Interesting article in the Chronicle about the demise of Second Life and the emergence of alternatives:
http://chronicle.com/article/After-Frustrations-in-Second/64137/
Archive for February, 2010
Is Second Life on its last legs?
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Extramural English Matters
Thursday, February 25th, 2010Pia Sundqvist recently completed her PhD study on how learners acquire a foreign (not second!) language outside the school. As one of the few evidence-based of such studies, I highly recommend anyone interested in learner autonomy, strategies and motivation to read this. It is available for free download here.
The abstract:
he present study examines possible effects of extramural English (EE) on oral proficiency (OP) and vocabulary (VOC). The study is based on data collected from Swedish learners of ESL in grade 9 (aged 15-16; N=80; 36 boys, 44 girls) over a period of one year. EE was defined as linguistic activities that learners engage in outside the classroom in their spare time. EE was measured with the help of a questionnaire and two language diaries, each covering one week. In the diaries, the learners recorded how much time they had spent on seven given EE activities (reading books, reading newspapers/magazines, watching TV, watching films, surfing the Internet, playing video games, listening to music). There was also an open category. Speech data were collected with the help of five interactional speaking tests; learners were in random dyads on each occasion. Each student performance was assessed by three raters with the help of a profile scheme, resulting in an overall grade. Based on these grades from the tests, a mean grade for OP (the OP grade) was calculated for each student. OP was defined as the learner’s ability to speak and use the target language in actual communication with an interlocutor. Learners’ VOC was measured with an index variable based on the scores on two written vocabulary tests. For a selection of ten learners, additional analyses were made of oral fluency and the use of advanced vocabulary in speech. A mixed methods research design was used, but the lion’s share of data was analyzed using inferential statistics.
Results showed that the total amount of time spent on EE correlated positively and significantly (p < .01) both with learners’ level of OP and size of VOC, but that the correlation between EE and VOC was stronger and more straightforward than the one between EE and OP. The conclusion drawn was that although EE impacts both OP and VOC, the causal relationship is more salient in the case of VOC. Results also showed that some activities were more important than others for OP and VOC respectively; i.e., the type of EE activity mattered. EE activities that required learners to be more productive and rely on their language skills (video games, the Internet, reading) had a greater impact on OP and VOC than activities where learners could remain fairly passive (music, TV, films). An important gender difference was identified. Boys spent significantly more time on productive EE activities than girls; therefore, EE had a greater impact on OP and VOC for boys than for girls. Four background variables were also studied. The conclusion was that EE is an independent variable and a possible path to progress in English for any learner, regardless of his or her socioeconomic background.
The effects of game strategy and preference-matching on flow experience in game-based learning
Monday, February 22nd, 2010Just came across an interesting article that investigates the effects of game play on the experience of learning a skill (programming, in this study). There are a lot of comments plastered all over the internet, including some of my own, about the potential of games to increase motivation, but how this actually works in practice is unclear. This study attempts to make a start on describing the effects of gaming on the learning experience.
Here is the abstract: Learning to program is difficult for novices, even for those undergraduates who have majored in computer science. The study described in this paper has investigated the effects of game strategy and preference-matching on novice learners’ flow experience and performance in learning to program using an experiential gaming activity. One hundred and fifteen novices participated in the experimental activity. Two types of game strategy were employed: the matching-challenging strategy and the challenging strategy. Participants were categorised into one or other of the two groups based on individual preferences. The results of the study showed that: (1) the challenging group had higher flow experiences than the matching-challenging group; (2) participants’ performance was enhanced with the use of the matching strategy; and (3) a compensation effect existed among the preference-mismatched learners who performed better in the challenging game-play.
Augmented reality in education
Friday, February 19th, 2010In this free issue of
I came across an article titled ‘lessons learned about signing augmented Realities’ in the freely available inaugural issue of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations. In it the authors talk about augmented reality and a project in which they provided middle and high school students with handheld devices equiped with GPS. In the words of the authors: ‘As the students move around a physical location, such as their school playground or sports felds (Figure 2), a map on their handheld displays digital objects and virtual people who exist in an AR world superimposed on real space (Figure 3). When students come within approximately 30 feet of these digital artifacts, the AR and GPS software triggers video, audio, and text fles, which provide narrative, navigation, and collaboration cues as well as academic challenges. In Alien Contact! the students are presented with the following scenario: Aliens have landed on Earth and seem to be preparing for a number of actions, including peaceful contact, invasion, plundering, or simply returning to their home planet, among other possibilities. Working in teams (four pupils per team), the students must explore the augmented reality world, interviewing virtual characters, collecting digital items, and solving mathematics and literacy puzzles to determine why the aliens have landed. Each team has four roles: chemist, cryptologist, computer hacker, and FBI agent. Depending upon his or her role, each student will see different pieces of evidence. In order to successfully navigate the augmented reality environment and solve various puzzles, the students must share information and collaborate with the other members of their team’ (pp 4-5).
This is very neat indeed. I tried doing something similar before by using podquests, but these did not have inbuilt GPS so obviously were limited compared to this project. This is an excellent use of technology to encourage - and support - out-of-class learning.
From digital literacy to computational literacy
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010The International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations was recently launched and its first issue is available for free online. One of the articles by Steinkuehler and Johnson talks about the need for ‘computational literacy’: ‘ Based on our analysis, we argue for reconsideration of computer literacy as computational literacy, authorship as collaborative and negotiated rather than individually achieved, and digital media literacy
practice as one involving design and production, not merely passive or critical consumption.’
I very much like this idea of ‘literacy’ as a dynamic, and social capacity. Although Steinkuehler and Johnson do relate this to language learning, I do see overlap with for example the use of technology-mediated tasks (as attested in the book I recently edited with Michael Thomas). How can we involve learners in language production that is grounded in meaningful, social interaction, and that involves ‘building’ something (either an online character or a network or a strategy) in a game environment with language?
Beyond the Classroom: building new school networks
Saturday, February 13th, 2010Beyond the Classroom by Rosalyn Black is an interesting book published by the Australian Council for Educational Research in 2008. It talks about the ways in which education can be extended beyond the school and into the community, and how the community itself plays a crucial role in its children’s education. ‘…tinkering around the edges of schooling will not provide solutions to the widening gaps in education and life outcomes that limit opportunities…we need new models of schooling that recognise the future of children and young people is the responsibility of the whole community, and which form the basis of a social alliance for all young people to tak an active – if not a leading- role in their community’ (p. 2). Wise words indeed. The book then goes on to describe different types of community networks and ways of making them work. An interesting read, especially for those involved in education at the primary and secondary school levels.
Open-source social networking…now we’re talking
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010Google just launched Buzz, its social networking tool built into Gmail (if you can’t see it yet, wait a couple of days). ReadWriteWeb explains what’s radical about this. I’m loving it!
Google wave for education
Sunday, February 7th, 2010Just came across this website, which has 100 tips for using Google Wave for education. Neat!
Understanding the international student experience
Thursday, February 4th, 2010An interesting new book by Catherine Montgomery on ‘understanding the international student experience’.
From the Palgrave website: ‘Presenting the human face of internationalization, this discursive text examines the social learning experience of international students against the background of current cultures in Higher Education.’
Call for papers: IJCALLT
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT)
Published: Quarterly, Peer-Reviewed Journals from IGI Global, USA
Call for Papers
The International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT) would like to invite you to consider submitting a manuscript for inclusion in this scholarly journal. The following describes the mission, coverage, and guidelines for submission to IJCALLT.
Mission
The mission of the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT) is to publish research that addresses the impact of information communication technologies in advancing foreign/second language learning and teaching. This journal expands on the principles, theories, design, and implementation of computer-assisted language learning programs. In addition to original research papers, this journal welcomes CALL-related book reviews and case studies.
Coverage
Topics to be discussed in this journal include (but are not limited to) the following:
· CALL and second language acquisition
· Computer games in language learning and teaching
· Corpora
· Courseware design
· Distance language education
· Evaluation of CALL program
· Intelligence in CALL
· Language testing in CALL environments
· Mobile learning and teaching
· Monitoring and assessment in online collaborative learning
· Multimedia language learning and teaching
· Research methodology in CALL
· Social networking in language learning and teaching
· Software programs for language learning and teaching
· Teacher education
· Teaching approaches in the CALL context
Submission
Prospective authors should note that only original and previously unpublished articles will be considered. Interested authors must consult the journal抯 guidelines for manuscript submissions at http://www.igi-global.com/development/author_info/guide.asp prior to submission. All article submissions will be forwarded to at least 3 members of the Editorial Review Board of the journal for double-blind, peer review. Final decision regarding acceptance/revision/rejection will be based on the reviews received from the reviewers. All submissions must be forwarded electronically.
All submissions and inquiries should be directed to the attention of:
Dr. Bin Zou
Editor-in-Chief
International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching
Email: bin.zou@xjtlu.edu.cn
www.igi-global.com/ijcallt
International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT)
Peer-Reviewed Journals from IGI Global, USA
Editor-in-Chief: Bin Zou, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Published: Quarterly
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Review Boards:
Associate Editors
Sally Barnes, University of Bristol, UK
Ingrid Barth, The Open University of Israel, Israel
Stephen Bax, University of Bedfordshire, UK
Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe, Alliant International University, USA
Gavin Dudeney, The Consultants-E, Spain
Joy Egbert, Washington State University, USA
Yueguo Gu, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China
Steve Jeaco, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Hsien-Chin Liou, Taiwan National Tsing Hua University, China
Vera Menezes, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
Hayo Reinders, Middlesex University, UK
Zhoulin Ruan, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Glenn Stockwell, Waseda University, Japan
Michael Thomas, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, Japan
Yuping Wang, Griffith University, Australia
International Editorial Review Board
Richard Andrews, Institute of Education - University of London, UK
Jannis Androutsopoulos, University of Hamburg, Germany
Philip Benson, Hong Kong Institute of Education, China
Jane Brooks, University of Sussex, UK
Junyue Chang, Dalian University of Foreign Languages, China
Chin-Chi Chao, Taiwan National Chengchi University, China
Graham Davies, Educational Software Consultant - Camsoft, UK
Andrew Finch, Kyungpook University, Korea
Peiya Gu, Soochow University, China
Michael Hoey, University of Liverpool, UK
Yan Jin, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China
Theo Van Leeuwen, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Maocheng Liang, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China
Avril M. Loveless, University of Brighton, UK
Omid Mazandarani, University of Aliabad, Iran
Safaa S. Mahmoud, Ain Shams University, Egypt
Gary Motteram, University of Manchester, UK
Hiroyuki Obari, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan
Nik Peachey, Freelance Learning Technology Consultant, UK
Pauline Rea-Dickins, University of Bristol, UK
Mat Schulze, University of Waterloo, Canada
Paul Slater, University of Brighton, UK
Yu-Chih Sun, Taiwan National Chiao Tung University, China
Revathi Viswanathan, BSA Crescent Engineering College, India
Lifei Wang, University of International Business and Economics, China
Guoxing Yu, University of Bristol, UK
Wei Zhang, Peking University, China
Ling Zhuang, Soochow University, China
