asynchronous and the

synchronous. The first, refers to the communication in which the participants send

messages at different moments, it means that the transmitter and the receiver of the

communicative process are not necessarily on line at the same time. One example of this is

the use of emails. For its part, the synchronous communication includes all the

conversations that take place face to face or through a device which implies that the

participants obtain and give immediate responses such as telephone conversations or

internet chats.

The current era of information and communication is leading people and especially

students and teachers to look for new ways of facing and understanding the world, it

implies the opportunity to handle new realities through the manipulation of the most helpful

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“These technologies give learners vast opportunities to use English on a daily basis in meaningful contexts in and out of school”. The practical use of the new technologies for educational purposes gives teachers a range of possibilities to create real contexts for the

students to use the foreign language in a significant way.

Another author who emphasizes on the invaluable contribution of technology to the

educational field and mainly to the learning of languages is Hubbard (2009), he affirms: “Technology adds dimensions to the already multifaceted domain of second language learning, requiring new knowledge and skills for those who wish to incorporate it into their professional practice or understand its impact on the language teacher and learner.”

One of the CMC tools that offers great advantages today is video calls, a perfect

example of synchronous communication. Fraser (2013) considers that Skype, one of the

most popular video calls application nowadays, allows an interaction person to person

without the limitation of distance. The teachers leading this research consider video call is

an ideal tool for setting out on a virtual travel without wasting time or money, although it is

valid to clarify that initially we thought about using Skype as the only application for the

development of the project but it was during the implementation that we took into

consideration others such as Facebook video calls, WhatsApp video calls, Hangouts, due to

the difficulties of some foreigners to use Skype. For instance, the foreigner in England did

not remember her password for accessing Skype; the teacher in US was not able to use

Skype by using the school internet access, she needed a previous permission for doing so. It

means that it emerged the need to open our connection possibilities instead of limiting it to

just one program.

Every video chat and call applications let people have interaction including verbal

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not possible to ignore the contribution of videoconferences, to this respect Levy and Stockwell (2006) claim “The value of conferencing in language learning is indisputable, providing a means through which learners can practice oral and aural skills even when geographically separated from their communication partners”.

Although, we recognize that it is not the only tool to develop the Intercultural

Awareness in the English class, we consider that video call is a great option because it

offers the possibility of a direct Oral Interaction with people who could be miles away and

it is one of the easiest ways to cross boundaries. Likewise, these applications such as

Skype, Facebook video calls, Hangouts, WhatsApp video calls, not only facilitate the

practice of the language itself but the learning of several aspects related to the culture, they

bring, for example, the physical setting of the interlocutor close, what other ways of

communication (with the exception of personal encounters) hardly do.

To summarize, technology is an instrument that people all over the world have used

to shorten distances and make life easier. At the same time, teachers and students have the

possibility to obtain information and share it with others. Introducing computers to

education has given people the opportunity to analyze the methods and techniques in

teaching and learning processes; as well as implement new ways of sharing knowledge;

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Chapter 2