CALL and the Learner
An AILA Research Network
You have found the AILA Research Network for CALL and the Language Learner. On this website you can read about our activities, conferences, and publications and contribute to research. Join us as as free member to be able to submit papers and contribute to our AILA symposium in Beijing.
You are cordially invited to participate at the annual live online conference (CO10) on the weekend of Feb 5-7, 2010 at WiZiQ.
The conference will be of interest to educators, administrators, students, and community members who value the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum to improve instruction and learning. Online learning involves various skills on the part of the instructor and learner. These include social and communication skills, social networking, independent learning strategies, critical and higher order thinking skills, creativity, and effective online and face-to-face facilitation.
The themes for the presentations are:
1. Connecting Online to Improve Instruction and Learning: Online Learning and Instructional Experience
2. Experiences with technology in face-to-face and online classes. What worked and what didn't work for you?
3. How do you use technology to promote your online workshops, consultation, and communities?
4. Research conducted on e-learning
5. Reviewing or promoting books on e-learning
Get to know the presenters and the other participants:
CO10 offers a unique opportunity for everyone to interact with the content, the presenters ,and the other participants before and after the live event.
You are invited to ask questions, add comments, and interact with the presenters and other participants at http://www.integrating-technology.com/ by enrolling in CO10: http://www.integrating-technology.com/course/view.php?id=139
Hope to get to "see" you online at the event and on the Moodle: http://www.integrating-technology.com/course/view.php?id=139
BTW the times are all in EST Toronto but time converters are available on the Moodle for everyone to check their time zones. In addition, recording will also be available for those who register for the event via the Moodle at http://www.integrating-technology.com/course/view.php?id=139
Please post your comments, suggestions and feedback on the Wall below. Or just drop us a note to say you visited!
Background of the ReN
Through the emergence of communication technologies, the past few years have produced a new body of research where the learner is given a more central role in a range of different ways, including having the learner express their opinions through blogging (e.g., Pinkman, 2005) or computer-mediated communication such as chat (e.g., Darhower, 2007), tailoring software that adapts to learners’ needs (e.g., Huang & Liou 2007), training learners to use existing software more effectively to facilitate the social-affective aspect of learning (e.g., Hubbard, 2004), or the development of learner autonomy (e.g. Reinders, 2007; White, 2007). Social networking sites such as Active Worlds and Second Life have also empowered learners to make decisions about who they wish to converse with, by what mode (i.e., text chat or oral communication), and freely engage in discussion with a real audience who shares similar interests (e.g., Dudeney, 2008). This is a growth area, where researchers examine the way technology facilitates interaction between teachers and learners, between native speakers and learners, and between learners themselves and the unique characteristics of this type of communication.
Convenors Hayo Reinders and Glenn Stockwell have combined to create an AILA Research Network which aims to bring together people working in the different areas related to the role of the language learner in CALL. Committee members are established researchers in the field of CALL, and
include Jozef Colpaert (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Phil Hubbard (Stanford University, USA)
Hsien-Chin Liou (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)
Kazunori Nozawa (Ritsumeikan University, Japan)
and Cynthia White (Massey University, New Zealand).