Author: Esther Horn

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Fall 2019 President Letter

CALICO’s current president, Jon Reinhardt, would like to update you on some things going on with CALICO right now. 

pdf version: President Letter Fall 2019 

November 6, 2019

Dear CALICO members,

With most of us at least halfway through our Fall semesters, this letter is a bit later than usual, but better late than never.

We were all very saddened a few weeks ago to learn of the passing of Dr. Robert Fischer, the Executive Director of CALICO from 1997 to 2011. Bob’s legacy as a key player in the early years of CALL and his gift to us of this organization is something for which we will all be forever grateful. In 2013, CALICO members put together a Festschrift for Bob, which I recommend looking through for a first or second time to understand the role he played in our organization’s survival starting in 1997 (https://journals.equinoxpub.com/CALICO/issue/view/1919). We have also recently learned that Texas State has set up a scholarship in his honor for French students – more info on how to make a contribution will be forthcoming. There is no question that the decisions Bob made then led CALICO to where it is today, one of the world’s leading academic CALL organizations. May we all find inspiration and encouragement in the legacy of his leadership. We will have a tribute to Bob next Spring at CALICO 2020 in Seattle as well as in CALICO Journal.

Plans for CALICO 2020 are coming along. It will be an exciting conference, in a city that is a global center of technological innovation. The theme of the conference is ‘Global Realities’, a phrase reflecting the challenges and opportunities CALL faces in responding both to new technological developments like augmented, mixed, and virtual reality, as well as to a world where language learning is increasingly happening in informal, technology-mediated contexts. While the call for proposals is closed, we are planning a variety of events for conference goers that live up to our reputation as a conference that is educational, accessible, and enjoyable for students, newcomers, and seasoned CALL professionals and academics. If you have colleagues in schools, universities and community colleges in the area, encourage them to attend and tell their students. We have a number of grants for students to attend.

While I’ll share more about conference specifics in the Spring newsletter, if you are the type who starts planning early, please do consider staying at the conference hotel, the Renaissance Seattle (a Marriott hotel). As we did last year, we have a certain number of rooms we have to fill, so we ask that conference goers stay there if it is at all possible.  Closer to the conference, we will make possible to find a roommate so you can share the cost of a hotel room if you wish to do so.

CALICO will be well-represented at ACTFL 2019, this November 22-24 in Washington, DC. For those of you who will be attending, we are in the process of putting together a list of presentations that will be delivered by CALICO members at ACTFL, so we can learn from and support each other. Check your email in the next week or so for that information, and mark your calendars accordingly. (If you are presenting and haven’t already shared your information and would like to, please provide your information by Friday, November 8 here: https://forms.gle/JhpWtGqSfL4V1Gbb6 )

Also, if you’ll be at ACTFL, please mark your calendars for a CALICO meeting on Friday 11/22, at 5pm in the Marriott Marquis DC Cherry Blossom Room – this is a time slot we are granted by virtue of being “Organizational Members” of ACTFL. Please plan on attending this session if you can, and – most importantly –

bring a friend who isn’t a member of CALICO! We are trying to increase awareness of CALICO among ACTFL-goers, and we all know that technology is a popular topic at ACTFL. (In fact, there are 344 sessions that have been tagged with the “Innovative Use of Technology” keyword, not to mention some 75+ sessions that have the word “technology” in their title!). So this is a great opportunity to make sure folks are aware of our organization. The meeting will consist of a short introduction to CALICO, with a trivia quiz (and prizes!), and we will go from there to an impromptu happy hour in High Velocity bar, in the same hotel.

In other developments, we are working on coming up with new means of increasing CALICO membership, including offering new services and products that are exclusive benefits for CALICO members. We think there is space for us to build on our reputation and experience as an organization that does an excellent job at academic professionalization and networking, especially for graduate students and scholars building their careers. As experts in CALL, our membership has much to share with each other, including mentorship and both scholarly and practical knowledge. Some of the ideas for new membership benefits include an additional book series, issue briefs, a shared syllabus/materials bank, a mentorship program, virtual class visits, and consulting services. To raise the organization’s profile and boost membership, we’re thinking of developing and offering conference plenary videos, video-based app reviews, and podcasts and videos on popular CALL topics as freely available. If any of these ideas speak to you and you’d like to be involved in their development, please contact me directly. As with any volunteer organization, long term success of any new service or product depends on the commitment, time, and energy of devoted members.

If you’d like to nominate yourself or someone else for incoming Vice-President (to eventually become President and then Past President), or to serve on the Executive Board, please do. More information is available at our website : https://calico.org/call-for-nominations/.

Finally, if you’re on social media, please like and follow CALICO’s Facebook page, and join the group pages for the Special Interest Groups. They’re all pretty active, and some also offer regular newsletters. It’s a great way to get involved, network, and contribute to what makes CALICO the best professional organization around.

Have an excellent ending to the semester and year.

Best, 

– Jon Reinhardt

 

 

 

 

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Call for Nominations

Nomination period open for electing new executive board members and vice president.

The deadline for submitting nominations for either position is December 6th. Please send all nominations to Esther Horn at ec06@txstate.edu. We will be electing two new board positions and one vice president. 

 

Guidelines for Executive Board nominations: 

* Nominee must be nominated by a CALICO member, including self-nomination.

* Nominee must have been a member of CALICO at least two years (consecutive years not required).

* Nominee should submit a 100-word biographical sketch and 300-word professional statement to be used on the ballot during the election.

* Nominee must agree to attend all executive board meetings taking place during his/her active three-year term, which begins the last day of the annual conference following his/her election to office.

 

Vice President nominations:

The Vice President, when elected, will serve a 3-year term: Vice President, President, and Past President.

The qualifications and procedures for Vice Presidential candidates include:

* Candidates for Vice President must have been members of CALICO for at least the last two consecutive years before the year of nomination.

* Candidates must be nominated by a CALICO member, including self-nomination.

* At the time of nomination, nominees will submit a short biographical sketch of no more than 100 words and a professional statement of no more than 300 words to the CALICO office.

* Because the Vice President shall serve as a voting member on the Board for a period of three years, candidates must commit to working closely, for the subsequent three year period, with the CALICO Administrator, the staff, the other Voting Officers, and the Executive Board, to ensure the effective functioning of CALICO on a day to day basis. Candidates must plan to attend all board meetings and annual conferences. Although the newly elected Vice President’s term of office does not officially begin until the day before the end of the subsequent annual conference, the newly elected Vice President is encouraged to attend the board meetings in the year of election. 

For an overview of duties/responsibilities of these positions, please see this page online.  Please get in touch if you should have any questions.

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Call for Papers: Special Edition of CALICO Journal

Editors: Gillian Lord (University of Florida) and Sébastien Dubreil (Carnegie Mellon University)

Series Editors: Bryan Smith (Arizona State University) & Ana Oskoz (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

The editors of the 2021 Special Edition of the CALICO Journal seek contributions on diverse approaches to second language and culture (LC2) learning, focusing specifically on learning through “maker culture,” or the process of multimedia project creation or other creative activity that bridge language learning in the classroom with authentic language practices outside of it. Volume contributions will address theoretical, empirical and pedagogical approaches that connect classroom instruction to the multifaceted contexts and challenges of language use beyond the classroom. We encourage contributions that situate opportunities for motivated, purposeful technology-mediated communicative (social) interaction as a central organizing principle of LC2 study, with the goals of fostering language production and/or cultural awareness, while promoting their use in real and realistic interdisciplinary contexts.

Content areas for contributions include – but are not limited to – the following:

A. Theoretical considerations for the implementation of “maker culture” in LC2 learning contexts;

B. Empirical research assessing the effectiveness of a “maker” approach to L2 development and (inter)cultural learning; or

C. Practice report of pedagogical interventions leveraging the “learning through making” approach, providing evidence of learning.

This special issue will strive to maintain the format of past CALICO Journal Special Issues while also supporting diverse contribution formats. We encourage full-length (approximately 6,000–8,000 words, all inclusive) conceptual/theoretical contributions and empirical studies (e.g., mixed methods, case studies, action research), as well as shorter contributions (approximately 4,000 words, all inclusive) detailing pedagogical interventions that address theme(s) or projects relevant to the volume. Authors are encouraged to contextualize their contribution within appropriate theoretical and developmental frameworks.

Submission deadline for abstracts is September 1, 2019.

  • Submit an abstract of no more than 400 words to the volume editors at glord@ufl.edu and sebd@cum.edu.
  • In your abstract please state clearly if your proposal should be reviewed as theoretical, empirical, or pedagogical.
  • Decisions and feedback from the editors will be communicated to submitters by early October 2019.
  • Complete manuscripts will be due March 1, 2020, and must comply with CALICO’s authoring guidelines (found here).
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New Book in CALICO’s Book Series

Third edition to the popular books Calling on CALL…

Engaging Language Learners through CALL

From Theory and Research to Informed Practice

Edited by Nike Arnold and Lara Ducate

Nike Arnold is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University in Oregon, USA.

Lara Ducate a Professor of German and Applied Linguistics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, USA.

2019 444pp 234 x 156mm Illus. pb ISBN 9781781798287

£35.00 / $45.00 25 % discount available — see below

£26.25 / $33.75 eBook ISBN 9781781798294

Engaging Language Learners through CALL provides an updated overview of the field of computer-assisted language learning beginning with one chapter on the intersection of second language acquisition (SLA) research and CALL and another on online and hybrid language courses. The next eight chapters focus on the use of CALL for specific language skills or other learning goals and the volume concludes with a discussion of ways to evaluate courseware and apps. Each chapter contains preview questions, an overview of the most relevant and recent research, implications for teaching, assessment options, questions for reflection, case studies, and ideas for action research.

While the fundamental lens for this volume is informed practice based on key theories and research, there are several themes that run throughout the chapters, including how technology creates unique learning opportunities and its ability to overcome constraints of time, space, and interlocutors, how CALL can facilitate the integration of applications originally developed for other purposes, and the high level of autonomous and student-centered activities that CALL provides. As these themes demonstrate, CALL provides an array of affordances and sometimes, challenges. It is our hope that this volume will continue to support readers in implementing a research-based CALL pedagogy and updating their practices as technology and research findings develop.

Contents

Introduction – Nike Arnold, Lara Ducate

  1. The Theories and Practices of SLA in CALL – Bonnie L. Youngs
  2. Normalizing Online Learning: Adapting to a Changing World of Language

    Teaching – Senta Goertler

  3. Culture and CALL – Sarah Guth, Francesca Helm
  4. Technology-enhanced Listening: How does it Look and What can we Expect? –

    Maribel Montero Perez

  5. CALL and L2 Reading: Current Research and Application – Alan Taylor
  6. Digital Literacies as Emergent Multifarious Repertoires – Jonathon Reinhardt,

    Steven L Thorne

  7. Writing between the Lines: Acquiring Writing Skills and Digital Literacies through Social Tools – Ana Oskoz, Idoia Elola
  8. Interpersonal Communication in Intracultural CMC – Zsuzsanna Abrams
  9. Targeting Pronounciation (and Perception) with Technology

    – Mary Grantham O’Brien

  10. Communities: Exploring Digital Games and Social Networking – Julie Sykes,

    Christopher L. Holden, Stephanie Knight

  11. Evaluation of Courseware/Tutorial Apps and Online Resource Websites – Philip Hubbard

Download the Equinox Linguistics mobile app and take advantage of discounts on books and journal subscriptions, free downloads, and special offers

Place an order online at www.equinoxpub.com to receive a 25% discount. Enter the code LINGUISTICS at the checkout when prompted and your order will be discounted.

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Annual Awards

This year’s Access to Language Education Award, in association with the Esperantic Studies Foundation, was awarded to Kevin Waddell for his LifeSpark online information and app.

This year’s Robert A. Fischer Outstanding Graduate Student Award was given to Abby Broughton of Vanderbilt University, pictured here between CALICO president Gillian Lord Ward and Abby’s mentoring professor Virginia Scott.

And last but not least, an award was given for Best Article in the CALICO Journal for Volume 35 to Rose van der Zwaard and Anne Bannink: Reversal of Participation Roles in NS-NNS Synchronous Telecollaboration

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Book Series Call for Chapter Proposals

CALICO Journal Book Series: Advances in CALL Research and Practice (https://calico.org/book-series/)

 

Call for Chapter Proposals

Book title: Project-based Language Learning and CALL: Theory and Practice

Editors: Michael Thomas Ph.D. and Kasumi Yamazaki Ph.D.

 

Overview

This book is a timely edited collection that aims to be the first substantive scholarly book on project-based and cross-curricular language learning using digital technologies. The book will include a) new empirical research on project-based language learning utilizing CALL technologies and b) conceptual and theoretical chapters that address new methodological approaches for researching project-based and cross-curricular language learning in digitally-mediated learning environments. This dual focus distinguishes the volume from previous books on project-based learning in which digital technologies have not been the main focus. CALL research involving a variety of languages will also be encouraged.

 

The book is timely in that, inspired by OECD reports and curriculum reforms in several countries, a repositioning and re-evaluation of foreign language education in school-based education has been taking place in which foreign language learning is taught in a multi-disciplinary approach involving an emphasis on collaborative literacies, including problem-solving, civic engagement and telecollaboration. In this mix, language learning, particularly driven by developments in CLIL (content and integrated language learning), is being taught as one of several disciplines in a way that firmly emphasizes communication and creativity rather than a traditional functional approach.  

 

The volume aims to make important contributions on a range of themes that are central to the work of classroom teachers and course and materials designers, as well as researchers in the field. Chapters will explore how project-based approaches utilising CALL encourage teachers and learners to:

  • engage in creative forms of language learning both within and outside of traditional classrooms;
  • connect with other disciplines and teach languages through the medium of culture and other school and university subjects; 
  • critically explore the potential and limitations of digital technologies alongside cross-curricular forms of instruction;
  • strategically rethink the role and positionality of language learning in the school and university curriculum. 

Further to exploring the way project-based language learning is currently being used in classrooms and its potential to enrich multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, chapter authors will consider a variety of concerns and challenges affecting the teaching and learning of foreign languages. In terms of pedagogy, the volume aims to investigate current instructional methods, including among other topics, learning strategies, feedback, different types of peer assessment and mentoring. At the institutional level, the book aims to investigate teacher resilience and readiness in relation to technology, managing curriculum change and quality assurance and assessment, and to do so by encouraging critical approaches to technology education and normalised approaches to foreign language learning.

 

The book also aims to explore how telecollaborative projects involving language learners and teachers in different geographical locations and cultures are using collaborative forms of cross-curricular learning with different delivery methods. We will aim for geographical coverage of current developments in PBL as well as examining how it is or may be used in development contexts in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia and encourage chapter authors to submit collaborative chapters that draw on funded projects and research that addresses an impact, transdisciplinary, social and critical agenda with respect to CALL.

 

Timeline

As part of the first stage, prospective authors are required to submit a 300 to 500 word abstract/expression of interest for their intended chapter, outlining its main concerns and methodology. The dates and timeline are shown below:

 

  1. 300 to 500 word abstracts/expression of interest due: 1st July 2019
  2. Notification of acceptance to proceed to chapter stage: 15th July 2019
  3. First draft of chapters due: 15th December 2019
  4. First stage peer review: January to February 2020
  5. Final manuscripts due: May 2020
  6. Final publication: Spring 2021

 

Authors are required to submit their abstracts/expressions of interest to both editors by email (MThomas4@uclan.ac.uk) and (Kasumi.Yamazaki@utoledo.edu) as a MS Word attachment (Times New Roman, 11pt, single spaced) including a title for their chapter and 50 word biography of each author, as well as contact details. All submissions will undergo double blind peer review prior to acceptance.

 

Editors

Kasumi Yamazaki Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Japanese in the Department of World Languages & Cultures. Her research focuses on a wide range of contemporary Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) pedagogy and integration, namely, the use of 3D simulation games and virtual realities (VRs), the development of intelligent CALL (ICALL) systems, and the effectiveness of hybrid teaching curricula. Her areas of expertise include Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Technology Enhanced Language Learning, Japanese Language Pedagogy, English as a Second Language (ESL) Pedagogy. Dr Yamazaki currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Technology in Language & Teaching and Learning. 

 

Michael Thomas Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Language and Global Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, UK and Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and peer reviewed special editions and founding editor of four book series, including Advances in Digital Language Learning and Teaching (Bloomsbury Academic), Digital Education and Learning (Palgrave Macmillan US), and Global Policy and Critical Futures in Education (Palgrave Macmillan, US, with Jeffrey R. Di Leo). Among his other books are Contemporary Computer-Assisted Language Learning (2012) (with Mark Warschauer and Hayo Reinders) and Handbook of Research on Web 2.0 and Second Language Learning (2008).