The editor, associate editors and editorial board of the CALL Journal extend a cordial invitation to attend Antwerp CALL 2010, the XIVth International CALL Research Conference.
Keynote speakers Antonie Alm (University of Otago, New Zealand), Maarten Vansteenkiste (Ghent University, Belgium) and Ema Ushioda (Warwick University, United Kingdom) will provide an overview of literature on motivation, an introduction to Self-Determination Theory and a presentation of the L2 SELF model.
You are hereby invited to present your current CALL activities, highlighting aspects such as:
* the impact of ICT on motivation;
* designing for motivation;
* the role of ICT in the analysis of motivation;
* the relationship between motivation and proficiency level;
* learning styles;
* anxiety;
* technophobia/technophilia;
* self-models;
* teacher motivation.
We welcome proposals that address any of the above or related topics, as well as those involving studies of other individual or group differences that may directly or indirectly influence motivation to use technology effectively in language teaching and learning.
Besides these topics, panels and discussion groups will also tackle questions like:
* How to transform your daily work into research ?
* How to carry out collaborative research ?
* How to get published ?
Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2010
Please send your abstract(s) to ann.aerts@ua.ac.be
How cool is this? Speak into your Iphone in English and get a spoken translation in Arabic (and vice versa). I actually saw a device that did this (I think by the same company) but it was a dedicated piece of (expensive) hardware. Having this available on your Iphone (it’s not public yet), would be amazing.
You may have heard of Versant, an automated test of spoken English that is taken over the phone and takes only 15 minutes. It uses speech recognition for its scoring. I just found a demo of how it works online, which is quite neat: http://www.versanttest.co.uk/free_demo.htm
The fourth instalment of this excellent conference series, held both in Second and in Real Life on 19/20 February. I hear they have some interesting keynote speakers ;-)
James Paul Gee’s What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition is probably the most often cited in this area, and rightly so. It is a comprehensive overview and draws on learning theories to explain the potential of computer games. I always highly recommend it to my students. It was with some anticipation then that I borrowed Gee’s latest collection of essays ‘Good video games and good learning’. There is enough of interest here but it clearly is a collection of bits and pieces collected and put together in book form. It lacks the coherence of the previous book and in fact repeats most of what is said there without adding much that is new. There is also a great deal of repetition within the book. Nevertheless, for those with a particular interest in this area, it may be worthwhile. It is apparently published by Peter Lang but I could not find it on their website (!) so here is the link to Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies)on Amazon.
The first issue of the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments is now out. This is an exciting venture and I am happy to be a small part of it.
Table of contents of issue 1 is available below and more information about the journal can be found here.
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 1(1).
Inaugural edition.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editor’s Preface
Michael Thomas, Professor, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, Japan
1. The centralisation dilemma in educational IT
Martin Weller, Professor, Open University, UK
2. eLearning in the Cloud
Niall Sclater, Director of Virtual Learning Environments, Open University, UK
3. Designing effective spaces, tasks and metrics for communication in Second Life within the context of programming LEGO NXT Mindstorms™ robots
Michael Vallance, Professor, Future University, Japan
Stewart Martin, Principal Lecturer, Teeside University, UK
Charles Wiz, Lecturer, Yokohama National University, Japan
Paul van Schaik, Professor, Teeside University, UK
4. Homo Virtualis: Virtual worlds, learning, and an ecology of embodied interaction
Leslie Jarmon, Senior Lecturer, University of Texas at Austin, USA
5. Evaluating games-based Learning
Thomas Hainey, Graduate Researcher, University of the West of Scotland, UK
Thomas Connolly, Professor, University of the West of Scotland, UK
BOOK REVIEWS
1. Molka-Danielson, J., & Deutschmann, M. (Eds.) (2009). Learning and teaching in the virtual world of Second Life. Trondheim: Tapir Academic Press.
Jonathon Richter, Research Associate, University of Oregon, USA
2. Paloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the online learner: Resources and strategies for faculty. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.
Jessica Knott, Learning Technologist, Michigan State University, USA
The JALT CALL Journal is one of the leading peer-reviewed international CALL journals and is published three times per year. Following on from its very successful conference early June, which saw 126 presentations from nine countries, it is now publishing a special issue on the topic of ‘CALL and the Learner’. I have been asked to guest-edit a special issue of the journal and am now inviting contributions in one of the following areas:
- Learner motivation
- Computer-mediated communication (with a focus on the role of the learner)
- Learners’ beliefs in CALL
- (Materials development for) individualising instruction
- Social networking and computer games and second language acquisition
- Mobile-assisted language learning
- Supporting out-of-class language learning
- Teacher education for CALL
Submitted papers will need to make a link with the theme of the special issue which ties in with that of the AILA Research Network for CALL and the Learner, which was recently launched. More information about the network and its background can be found here: www.callandthelearner.info Prospective authors are encouraged to read the information about the aims and scope of the network in order to ensure their contributions fit with this theme.
Papers are due September 30 and need to be submitted to jaltcall at innovationinteaching dot org.
More information about the journal and guidelines for the submission of papers can be found here:
http://www.jaltcall.org/journal/
For questions about submitting papers or the publication process, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
In a recent interview published on the Association for Learning Technology website, Sugata Mitra tells about of some of his work in education, especially with poor children in India. Here are some of the amazing conclusions from his research - which just goes to show the power of children to learn, and the power of learning outside the classroom with technology:
“We needed to know how far does it go? We could not understand how this happened. It took us five years of measurements across the Indian subcontinent to verify the results amongst 40,000 of the world’s poorest children. We found that children given unsupervised access to computers mainly located in a government school playground or in similar safe, public areas, would become:
1. computer literate – in their own way, with their own vocabulary, but highly effective nevertheless;
2. better at maths and English – I do not know why, maybe because they learn to analyze and solve problems in groups;
3. more social and cooperative – because they learn that knowledge, unlike material objects, grows with sharing;
4. more interested in school – if the computer is near or in the school premises;
5. less likely to drop out of school – because they want access to their computer;
6. less interested in petty crime – mostly because all their free time is spent at the computer;
7. viewed with more local goodwill – parents and others like the idea that the child is learning something and not creating trouble at home.
The measured outcomes showed:
* acquisition of functional computer literacy;
* improvement in academic performance;
* increase in confidence and self esteem;
* increased collaborative behaviour.
We are pleased to announce that the AILA Research Network for Computer-Assisted Language Learning and the Learner is now live. This is a special interest group dedicated investigating the theory and practice of learning with technology as it relates to the individual and the social context in which learning takes place.
The purpose of this Network is to bring together researchers and interested practitioners to discuss ways in which the use of technology can be made more supportive of the learning process, both inside and outside the classroom. The Network organises events (conferences, roundtables, seminars), publishes research (special issues of journals, proceedings), and facilitates communication between people working in this field.
In January TESOL published its Technology Standards framework. The 56 page framework can be purchased here. A summary of the standards is freely available and I am posting it below. This is a truly excellent development, and one that was long overdue. If you are responsible for teacher education in this area you will find the standards a very useful tool.
TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Goal 1: Language learners demonstrate foundational knowledge and skills in technology for a multilingual world.
Standard 1: Language learners demonstrate basic operational skills in using various technological tools and Internet browsers.
Standard 2: Language learners are able to use available input and output devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, printer, headset, microphone, media player, electronic whiteboard).
Standard 3: Language learners exercise appropriate caution when using online sources and when engaging in electronic communication.
Standard 4: Language learners demonstrate basic competence as users of technology.
Goal 2: Language learners use technology in socially and culturally appropriate, legal, and ethical ways.
Standard 1: Language learners understand that communication conventions differ across cultures, communities, and contexts.
Standard 2: Language learners demonstrate respect for others in their use of private and public information.
Goal 3. Language learners effectively use and critically evaluate technology-based tools as aids in the development of their language learning competence as part of formal instruction and for further learning.
Standard 1: Language learners effectively use and evaluate available technology-based productivity tools.
Standard 2: Language learners appropriately use and evaluate available technology-based language skill-building tools.
Standard 3: Language learners appropriately use and evaluate available technology-based tools for communication and collaboration.
Standard 4: Language learners use and evaluate available technology-based research tools appropriately.
Standard 5: Language learners recognize the value of technology to support autonomy, lifelong learning, creativity, metacognition, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Goal 1. Language teachers acquire and maintain foundational knowledge and skills in technology for professional purposes.
Standard 1: Language teachers demonstrate knowledge and skills in basic technological concepts and operational competence, meeting or exceeding TESOL technology standards for students in whatever situation they teach.
Standard 2: Language teachers demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of technology supports for language learning and options for using them in a given setting.
Standard 3: Language teachers actively strive to expand their skill and knowledge base to evaluate, adopt, and adapt emerging technologies throughout their careers.
Standard 4: Language teachers use technology in socially and culturally appropriate, legal, and ethical ways.
Goal 2. Language teachers integrate pedagogical knowledge and skills with technology to enhance language teaching and learning
Standard 1: Language teachers identify and evaluate technological resources and environments for suitability to their teaching context.
Standard 2: Language teachers coherently integrate technology into their pedagogical approaches.
Standard 3: Language teachers design and manage language learning activities and tasks using technology appropriately to meet curricular goals and objectives.
Standard 4: Language teachers use relevant research findings to inform the planning of language learning activities and tasks that involve technology.
Goal 3. Language teachers apply technology in record-keeping, feedback, and assessment.
Standard 1: Language teachers evaluate and implement relevant technology to aid in effective learner assessment.
Standard 2: Language teachers use technological resources to collect and analyze information in order to enhance language instruction and learning.
Standard 3: Language teachers evaluate the effectiveness of specific student uses of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
Goal 4. Language teachers use technology to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency
Standard 1: Language teachers use communication technologies to maintain effective contact and collaboration with peers, students, administration, and other stakeholders.
Standard 2: Language teachers regularly reflect on the intersection of professional practice and technological developments so that they can make informed decisions regarding the use of technology to support language learning and communication.
Standard 3: Language teachers apply technology to improve efficiency in preparing for class, grading, and maintaining records.
is probably the most often cited in this area, and rightly so. It is a comprehensive overview and draws on learning theories to explain the potential of computer games. I always highly recommend it to my students. It was with some anticipation then that I borrowed Gee’s latest collection of essays ‘Good video games and good learning’. There is enough of interest here but it clearly is a collection of bits and pieces collected and put together in book form. It lacks the coherence of the previous book and in fact repeats most of what is said there without adding much that is new. There is also a great deal of repetition within the book. Nevertheless, for those with a particular interest in this area, it may be worthwhile. It is apparently published by Peter Lang but I could not find it on their website (!) so here is the link to 
on Amazon.
