Pre-Conference Workshops Strand D -– Media & Technology

Archive Copy.

Gary Ross

Talking to Your Computer: Using Web Speech to Develop Student Communication Skills and Autonomy
10:00 – 11:50 am (100 min.)

Speaking to your computer in a sense represents the final frontier in the development of online ESL learning. In this workshop, Gary Ross will demonstrate a new system enabling students to role play conversations with their computer; conversations where the computer can take on multiple roles with differing voices, and then automatically assess and grade each utterance the student has made. Attendees will be able to try out the system themselves and use it in their own classrooms. 

Presenter Bio-Sketch
Gary Ross has been developing, programming, and designing online educational systems for over 15 years. He has taught at KIDI Parsons (the Japan affiliate of Parsons School of Design, NYC), and ran his own web design company. He is now Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kanazawa University, where he is developing the online ESL program as well as being the webmaster for the CALL-SIG of the Japan Association for Language Teaching. His focus is on usability and the integration of mobile into the classroom.

___________________________________________

Lunchtime Break: 11:50 am — 1:30 pm

___________________________________________

Glenn Stockwell

Mobile Language Learning: Tools and Training
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm (75 min.)
 

In this workshop, I will describe some of the tools that are available for learners to carry out learning activities using mobile devices. This will include methods that can be used as a part of class, as well as activities that can be used by learners for personal learning purposes outside of class. The workshop is intended as an “ideas bag” for teachers to make choices about what they can do in their individual environments.

Presenter Bio-Sketch
Glenn Stockwell is Professor in applied linguistics at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include mobile learning, motivation and technology, and technology integration in language learning. He has published two books and numerous book chapters and articles in the field of CALL. He is editor-in-chief of The JALT CALL Journal, associate editor of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Language Learning & Technology, and is on the editorial boards of ReCALL, System, and the CALICO Journal.

_______________

Jeff Lebow

Teaching MORE - Mobile Online Realtime English
3:00 – 4:15 pm (75 min.)
 

Using mobile, online, and/or interactive streaming technology has the potential to engage students, improve learning outcomes, and make an educator’s job more interesting. It also has the potential to frustrate learners, distract from course objectives, and make educators long for the days of chalk and erasers. This workshop will focus on practical strategies and tools that can help us successfully integrate “MORE” technology into our teaching.

In the spirit of embracing these tools and confronting challenges they sometimes create, this will be a mobile-friendly, openly shared, live-streamed, backchannel-supported workshop. Participants are encouraged to experiment with some of these tools before the workshop. For more information and to participate in pre-session interaction, all are welcome to visit http://jefflebow.net/node/339

Presenter Bio-Sketch
Jeff fell in love with the possibilities of online edtech while getting his Master’s Degree in Training and Learning Technologies in 1993. He has been experimenting with integrating technology in his courses since the days of 56kbs video. Along the way, he started building a “global network of homegrown webcasting” called Worldbridges and has streamed 500+ webcasts on sites like EdTechTalk.com, Koreabridge.net, ELTLive.com, and Englishbridges.net. Jeff currently works in the Teacher Training Program of Busan University of Foreign Studies.

_______________

Lindsay Herron

Awesome Online Tools for Student Projects
4:30 – 5:30 pm (60 min.)
 

The internet offers a wealth of engaging, intuitive tools that are ideal for student projects! Incorporating online tools into project-based learning can help make the learning “sticky,” provide a context for language use, enhance motivation, and offer new opportunities and options that would be impossible without technology. This presentation will draw on the SAMR model and Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy to provide a justification for using digital tools for project-based learning, as well as recommend some free and easy-to-use tools for student projects. Time-permitting, participants will have an opportunity to create their own simple projects, experiencing for themselves how easy it is to integrate multimodal projects into class. Attendees will leave with a new enthusiasm for incorporating tech tools, a rubric for evaluating online tools for student projects, and a selection of tools students can use in class on Monday.
Tip: Bring a smartphone with a QR scanner to save yourself time in the presentation!

Presenter Bio-Sketch
Lindsay Herron has been a visiting professor at Gwangju National University of Education since 2008. Prior to that, she taught English on a Fulbright grant at a boys’ high school in Jeju-do. She has a master’s degree in language education from Indiana University-Bloomington, a master’s in cinema studies from New York University, bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology from Swarthmore College, a CELTA, and the CELTA YL Extension. She is currently the First Vice-President of KOTESOL and the new coordinator of the KOTESOL Multimedia and CALL Special Interest Group.

 

Back to Pre-Conference Workshops Summary