4th post on any topic

Dragon teaches English in America

Dragon in hospitals


Above, two links. The first is to an article in Buisness Week and the second is an article from the Financial News.

The Buisness Week article is a review of Dragonal Natural Speaking voice recognition software, something I continue to be interested in. However, Buisness Week is not impressed. One thing in paticular that they point out that I agree with (although I am personally impressed with Dragon) is if you mumble and talk to yourself when you compute, you could be in trouble with this technology. I used Dragon 's basic package and found myself going back and deleting out many "doh"s "shoot"s and "gosh dang it"s.

Perhaps the more expensive packages are better, and it seems so because the second link is to how this technology is being promoted in hospitals as part of the new health care system according to the second link. Financial News reports that Nuance holding, the company behinde Dragon Natural Speaking, are in talks for a contract that will part of the new health care package. Hospitals would be required to use their software, so the higher end stuff must be nearly flawless. I think it is cool to think some of the same CALL we study, is also used in hospitals and law offices around the country.

Reading Prompt 10

After reading Richardson, what ideas do you have for using images and programs such as Flickr in the language learning classroom?

Kern gives a broad overview of issues in CALL, with specific examples from three areas and implications for teaching and research. Select and share your own thoughts and opinions on one or more issues that Kern raises.

Using big photos and pictures of things is one of favorite ways to teach and learn langugae. The Richardson text gave many suggestions for doing some thing like that using Flickr technology. For starters, Web 2.0 social networking capabilities like privacy settings and friend invites means you can easily create a virtual class. The ideas Richardson gives in the book, read like a list of our quick share lessons from class: slide shows, virtual field trips, teaching social software, and teach geography (Richardson, 101). Finally, the abliltiy to annotate a picture that Richarson mentions is pretty awesome. What a great way to teach science and history but I can imagine creating language classes, too. How about an Oxford Picture Dictionary created with annotated photographs the class creates?

The Kern article also offers much food for the brain. I especially like that it included quotes from Dr. Mark Warschauer (I learned about him recently). The area which I concentrate on here is CMC. It is an area, which I mentioned in my presentation a few weeks ago, which you think as reached its potential(word processing) or that there is much more future in it. Kern mentions the potential, and I agree with the ideas, here are some interesting things worth pointing out: corpus linguistics is becoming a part of CMC. Sucessful CMC results in schools involve (1)equally committmeted teachers(2)agreement on central focus(3)continual attetion to logistics; I think the first ideal is far fetched but the second two are in the reach of individual schools. CMC and the private/public divide is discussed, and of course from discussing social networking we know how important this idea is and obviously any work in CMC has to consider it.

3rd post on any topic

I shouldn't have started talking about video games. Just as I was ready to put the blog down for the week, two articles trickled in. Nintendo has answered the hedgehog CALL to more educational software in gaming. The fight has begun. Nintendo plans on releasing new line of DS lite CALL. Check out the link... Mario teaches English Personally, I like what they already have for learning Japanese, and their English stuff is already good, too. Nintendo guru talks education

2nd post on any topic

Hedgehog teaches English

Above is a link to recent blog in the WSJ. It says there is new CALL in Japan combining language learning and gaming. The same group of designers that created Sonic the Hedgehog are involved.

Moonshot, the company designing all this is making a useful product. Especially the net native student should appreciate this CALL. Built on the old idea that kids love playing games as opposed to traditonal desk learning, the software looks fun and educational. Their concept could help language teaching move foward, take a look at the article it has link to Moonshot HQ.

Reading Prompt 9

What is Corpus Linguistics? And why are some language teachers so excited about it? What applications can you envision for your current or future classroom?
Corpus Linguistics is a philosphy for language teaching. It is a rejection of some of the previous ways grammar has been taught and a new approach to teaching language. The ideas are based on teaching how the language is used, rather than simply how it had been taught previously. It is a radical approach to teaching, so controversial.

For teaching English, among other languages, allowing for dialects means a lot. For one, allowing variety in the ways grammar is perceived and taught as is Corpus Linguistics as opposed to traditional ways means there is no set of correct grammar, and instead you allow for a variety of grammars. This in turn allows for a wider conversation about, and how language is used and taught. Although the ideas look to be earth shattering, educators are excited about this new pedagogy.

CALL is certainly ready to adapt to Corpus Linguistic teaching. A classroom taught through the intergration of both Corpus Linguistic and CALL can create great things. For TESL classes, it means specialized assesment. Imagine test and assesment that gain accurate insights and answers to what has is becoming a more and more specific learner. It changes the game, teachers will have access to useful evaluations, and quicker than ever. Learners can have hand-tailored lessons through the integration of these two ideas and everyone wins.

Reading Prompt VIII

What are some of the technologies used for CMC? What are some of the promising features of CMC for language learning. Comment on any of your uses of these technologies, in particular if you have used any of them for language learning or practice purposes. Finally, comment on the findings of Dr. Sauro's research, and what the implications may be for future practice.

Some of the technologies used for CMC include chat rooms, emails, mailing list, MOOs, message boards, and live conferencing. I have done quite a bit of emailing in my time as an informal way of practicing an L2. When I think about it, emailing has been one of the big reasons I have been able to have some success learning L2s. All of my emailing was done infomally, but it ended up being a big help to me. I am one of those kind of language learners that needs to see the language and think about for hours and days before it sinks in. I like having the time to look things up in a dictionary or check a grammar point to make sure it is right. Emailing was the best way for me to practice an L2, and in the end I found it allowed me to advance to actual conversation in an L2.

Dr. Sauro's research has implications for feedback and utilizing it using SCMC. It really seems to have a lot to do what I mentioned above about how language learners (like myself) benefit from feedback. Dr. Sauros's research focused on chat and compared types of feedback used in that setting. It showed that we haven't figured out the best way to do handle feedback there, but it does provide a direction to go with future research (finding the best way to do it). For now, as language teachers we must continue to keep in mind learners level, how feedback is structured, and how it effects learners over a period of time. It has big implications on us as educators, because I believe we will be "CALL"ed upon to do this type of thing more and more.

Reading Presentation

I went for the utilitarian approach of Levy and Stockwell on this presentation. I figured after blinding you with clip art on my last power point this might be a relief.

First additional posting on any topic I choose

Microsoft exec pitches Internet usage tax
Here is an interesting piece. It goes back to my recent comments on the class voice thread when we discussed Wikipedia. I said that the idea of access to the wealth of all human knowledge was nice, but not realistic. Microsoft execs saying things like taxing the internet is why I bet it will never be free access. 'Death and taxes' Ben Franklin said, are the only things we know for sure. Taxing the internet and all its contents(wikipedia, google)makes sense to governments and it will happen.


*Just as I put this post on my blog, I checked my RSS feed, and BBC has an article on the topic of internet access as a 'human right'. It includes opinions from around the world on wheter governments should infringe on citizens right to internet access. This seems to be a huge topic that we are going to be seeing more of soon.
World's opinion is that internet access is a 'human right'

Reading Prompt VII

What did Grgurović & Hegelheimer find with regards to using subtitles and transcripts to help ESL students develop listening skills in English? What are some of the implications for instruction?

Subtitles along with video are prefered by students. Especially, when designing help otions in your CALL, use them. Students use them more often than plain transcripts. It imply's then that the old-fashioned grammar CALL is in fact on it's way out. Students are looking for multimedia type of packages when they turn to CALL, not the two-dimensional paper lesson.

From your reading of Levy, comment on one or more of the issues related to the practice dimension of CALL what you would want to take into consideration for your own classroom.

I suppose in the end, the more issues you consider the better. As far as which are most important, it depends on the situation. Like they always say in teaching, it is "case by case".

Let'say you work in an American high school, as an example. An issue could be integrating the CALL into your classes and it being slowed by the ESL staff of 4 or 5instructors who are trying to stay "uniformed" in their approach and instruction. If some of the staff can't integrate the technology, because they don't understand it, you may end up stuck waiting for things like training. Then comparing that to a situation, say working overseas, and you are the entire ESL department. You act more as an island in the school, and may be more concerned with which area of language to focus on. It is a real a case by case consideration, when you think about implimenting it. We should be ready for all the issues.

Then considering CALL design, think how difficult it really can be to do.