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May 2000, Week 2

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From:
LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 12 May 2000 10:01:27 EDT
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--- Forwarded Message from "Ross, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]> ---

>From: "Ross, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: "'Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum'"     <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: RE: #5657 To drill or not to drill
>Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 09:50:16 -0400

------------------
Hi, All:

David raises a very interesting point --  one that is larger than simply the
drill functionality of lab system cassette decks. To what degree do
proprietary systems provide functionality that our students and faculty use
on a regular basis?  This post grows out of an experience that I and another
list member shared yesterday . . . 

Pat Pecoy of Furman University and I just returned from a day-long workshop
at Mary Washington College.  We were asked to present our views on planning,
structuring, administering, funding, and using a language lab.  MWC is
planning a new language lab, to be online in Fall 2001.  They have had
presentations by at least one turnkey lab vendor, and had, I think, pretty
much decided on going with that type of product.  Until Pat and I started
talking.

An issue that arose during our discussion was the fit between teaching
styles and lab equipment - if proprietary systems are essentially set up to
provide functions appropriate to audiolingual methods, why order a turnkey
audiolingual lab if the department as a whole doesn't teach that way?  To
what degree should a department modify their overall approach in order to
make use of the very expensive equipment they just ordered?

Our view - correct me if I'm wrong, Pat -- is that turnkey labs, such as
Tandberg, Sony and Can8 are not necessarily appropriate for many
departments.  I'd like to hear from the list on this: how many of you have
proprietary systems in place that aren't being used by faculty, simply
because they don't teach that way?  What functions do your students use?
What don't they use?  Do faculty really sit in the lab, monitor, and correct
students' pronunciation on a regular basis?  Do students hand in recorded
cassettes to your faculty which they then listen to and grade?  Could your
system's primary functions be duplicated in other ways?

a.

Andrew F. Ross, Ph.D
Director, Multimedia Language Lab
G15 Puryear Hall
University of Richmond,  VA   23173
Tel: (804) 287-6838
[log in to unmask]

"Worrying about a large institution, especially when it has computers, is
like worrying about a large gorilla, especially when it's on fire."   --
Bruce Sterling



                -----Original Message-----
                From:   LLTI-Editor [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
                Sent:   Thursday, May 11, 2000 12:59 PM
                To:     [log in to unmask]
                Subject:        #5657 To drill or not to drill

                --- Forwarded Message from "David Pankratz"
<[log in to unmask]> ---

                >Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:38:41 -0500
                >From: "David Pankratz" <[log in to unmask]>
                >To: [log in to unmask]
                >Subject: To drill or not to drill

                I recently conducted a small, informal survey of lab users
asking them
                if they use the "drill" function on our cassette machines or
not, and
                if so, how useful they find it. (The "drill" function allows
them to
                record their voices as they listen to the tape, enabling
them to
                replay the passages and compare their recordings to the
native
                speaker.)

                 My quick impression as I look over the results is that
about 15-20%
                of those who filled out our questionnaire do use this
feature _and_
                find it beneficial. I intend to write up a complete summary
of the
                results. In the meantime, I would like to ask if have any of
you have
                done a similar survey, or do you know of any published
studies on this
                topic? I often hear lab directors say something like "most
students do
                not really use this function on our lab cassette machines."
I find
                this issue very interesting and respecially relevant in
light of the
                shift to digital delivery of listening materials, which to
my
                knowledge does not provide the option--at least not yet--for
students
                to "listen, record, and compare."

                Any observations you have or leads on studies would be
appreciated.

                David Pankratz
                Loyola University Chicago

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