Levy, Michael: Computer-Assisted Language Learning

So far the development of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has been fragmented. This book sets CALL in its historical and interdisciplinary contexts, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. Drawing on published work and an international survey among CALL practitioners, he looks at the relationship between CALL's theory and application, describes how the computer is conceptualized as both tutor and tool, and discusses the implications for computer programming, language teaching, and learning.

Students and prospective teachers should have a much clearer idea, after reading this book, of what computers can and canot do for language learners...Though Levy's book seems to be aimed at the graduate school market, where it fills a genuine gap, it will also be welcomed by the typical CALL 'enthusiast'...the new CALL practitioners and researchers for whom the book has been written will be grateful for this lucid summary of a series of highly complex topics...Successful in its aim of providing students of CALL with an idea of what it is and what needs to be done...Levy allows us to see more clearly what is worth retaining and developing and what should be jettisoned...The amount of information and the range of references are impressive. Michael Levy's book is thus set to be, for the time being, the standard work on the subject.