Strengths

The next significant aspect that greatly influenced my development in CALL is my strengths. Three key strengths that have been particularly beneficial throughout this session are my creativity, self-efficacy, and digital skills.

Creativity: My passion for creativity plays a pivotal role in how I integrate CALL into my language teaching practice. By needing to come up with creative ideas (eg., generating ai pictures), to experiment with various approaches (eg., using different ai tools and including augmented reality in one lesson), and to customize existing tools to suit my needs (eg., creating engaging Google Slide lessons for many different ages), I have been able to further improve my becoming in CALL.

Self-Efficacy: Belief in my capability to effectively (and sometimes not so effectively) use CALL technologies has been fundamental to my growth. Developing self-efficacy involved recognizing my strengths, building confidence through practice and experimentation (eg., singning up for many "free" accounts then finding out I needed to add my VISA number, and doing this all over again for other websites catered for language learning), and reviewing the feedback I receive on my Blogs many times. Additionally, my personality, which leans more towards independence, autonomy, and patience allowed me to explore numerous websites, create accounts, and navigate through various platforms to achieve my goals, especially in finding and creating appropriate and engaging French resources.

Digital Literacy Skills: My proficiency in digital literacy has been invaluable, particularly in saving time. Teaching during the pandemic, both synchronously and asynchronously, has given me the necessary ground work to tutor effectively and create French content for CPF. With many years of experience in using digital tools, in my personal and professional life, I know now what to expect...somewhat. While I understand the importance of managing my own expectations, particularly when relying on free resources, I'm also aware of the rapid evolution of technology. I am immensely grateful for Google, including Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Docs, Google Earth, and all the Google extensions that have played a significant role in enhancing French skills among learners, aiding me in creating engaging activities and giving quick feedback to students. Adobe features would be even more advantageous if they were available for free or didn't necessitate a credit card number for accessing the free trial. Perhaps with increased competition in the future, particularly from Google, we may see Adobe features being integrated into Google's options.