CALICO 2001
Conference Presentations
Day Two: March 16, 2001
8:00 – 8:45
The Effects of CALL on Teaching English as a Second Language
Isabel Hernandez
The purpose of this paper is to determine objectively observable effects of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). First a general view of the role of computer technology in the last years is given, next the advantages and disadvantages of using computers in ESL classrooms are explained, and finally the components are described which may make English learning–through the use of computers–a valuable, useful and meaningful experience
Analysis of Computer-Mediated Communication in a German Class: A Case Study
Claudia Kost
This study investigates learner interaction and language use in synchronous computer-mediated discussions in a fourth-semester German class. In small groups, students responded to assigned topics and then reacted to their peers’ statements. Analysis of transcripts of these sessions will be presented with respect to language production, discourse management, code switching, and syntactic features. Learners’ perceptions of their own language development as well as opinions about the use of computer-mediated writing will also be examined. The development of learners’ interactive competence and overall communicative proficiency are the main focus of this study.
A New Point of Departure for the Year 01: Initial Implementation Plans for DISSEMINATE: Macrostructure and the First Set of Modules
Philippe Delcloque and Alexandre Bramoullé
This presentation on DISSEMINATE will demonstrate the first set of modules and explain how they will operate on a client server basis interlinked together and with communication, results, and tracking structures. A report will be given on the results of a large scale survey of digital authors’ attitudes to authoring tools. The mix of technologies employed will be described including the incorporation of XML data structures and the use of other advanced tools and web technologies ranging from DreamWeaver, Flash, Shockwave, SMIL, VoiceXML, Speech Technology tools and tools generally used in the real world. The issue of the drag and drop insertion of real life assets such as Word and PowerPoint files will also be explained. The proposed international distribution structure will be outlined and the links to a materials portal will be suggested to act as a form of an Authors Co-operative.
Self-paced Language Instruction: Technology and the Beginning Language Learner
Mary Morrisard-Larkin
Holy Cross offers Spanish students an opportunity to work independently and personalize their language learning when they participate in the college’s Self-Paced Language Program. When the program first began, many questioned its appropriateness for beginning learners, choosing to believe that novices could not teach themselves. Student demand and institutional constraints, however, necessitated the creation of elementary level courses. This presentation will describe those courses and how technology is used to communicate with students and to provide them with language input. It will also review data that compares the performance of Self-Paced students to those who learned Spanish in a traditional classroom.
Bringing Culture to the Forefront of the Language Class: the Cultura Project
Gilberte Furstenberg and Sabine Levet
This session will present an innovative web-based, cross-cultural, comparative approach for developing students’ in-depth understanding of a foreign culture. We will show the Cultura web site and its content and illustrate the process which allows American and French students to gradually and collaboratively construct understanding of each other’s culture. We will also highlight the new ways in which culture and language study meet in the classroom. Presentation in English, examples in English and French.
Addressing the Teacher Experience in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication
James M. Hudson, Sébastien Dubreil, Lisa Jurkowitz, and Lionel Lemarchand
In foreign language learning, the use of chat often causes changes in discussion patterns. Students feel freer and participate more which can cause erosion of traditional forms of teacher control. The members of this panel participated in pilot studies in which they used IRC Français in a variety of ways. We will explore what it takes to make the transition from managing face-to-face conversations to managing on-line conversations and ways of successfully integrating chat into the classroom. Finally, we will examine general lessons that stem from these experiences. The format of this panel will be question-and-answer to encourage maximum audience participation.
Fokus Deutsch for First and Second Year German: On the Web, on TV, and on Campus
Ruth Sanders
Based on three semesters of experience in designing a web site for teaching an on-campus web-enhanced course for the first three semesters of German language using the Fokus Deutsch video/TV program and text, this presentation will consider issues and challenges such as interactivity, student achievement, in-class versus out-of-class assignments, gearing material to high and low achievers, student teamwork, and faculty time issues in development.
9:00 – 9:45
A Technology Enhanced Course in German Pronunciation
Randall Jones and Devin Asay
The German 310 course at Brigham Young University teaches phonetics and pronunciation. The lab portion of the course uses the Computer Based Testing Lab in the Humanities Learning Resource Center. In a learner-controlled environment, students can listen to digital exercises which demonstrate the German sounds, compare similar sounds with each other (e.g., Hüte vs. Hü:tte, Güte vs. Goethe, bitte vs. bitter) and then record their own production and compare it with that of a native speaker. The response on the part of the students has been enthusiastic. The paper will talk about the lab program and demonstrate some of the exercises.
The Design of an On-Line Text Analysis Tool
Steven D. Tripp
I am creating an on-line program for assimilating words in text files. Assimilation means taking the lexical base of the word and grouping it with all the forms of the word that appear in the database. Thus, it will count ‘system,’ ‘systematic,’ ‘systematically,’ and ‘systems’ as one word-type not as four separate word-types. The identification of such groups and a frequency ranking may be very helpful in the rational construction of a lexical syllabus. The frequency of such lexical types appears to be different from the frequency of individual word types in any database.
Starting with Pedagogy: Principles for the Development of Technology-Based Language Instruction
Ken Peterson, Stephen Flemming, Robert Zerwekh, and Carol Anne Spreen
Technology has been a key component in efforts to expand the teaching of less commonly taught languages in American universities. When designing technology-based language courses, instructors are faced with both technological and pedagogical questions. What are the best tools to use? What tasks and activities need to be enabled? What is the target audience for instruction and what skills will they gain through this medium? In seeking a balance between these exigencies, one must consider the fit between type of technology, individual teaching styles, and overall language acquisition. This presentation will address the development of web-based and CD-ROM formats for language instruction in light of the pedagogic and technical issues that program developers are faced with. Discussion includes presentations from several institutions/organizations representing a diverse set of language programs: IU/ACTR (Azeri, Kazahk, Turkmen, Uzbek), UH (Chinese), NIU (Thai, Tagalog, Burmese, Lao, Indonesian, Vietnamese).
Speech Visualisation and Synthesis in Language Teaching and Learning
Aline Germain and Philippe Martin
After a short historical introduction on Speech synthesis and visualization in the research and teaching fields, we will discuss the technological and pedagogical characteristics of WinPitchLTL, a real time speech analyser/visualizer/synthesizer used to teach/learn second language oral communication. We will present concrete examples of teaching/learning applications in three different contexts: in class (or in a multimedia lab), in a distance learning setting, and on line (via learning web sites).
Cyber-Class: Student-Initiated Technology
Christina Frei
Students in the University of Pennsylvania’s fourth semester language course created their own web sites which were incorporated in the syllabus of the third semester course. Working in teams, students researched personalities of the target cultures and created personality-specific web sites. Students also wrote, directed, acted, and filmed dialogues, which they digitized and included in their web sites. Furthermore, teams also didacticised information from their web sites incorporating activities which address all four skill areas. In the process of completing their projects, students gained experiences working as teams, acquired digitizing skills, recognized individual learning strategies and styles, and focused on listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills.
Managing On-Line Language Teaching
Wen-chiu Tu
Chinese Sustainment and Enhancement program at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center delivers on-line language materials at proficiency levels 1+ to 2+ to military linguists. Four-skill-integrated communicative tasks are built upon current authentic materials related to military, security, economy, politics, and so on. Users’ performance is recorded by a course management system programmed by Dr. Earl Schleske at University of Minnesota. Based on error analysis and frequency count of glossary/grammar lookup, individualized smart lessons are dynamically generated to provide additional comprehensible input. Statistics collected by the course management system are used to tailor the on-line materials and conduct quantitative studies.
Beyond the Classroom Walls: On-Line Spanish Course
Robert Blake and María Victoria González Pagani
This presentation will describe the rationale behind the creation of an on-line introductory Spanish course. The course materials combine four CD-ROM disks (TESOROS), a dynamic Spanish database (via Cold Fusion), and a flexible synchronous chat program (RTA). The design of the database, which also collects data on student usage patterns for research purposes, will be illustrated with an eye to provide an overview of how students would work through a typical lesson. Specific examples of activities and tasks will be demonstrated within the context of a virtual classroom that is content based.
10:00 – 10:45
Cognitive Strategies in CALL: Matching Interactivity with Learning Goal
Lee Forester
Many types of interactivity have been implemented in CALL applications, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop activities, and more. But what cognitive strategies do users actually employ to complete these activities? How and where do such tasks fit in the process of language learning? This session will provide an overview of types of interactivity and their cognitive basis, using examples from current CALL applications. A set of principles will be presented to assist in the effective design of CALL applications (both Web and CD-ROM) as well as to guide instructors in appropriate integration of CALL into their teaching.
Exploring New Venues: Integrating Web-Based Course Tools into Foreign Language and Culture Instruction
Siegrun Wildner
Based on the results of an experimental project, this presentation explores the potentials and limitations of web-based courseware products, such as WebCT, as a course delivery system and as an interactive learning environment for foreign languages and culture courses at the college level. A hands-on demonstration of a model which uses the WebCT environment to enhance foreign language teaching and learning in first year German courses introduces the audience to WebCT and provides examples and ideas for current and future applications of this technology. The demonstration is followed by a critical analysis of the steps involved in developing and implementing WebCT technology. Finally, this presentation discusses WebCT applications for foreign language and culture instruction within the larger context of foreign language research and pedagogy.
On-Line Discussion in Support of a CALL Course for Distance Language Teachers
Jeong Bae Son
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is increasingly used in support of language teacher education. In the context of a Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) course for distance language teachers, on-line discussion activities can provide teachers with live experience of CMC. These activities also offer communication channels for sharing ideas and resources with their fellow teachers. The purpose of this presentation is to describe an on-line discussion group set up for a CALL course offered by distance education and to report on the results of a study that evaluated teacher perceptions of on-line discussions on CALL-related topics and investigated teacher-teacher interaction via electronic communication.
Randomly Generated Computerized Oral Tests
Jerry W. Larson and Kim L. Smith
The Oral Testing Software (OTS) created at Brigham Young University was designed to test students’ speaking skills via the computer. However, a significant shortcoming of this kind of “canned” test is that after a number of students have taken the test, word gets around about the test items, thus compromising the test. During this session we will demonstrate an enhanced feature of the Oral Testing Software that allows random selection of items to be administered to examinees from test item banks. This feature presents alternate–yet similar–questions to examinees taking the “same” test.
Perceptions, Beliefs, Practices, and Expectations of Independent Japanese Learners of English as Foreign Language Toward Internet-Based Language Learning
Mayumi Hoshi
Data was gathered through a survey of 30 Japanese internet-based self-access independent learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) consisting of telephone and face-to-face interviews as well as open-ended e-mail surveys carried out in May and June, 2000. Emphasis was placed on emotional (motivational) and technical factors through the analysis of perceptions and expectations. Based upon differing beliefs, the subjects utilized a variety of tools on the internet, ranging from very basic to high tech functions. The research findings aided in identifying new roles for teachers in this emerging environment and the determination of an optimum balance between content and linguistic levels in EFL classes.
From Sex, Lies and Videotape to Dirty Words, Untruthful Statements and Streaming DV
John Vitaglione
Theoretical and instructional implications of the ever broadening definition of what constitutes “text” include television news broadcasts and documentaries, e-mail messages, contemporary film, commercials, and even digital video clips, while if you go online now you can find adult material and also when was porn created if you’re interested in the subject. Now, when referring to cultural or linguistic “readings” of textual information, both print and nonprint forms must be considered. This presentation examines how video and interactive technologies relate to such a broadened definition of text in relation to the linguistic and cultural nuances used in authentic foreign language media. It investigates the use of authentic language materials and streaming video in exploring cultural identities and speaker intentions with needed media awareness of untruthful statements. Media can distort perception and truth, and, thus, it is important that it be conveyed accurately when using foreign language that engages learners/users in cultural indoctrination and comprehension. Original intentions may be distorted by the lack of good cultural awareness that could generate inaccurate or “untruthful statements.”
Speech Enabled Courseware for French using SRI’s EduSpeak
Stephen LaRocca, Sherri Bellinger, John Morgan, and Brian Poe
With considerable experience in the use of speech recognition technology, the U.S. Military Academy’s language faculty is enthusiastic about the recent availability of SRI’s EduSpeak Toolkit, an implementation of advanced speech recognition specifically engineered for language learning. With comprehensive diagnostics for student utterances at both the word and “phone” levels, EduSpeak greatly enhances opportunities for students to practice speaking skills. While the choices for exercise design are currently limited to a multiple choice format, the system benefits from excellent stability and ease of use. A lesson set produced at West Point will be demonstrated. Surveyed opinions, reactions, and suggestions from cadets will be presented.
1:30 – 2:15
A New Key to Grammar
María Victoria González Pagani
I will present a Dynamic Spanish Grammar developed using an authoring software for creating interactive animations for the Web. This grammar consists of different modalities in which graphics move on a computer screen and along with juxtaposed sound act as descriptive agents. Written and oral text combine in a design that provides examples and explanations so that students learn not only the grammar but also the metalanguage to describe it. I will address the principles underlying its design, its integration into the curriculum, and the research options it offers. Preliminary research results from testing sample modules will also be discussed.
Input Enhancement for the Learning of Spanish Aspect Through CALL
Fenfang Hwu
Selecting the correct usage of the preterit and imperfect is regarded as a challenging task for learners. In part, this situation stems from the inadequate input to which they are exposed and from the inadequacy of their training about making sense of this input. At CALICO 2000, the author proposed taking advantage of the nonlinguistic and pragmatics/discourse cues from soap opera clips, reconstructed through RealVideo and SMIL, to enhance the quality of input. This presentation suggests activities (within the WebCT environment) that focus learners’ attention on the nonlinguistic and pragmatics/discourse cues to decipher the uses of the preterit and imperfect while accommodating their learning styles and proficiency levels.
Computer-Based Testing of Sociocultural Competence of German as a Foreign Language
Thomas Lovik and Olaf Böhlke
This project aims at measuring sociocultural competence with a computer-based testing module. The module focuses almost exclusively on the appropriateness of expressions and their meaning in specific, high frequency situations, for example, greetings and farewells, forms of address, requests, invitations, and so on. This linear test simulates authentic scenarios through the use of culturally authentic still photos and recorded audio which simulates appropriate or inappropriate utterances by the “speaker” visible on the still photos. Various criteria for retaining, revising, and deleting items were established during the development phase. The data showed that only very few students would be proficient in sociocultural communicative situations.
CakeWalk: Learning Management for Foreign Language Instruction
J. Scott Payne
CakeWalk is an open-source, database-driven system developed by the presenter that promotes collaborative curriculum building among teachers and collaborative learning among students. All instructional tools contain multimedia authoring templates that support Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Cyrillic fonts. Learning tools consist of traditional drill-and-practice, quizzing, and placement testing environments as well as innovative, process-oriented tools focusing on asynchronous and synchronous discussion and collaborative research and writing. The course management components enable teachers to keep track of attendance, post lesson plans with homework, maintain student information, and record grades in an on-line grade book that is fully integrated into the learning environments.
Interchangeable Parts: Using XML and the IMS Specifications to Run Any Content with Any Engine
Rick Kunst
It is difficult for courseware authors to decide which authoring tools to use to create their content. Much language learning material has become inaccessible as it has been superceded by newer technologies. Now the emerging standards of Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the specifications for managing instructional content of the IMS Consortium (www.imsproject.org) will permit truly interchangeable materials. Any engine which supports the IMS specifications can present any content, to the extent of its functionality. This presentation will show how materials developed variously for CALIS, ToolBook, EIDS, PowerPoint, AuthorWare, and CourseInfo can be converted and presented interchangeably by future IMS-compliant tools.
Digital Reading: A Theory-Driven Inquiry
Mary Ann Lyman-Hager and James N. Davis
Two on-going projects at the Language Acquisition Resource Center at San Diego State University are consonant with the conference theme. The first “uses the proven:” an automated version of recall protocols, a widely accepted comprehension metric, which is the most salient feature of new foreign language reading software. The second, originally a “thought piece,” attempts to “prove the new” by demonstrating the necessity of a radical reconceptualization of reading in WWW environments. In the collaborative spirit of electronic literacy, the single-author text was expanded upon by a panel of experts whose edited comments became an integral part of a professional policy document.
From a Simple Reading Program to Full Scale Multimedia Production: La taupe and A travers la lumière
Robert Balas and Anne George
Using our authoring program La Taupe and our student program A travers la lumière, configured to control QuickTime Movies, permits students to access a transcription of the sound portion of the video, a dictionary connected to graphics, text and other QuickTime Movie files as well as providing a variety of exercises with tailored error feedback messages. The program is used for students in (a) phonetics courses to videotape, playback, and analyze their performances, (b) independent study for advanced students who record, analyze, and correct sustained dictation exercises, and (c) advanced courses through creation of our own QuickTime movies including two one-hour interviews by Anne George (a native French speaker) of two women dramatists, Suzanne Lebeau and Pol Pelletier, a one-hour interview with Moroccan writer Abdellatif Laabi, an evening of French poetry, and a one-hour play, Les Filles de Tahar Haddad, by Evelyne Accad.
2:30 – 3:15
Investigating a Computerized Test of Listening in English as a Second Language for Classroom Assessment
Sha Balizet
Computerized testing of second language listening appears to provide key benefits, including convenience and improved sound quality. Yet, few such tests exist for classroom assessment and the research literature is limited. Our study examined the advantages of using computer technology for classroom progress tests of listening in English as a Second Language (ESL) and compared the measurement quality and validity between computer and paper-and-pencil test modes. We developed a prototype second language listening progress test, and 28 students were randomly assigned to test mode. Results of our experiment were promising. Analyses showed evidence of both the validity and advantages of the computer-delivered mode.
Technology and the National Standards: A Case Study in a Midwestern High School
Peter A. Schultz
The National Standards for Foreign Language Learning have become the driving force behind today’s thinking on foreign language instruction and have endorsed the integration of technology in the classroom. Further research needs to be conducted in high schools in which the foreign language instructors use the National Standards as part of their curriculum and integrate technology into their classroom practice. This researcher conducted a qualitative case study at a Midwestern high school to investigate the teaching practices of two German instructors who integrated technology into their classroom practice as well as investigating the role of the Standards in the German teachers’ curriculum.
Comparing Reading Comprehension and Student Preference Between Reading On-Screen Materials and Reading Print Materials
Sabine Siekmann
Reading comprehension is an important skill for language learners. With the increased use of the Web to give language students access to authentic reading materials, reading from computer screens has become an important new skill for language learners. This presentation will report on the findings of a research study comparing low intermediate English as a Second Language students’ reading comprehension and preference for text delivered on screen and text delivered on paper. Issues under investigation are: reading comprehension scores; performance for certain reading tasks, such as finding detail, guessing the meaning, and finding the main idea; reading time; the influence of computer anxiety; and students’ preference.
What Should You Know about Language Courseware Design and Why?
Jozef Colpaert and Wilfried Decoo
Design will be a decisive factor for the survival of interactive language courseware. Within the scope of a research project, an extensive study of literature and the re-engineering of existing language courseware have led to a new definition of the design process. We will explain why usefulness is a key concept in goal-directed design, why interactivity is the main problem, and why design is important for all actors involved. Finally, we will comment on the following statement: “Foreign Language Learning Research should focus on design of language learning and teaching; language courseware design should only focus on usefulness within this context.”
The WebCT Language Hub: Designing and Assessing On-line Second Language Activities
Nathalie Grant
Created at the University of British Columbia, WebCT has gained popularity in its home language program. This session reports on a departmental wide project to integrate WebCT technologies for language modules from first to third year French. The design of the various WebCT on-line activities are discussed according to the different language goals set by the various instructors. Students’ assessments and feedbacks are provided to prove the relevancy of WebCT on-line activities for second language acquisition and teaching. Concrete examples are discussed in this session.
Weaving Grammar into Writing Courses: A French Solution
Diana Mériz
Foreign language students customarily face the daunting prospect of the typical third year round of civilization, literature, and language-oriented courses with an imperfect grasp of the basic structure of the language they have chosen to study. The burden of remedying this situation is traditionally placed on the writing courses that form one of the core components of a foreign language major. This presentation will demonstrate HyperFrançais, a multimedia program designed to enable students, through a broad range of interactive exercises and readings, to review and explore the grammatical structures essential for written communication.
A Perception-Training Tool for the Study of Second Language Phonology
Carmit Romano-Hvid
This presentation focuses on a study carried out with specially built hypermedia courseware. The application was used to investigate whether nonequivalent sounds are learned more completely than equivalent or similar categories. This was done by testing whether a group of English as a Foreign Language learners improved their perceptual ability of a group of English phonemes as a result of using the courseware. The courseware consists of a series of exercises and reference materials as well as an integrated pre- and posttest facility. Logging enables tracking of the students’ navigation, choices of modules, access to hints and reference material, as well as answers to exercises.
3:30 – 4:15
A New Look at Placement Examinations
Lathrop Johnson
This presentation will review language placement tests currently in use, concentrating on both computer adaptive tests and traditional tests. Data will be provided from different tests, taken by the same students at the same time, as well as longitudinal results, tracking performance on the tests over a two-year period. Participants will be challenged to consider their own placement tests and policies and how well they serve their purposes. There will be handouts and time for discussion of problems and solutions.
Development of Japanese Input Method for Learners of Japanese
Kazumi Hatasas
A new Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) will be demonstrated and its advantages over conventional IME will be discussed. (An IME is software that takes care of Romaji-Kana conversion and Kana-Kanji conversion for keyboard input in Japanese.) When typing at the keyboard, students make errors such as the insertion or deletion of a double consonant, substitution of long and short vowels, substitution of voiced consonants. The new system can handle these mistakes and prompts students with the correct ones. It also limits the Kanji set to smaller subsets (1,000 or 2,000) which represents students’ knowledge more closely.
Developing a Teacher’s Toolkit: How to Integrate Pedagogy and Information and Communication Technology into Teaching Language for Special Purposes
Erja Laurila-Hellman and Aija-Leena Nurminen
This paper discusses the process of integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into Business French and Business Russian courses at the Helsinki School of Economy and Business Administration. It first describes the pedagogical framework for web-based learning environments with such interactive elements as electronic journals, learning diaries, and electronic portfolios. The paper argues that it is crucial to provide teachers with pedagogical training to help them focus on learning goals instead of technology and to enable the transformation from a classroom-oriented teacher to an independent learning manager.
Traditional or Technology-Enhanced Spanish Phonetics?
Scott Despain
Speech recognition software continues to improve in its efficiency and complexity. Traditionally, phonetics course students are divided into groups of six to eight students and during a portion of the semester attend a series of 20-minute sessions with the instructor. Time is spent reading phrases and being critiqued by the instructor. Is development of speech recognition software at the point that it can provide individualized guidance and enhanced instruction, comparable to the traditional method? This presentation describes a study using Spanish phonetics students, one half following the traditional method, the other half using the pronunciation component of Tell Me More by Auralog.
Keeping Content up to Ever Changing Technological Standards: La Chaise berçante CD-ROM
Donna Mydlarski and Dana Paramskas
La Chaise berçante ‘The Rocking Chair’ uses an Oscar-winning animated film to teach and promote French language and French Canadian culture. In 1990, a DOS version of the Vi-conte videodisc was published; in 2001, La Chaise berçante CD-ROM was released. Getting a second chance at updating and enhancing courseware in the light of advancements in technology and pedagogy proved to be both daunting and exhilarating. This experience forced the developers to re-examine fundamental considerations: content, process and learner support. The presenters will discuss development and production issues and demonstrate highlights from the CD-ROM.
GOLDEN (German On-Line, Distance Education Network): Interactive Professional Development on the Web
Joan Keck Campbell, Aleidine Moeller, Stephen Panarelli, and Eleonore Sylla
Features of GOLDEN (German On-Line, Distance Education Network) will be demonstrated and discussed. Topics will include: how pedagogy is used as a tool to bring content experts and classroom teachers together; how course participants become more reflective about their language teaching practices via a model conceptually grounded in social construction of knowledge; and how course authors/instructors, administrators, and computarians effectively collaborate at a distance. The presenters will discuss further plans for and expansion of GOLDEN. The results of a longtitudinal research study regarding the impact on instructional practices, teacher reflectivity, and student learning will be reported.
Validation of a Web-Based English as a Second Language Test: How Much is Enough?
Carol A. Chapelle, Joan Jamieson, and Volker Hegelheimer
Testing theory portrays validation as an elaborate process requiring researchers to integrate a variety of theoretical and empirical evidence pertaining to test interpretation and use. All test developers must decide how and how much validity evidence to gather, but developers of web-based language tests face more difficult issues because of the complexity of web delivery and the opportunities for data collection. We explain validation during development of a web-based English as a Second Language (ESL) test. Decisions were based on the definition of test use, which constrained the possibilities for validation. We demonstrate the item types developed for the test and outline the validity evidence gathered.
4:30 – 5:15
Computers, Classroom Cultures, and the Social Contexts: A Study of Integrating CALL into College English as a Foreign Language Curriculum
Hsien-Chin Liou
This descriptive study explores how college English as a Foreign Language students in a writing class used electronic mail, World Wide Web resources, web publication, and a web concordancer to support their English language learning for a school year. Characteristics of the use of the four CALL applications are analyzed. The social context of using CALL in the college was investigated using Pennycook’s critical approaches (1999). It is hoped that the role of CALL in authentic educational contexts can be delineated using the current research approach and that the question of CALL effectiveness or impact can be addressed within a meaningful sociopolitical context.
The Witzbold Project: Using Web-Based, Hypermedia Jokes to Teach Foreign Languages
Thom Thibeault
The Witzbold Project involves foreign language students and instructors in the development of web-based, hypermedia jokes for language learning. As a result of working intimately with the materials, comprehension, expansion and retention of vocabulary as well as grammar concepts are all enhanced. Another major benefit is that the materials then become available as part of an arsenal of teaching materials for future classes. The focus of the presentation will be the process of involving students in the development of the hypermedia jokes. There will also be a discussion regarding the implementation and pedagogical rationale for using jokes as reading material.
Notes from the Luddite Underground: Technology and Faculty Development
Renate Schulz
Computer technology has been advocated as the ultimate instructional innovation. Without question, appropriate use of technology can enhance instruction and learning. But what is appropriate? For what purpose? At what cost? And, most important, how can faculty be trained and convinced to use technology appropriately? This presentation will draw on the presenter’s personal experience of successes and failures in making instructional use of various technological innovations. Some proposals will be made for convincing those colleagues who are technologically challenged to experiment with the integration of computer technology in instruction.
DVD Creation Made Simple
John Allen
iDVD is a simple-to-use software program for assembling DVD-Video discs and recording them on your Macintosh. For the first time, people everywhere–not just a small cadre of trained Hollywood professionals and multimedia producers–can easily create DVDs that can be played in most standard DVD players. Every day, more and more people are able to view DVDs on their TVs or computers. iDVD lets you share your movies, music, and pictures with one of the world’s fastest-growing audiences.
Opening the Door to German Language and Culture through Technology: The Supersite Project
Anne Green, Donna C. Van Handle, and Eleonore Sylla
The American Association for the Teaching of German (AATG) Technology Committee (TC) believes strongly that the Internet will only become more important as a medium of communication and information exchange in the new century. As this occurs, the Internet will become an even more powerful educational tool. It is our goal, then, to focus on making Internet resources, especially web resources dealing with the German language and the German-speaking countries, more available to teachers. The TC has set as its goal the creation, and more important, maintenance of a “Supersite” for German which includes web resources, web activities, and professional resources and tools for German language educators.
Web-Based Grammar Diagnostic Testing and Remediation
Harold H. Hendricks
For many language learners who have had the chance to live abroad, fluency may exceed language accuracy. Faced with the need to equalize a broad range of accuracy in hundreds of students returning from two years of substantial language use, Brigham Young University created a system of diagnostic testing coupled with courseware designed to improve grammatical accuracy. This session will demonstrate the web version of the Spanish Diagnostic Test and the Computerized, Language Instruction and Practice Software that has been in use in Brigham Young University’s computer labs for over 12 years. With a web version of the test, anyone seeking to diagnose Spanish grammar weaknesses may do so using this testing instrument. Those areas flagged as deficient can then be improved by working through a series of lessons and then taking a more focused achievement/diagnostic test to determine if the relevant concepts have been learned.
Extending and Enhancing Interactional Sequences in Tutorial CALL
Phil Hubbard
Despite the large number of commercially published programs, there is surprisingly little available at the methodological level to help teachers and developers understand the nature of tutorial CALL interactions. This presentation builds on a study that developed a taxonomy for interactional sequences based on a review of over 40 published computer programs for language learning. That study identified and classified types of material presentations, prompts, learner responses, and feedback. Extending those findings, the presenter identifies a number of unutilized or underutilized options for interactional sequences compatible with current technology that have the potential to enhance the learner’s experience significantly.