Registration: https://forms.gle/waoScGYPHaWYJbgg9
When: October 27, 2023. 5:00 to 6:00 pm US Eastern time.
Where:https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/96671836504?pwd=c21sVm5xZERnWTlQTjVIeEVjWjZpUT09
Passcode: 119072
The editors of the CALICO Journal are recruiting a Learning Technology Reviews (LTR) Editor. The LTR editor will be responsible for soliciting reviews of language learning courseware, tutorial apps, and online resource websites and will work closely with authors in bringing the reviews to publishable quality. The LTR editor will also use the journal’s online management system to manage these manuscripts through all stages of the publishing process. This is an unpaid position and requires a two-year commitment.
The CALICO Journal publishes an average of six LTRs per volume (two per issue) and uses the framework and format described in Hubbard (2019). Generally speaking, reviews may be no more than 3,000 words (including all text, references, entire review, and bio statement) and contain no more than 4 figures or images. Examples of recently published LTRs can be found here.
For immediate consideration, please send your CV and a short expression of interest to both of the CALICO Journal editors by October 31st:
Bryan Smith bryansmith@asu.edu and Ana Oskoz oscoz@umbc.edu
Hubbard, P. (2019). Evaluation of courseware/tutorial apps and online resource websites.
In N. Arnold & L. Ducate (Eds.) Engaging Language Learners through CALL (pp. 390–430). Sheffield, UK: Equinox.
Dear CALICO Graduate Students and Members,
We are excited to invite you to our second talk in the CALICOffee Series for the 2023-2024 year!
📆: Thursday, Oct. 19th
⏰: 3pm PT/5pm CT/6pm ET
📍: Zoom | Please register in advance -> https://bit.ly/Calicoffee2
Join the CALICO Graduate Student Special Interest Group (SIG) Members in a casual environment while two topic experts discuss the advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in two different, but highly connected, realms: academia and industry.
We will hear from Dr. Emily Hellmich, Associate Director of the Berkeley Language Center, and Dr. Tricia Thrasher, Research Manager at Immerse.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Published: 2023-05-25
Fall 2022
Issue 44:
Jakob Johnson (Chair)
Daniel Dixon (Associate Chair)
Greetings!!
Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
New Discord Server and Methods to Interact and Keep in Touch
Remember that we have a Facebook group and a Google Group; the join link can be found on the SIG’s page on CALICO’s website.
Based on comments during CALICO 2022 we decided to also create/move to a Discord server (invite link here: https://discord.gg/nVeZw8JqHq). Our hope in creating this is to help encourage collaboration and interaction as it seems the google group and Facebook group do not see much traffic. However, please let us know what you think of the move to Discord. Thank you to those who have joined!
We will continue to use Google Groups for the Newsletter, as well as posting and archive of Newsletters to Discord.
One of the aspects of using Discord was a hope for the ability to archive past newsletters which has been done (at least a link to a google drive folder) for easy access. We also discussed potentially creating some form of list of games people like to use in their classrooms with potential short explanations of how to use them while teaching.
Here is the Google Forms link: https://forms.gle/KciuZuDxmf8C7XVH8
Examples of Using Games:
Newcomer: A Language Learning RPG
In this issue, we spoke with Jason Kappes, a software engineer who is solo developing Newcomer, a fantasy language learning video game. In the game, players learn a second language to save the kingdom and befriend its people. We asked Jason to tell us a little bit about the game and what inspired him to create it.
In Newcomer, players have the ability to participate in second language conversations. Players can communicate, create relationships, and complete conversation goals with more than 100 characters. These conversations and relationships can lead to the player receiving a quest, an item, or access to a new area. You can watch an example of this character interaction with this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ2DA-mhfqs
During in-game conversations, players build sentences and based on what is said, the NPC (interlocutor) will respond accordingly. NPCs can understand context, respond intelligently, and ask the player questions. The amount the player can say is constrained to their progress in the game.
In addition to L2 conversations, there are translatable short stories, grammar guides, a multi-modal dialogue system, and language battles. I also added simple RPG mechanics such as fishing, mining, crafting, alchemy, questing, and exploration.
The languages offered in the base application will be English, Spanish, Italian, and French. A user will choose their native language and then the second language to learn. Spanish natives can learn English, English natives can learn French, etc. Newcomer was created for absolute beginner – intermediate learners. The goal is that an absolute beginner can complete the game and be able to have basic conversations using elementary vocabulary, from A0 – A1.
My personal journey: Language learning is a hobby, but I wanted (and think there should be) a more interesting context to learn within. I thought language learning would work well in a Pokemon-esque video game where there are clear in-game goals tied to language progression. I’m also interested in creating game-based learning applications, so creating Newcomer is the intersection of my hobby (language learning), passion (programming), and meaning (making it easier to learn languages, and improve the world). I’m not an expert, and I am still growing as a programmer, language learner, and language educator. I’m reading research papers, discussing what I’m making with like-minded individuals, and actively creating and iterating on digital game-based language learning methods. My favorite book has been The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Technology. A special shoutout goes to LLP (Ludic
Language pedagogy) who have helped me along my journey. While I don’t declare Newcomer is a silver bullet to learning languages, it has research-based methods baked within that will help language learners improve.
The full trailer and more project features can be viewed on my Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jasonkappes/newcomer-language-learning-rpg
Feel free to share with friends and colleagues that are interested. If anyone wants to know more about Newcomer, or potentially work on interesting DGBLL projects in the future, contact me at jasonkappes656@gmail.com.
Recent Publications
Reed, J. (2022). “This class doesn’t have a textbook?”: An overview of a TRPG course for L2 English learners in Japan. Ludic Language Pedagogy, 4, 53–70. https://llpjournal.org/2022/09/06/reed-trpg-walkthrough.html
Sorry I wasn’t aware of any others (please reach out though if you have any, and we can get them put on the Discord)
Virtual October Get Together
So we didn’t have a great turn-out, if people are interested in doing something before the CALICO conference let us know on the Discord! We would be happy to plan another virtual get together some time next semester.
Upcoming Conferences
Below is a listing of some upcoming conferences which you may be interested in attending and/or presenting at. If there are any conferences that you feel should be added to this list, let us know! (We are particularly interested in any game-related or CALL-related conferences) Remember that for some conferences, you need to submit proposals far in advance, so keep that in mind as you prepare to share your classroom practice and research about using games for language learning.
Multiple Dates, 2023-2024
Jun 6-10th, 2023 June 14-17, 2023 June 25-28, 2023
June 26-29, 2023
July 23-26th, 2023
2023
Sept 6-8th, 2023
Sept 16-17th, 2023
Oct 2-5, 2023
ICGGBL
International Conference on Gamification & Serious Game
Submissions Closed for 2023
CALICO
Submissions Closed
IALLT Conference
International Association for Language Learning Technology
ISTE Edtech Conference
International Society for Technology in Education
Submission Closed
AATSP Conference
American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese
Submissions Closed
AATF Convention
American Association of Teachers of French
Submissions Open Sept 1st – Dec 15th 2022
EUROCALL Conference
European Association of Computer Assisted Language Learning
Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference
ICALT Conference
IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies
Submissions Closed
WorldCALL Conference
Seoul, London, Singapore, Washington
Minneapolis, Minnesota
New Orleans, Louisiana
Philadelphia, PA
Salamanca, Spain
Trois-Rivières, Québec
Reykjavik, Iceland
West Lafayette, IN
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kazan, Russia (No longer taking place in Kazan, but new location not on website)
TBA SeriousPlay ? Submissions Rolling, but selection starts in OCT
(https://www.seriousplayconf.com/speaker-submission/)
The GSIG Newsletter is a quarterly newsletter for the Gaming SIG, a special interest group of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO).
Papers are invited for a special issue of CALICO, the journal of the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium, on ‘Technology-Mediated Task-based Language Teaching and Learning. We are pleased to invite proposals for the special issue of volume 42 of the CALICO Journal, which will be published in February 2024. With this call for proposals, we are looking for (a) guest editor(s), who will produce an issue on a timely and compelling CALL-related theme that will resonate with our readership and move the field forward. If you are interested in becoming a guest editor, please submit a proposal addressing the following points:
(1) name(s) and affiliation(s) of the guest editor(s)
(2) topic of the special issue
(3) rationale for the topic (500 words maximum)
(4) short CV of each guest editor (with particular emphasis on published research on the topic of the special issue and editing experience)
(5) draft Call for Papers for the special issue
The editors invite papers exploring innovative approaches to designing, implementing, and evaluating technology-mediated task-based language teaching and learning. Papers may report on empirical studies or theoretical pieces that challenge our current thinking about TBLT. Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-, and multiple-method designs are
welcome. Quantitative studies examining learner process data are especially welcome as are all designs targeting less commonly taught languages, including ASL and other sign languages of the world. Studies relying purely on survey or questionnaire research will not be considered. Full-length manuscripts of no more than 7,500 words (all inclusive) will be invited by the editors after evaluating expressions of interest (see timeline below).
As a starting point, we use González-Lloret and Ortega (2014) in our framing of the five definitional features of a task in the context of technology and task integration. These features include the following: 1. Primary focus on meaning; 2. Goal orientation; 3. Learner-centeredness; 4. Holism; and 5. Reflective Learning. We also assume the non-neutrality of technology and acknowledge the importance of curriculum in task-technology integrations. Forward-thinking topics relevant to technology-mediated task-based language teaching and learning may include but are not limited to:
| AI in TMTBLT Assessment Critical approaches to TMTBLT Curriculum Design Digital literacies Extramural language learning Gaming Individual differences Materials development Methodological considerations Mobile environments |
Needs analysis Online, hybrid or blended course design Replication studies Special needs language learners Task complexity Task design Task sequencing Tasks in multisensorial environments The role of the teacher Theoretical constructs in TMTBLT Young learners |
Initial expressions of interest and informal inquiries are encouraged and should be sent to the editors, Ana Oskoz oscoz@umbc.edu and Bryan Smith bryansmith@asu.edu. All proposals will be evaluated by the CALICO Journal’s editorial board. Please see the complete timeline below.
Initial expressions of interest/proposals of no more than 750 words are due by October 10, 2023. This proposal should address the theoretical framework employed, justification for the study, research questions, methodology, findings (where available), and
implications for future research or pedagogy. For theoretical pieces, ensure the proposal includes a clearly articulated problem and a proposed solution.
Timeline:
• 10 October 2023: Initial expressions of interest/proposals
• 1 December 2023: Invitation for full manuscripts
• 1 June 2024: Full manuscript due to editors
• 15 June 2024: double-blind review process
• 1 August 2024: Round one peer review due to editors
• 1 November 2024: Revised drafts due to editors
• 28 February, 2025: Final revised manuscripts due
• 2025: Special Issue Publication
Please note that abstract acceptance does not guarantee publication of the submitted manuscript. All manuscripts will be subject to a double-blind peer review process.
Special Issue Title: Social media pathways: Using social media to help language learners access target-language communities
Co-editors: Ellen Yeh (Columbia College Chicago) and Nicholas Swinehart (University of Chicago)
This CALICO Journal special issue explores and investigates CALL practices through the concept of “social media pathways”: using social media to help language learners access target-language communities, both virtual and physical. Social media tools have the potential to help language learners retrieve and critically assess crowd-sourced information from the local community of a target culture (Yeh & Mitric, 2021), enhance intercultural communicative competence (Lomicka & Ducate, 2021), foster social media literacy (Vanwynsberghe et al., 2015; Yeh & Swinehart, 2020), form language learner identities (Thorne et al., 2015), as well as develop sociocultural and pragmatic processes of language socialization (Sykes, 2019; Thorne et al., 2009). Social media can therefore serve as a “pathway” for connecting language learners to target-language communities. This can mean helping learners acquire the context-specific pragmatics and social media literacy necessary for successful interaction with target-language speakers in online communities (Sykes, 2018), or helping students learn about specific areas, cultures, and practices to prepare them for face-to-face interaction (Godwin-Jones, 2016).
This special issue uses a broad definition of social media to refer to any application or technology through which users participate in, create, and share media resources and practices with other users by means of digital networking” (Reinhardt, 2019), which can include blogs, social networking sites, virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life and virtual reality platforms), collaborative project platforms (e.g., Wikipedia), content communities (e.g., YouTube), affinity spaces (e.g., Reddit, Discord, and fan fiction), and online games (e.g., Minecraft, World of Warcraft). While this definition is broad, this special issue focuses on the integration of “authentic” social media environments–those not created or used exclusively for language learning purposes–into curricula and students’ digital practices through bridging activities (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008), language learners-as-ethnographers (Roberts et al., 2001), or other approaches that attempt to scaffold learners’ understanding of and participation in complex linguistic environments. Through the use of “real-life language, the active engagement in authentic material, the participation in communities in the target language, and boundary crossing” (Miller et al., 2019, p. 551), the social media pathway connects language learners with the target language communities in extensive ways, while always working towards increased knowledge of and/or participation within those communities.
Themes of relevance to social media and target-language communities include, but are not limited to:
This special issue invites full-length (no more than 7,000 words, all-inclusive) articles, with preference given to empirical studies. Authors are strongly encouraged to contextualize their contribution within appropriate theoretical and developmental frameworks.
Submission deadline for abstracts is October 3, 2022.
Special Issue to be published in February of 2024. Please note that abstract acceptance does not guarantee publication of the submitted manuscript. All manuscripts will be subject to a double-blind peer review process. Please send questions about the volume to co-editors Ellen Yeh (eyeh@colum.edu) and Nicholas Swinehart (nswinehart@uchicago.edu).
References
Godwin-Jones, R. (2016). Integrating technology into study abroad. Language Learning & Technology, 20(1), 1-20. http://dx.doi.org/10125/44439
Lomicka, L., & Ducate, L. (2021). Using technology, reflection, and noticing to promote intercultural learning during short-term study abroad. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(1/2), 35–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640746
Miller, A. M., Morgan, W. J., & Koronkiewicz, B. (2019). Like or Tweet: Analysis of the use of Facebook and Twitter in the language classroom. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 63(5), 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0341-2
Reinhardt, J. (2019). Social media in second and foreign language teaching and learning: Blogs, wikis, and social networking. Language Teaching, 52(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444818000356
Roberts, C., Byram., M, Barro, A., Jordan, S., & Street, B. (2001). Language Learners as Ethnographers. Multilingual Matters.
Sykes, J. M. (2018). Interlanguage pragmatics, curricular innovation, and digital technologies. CALICO Journal, 35(2), 120–141. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.36175
Sykes, J. M. (2019). Emergent digital discourses: What can we learn from hashtags and digital games to expand learners’ second language repertoire? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 39, 128–145. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190519000138
Thorne, S. L., Black, R., & Sykes, J. (2009). Second language use, socialization, and learning in Internet interest communities and online games. The Modern Language Journal, 93, 802–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00974.x
Thorne, S. L., & Reinhardt, J. (2008). “Bridging activities:” New media literacies, and advanced foreign language proficiency. CALICO Journal, 25(3), 558–572. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v25i3.558-572
Thorne, S. L., Sauro, S., & Smith, B. (2015). Technologies, identities, and expressive activity. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000257
Vanwynsberghe, H., Boudry, E., & Verdegem, P. (2015). De impact van ouderschapsstijlen op de ontwikkeling van sociale mediageletterdheid bij adolescenten [The impact of parenting styles on the development of social media literacy among adolescents]. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 1(43), 84–100.
Yeh, E., & Mitric, S. (2021). Social media and learners-as-ethnographers approach: increasing target-language participation through community engagement. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2005630
Yeh, E., & Swinehart, N. (2020). Social media literacy in second language environments: Navigating anonymous user-generated content. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1830805
My pleasure to announce that Steph Link is our new Book Series Editor. A huge thank you to Greg Kessler, our previous book series editor, for all of his work these years! Welcome to Steph who has been a CALICOer now for quite a while and familiar to most of you. We look forward to working more with you.
See also our call for proposals for the next book series book.
CALICO is now soliciting proposals for the next volume in the Advances in CALL Research and Practice book series to be published with Equinox Publishing in spring 2024!
The volume may be a single-authored monograph or edited volume and may treat any topic related to the field of CALL. Proposals are due July 15. You can find the full call at this link.
You can also email series editor, Steph Link (steph.link@okstate.edu), with questions or meet her at the CALICO conference in Seattle to talk through some ideas.
Looking forward to seeing your proposals!
