--- Forwarded Message from Ed Dente <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 09:40:24 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Ed Dente <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #6296 Lab User Orientations
>In-reply-to: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
While it certainly would not be a savings in time and, perhaps, money, I'd
suggest holding on to the old, low-tech, inefficient way for a while
longer, and, instead of staff doing it, do it yourself as director. I know
it may seem like a bit of misuse of resources, but there is nothing like
personalizing the center for a student. It puts a face and a name on the center for the
student, it allows you as director to see each student who will use the
lab and lets them see you.
It makes them feel, perhaps, that they are important enough as users that
the director him or herself is taking the time speak to them.
Clearly, if students are coming in individually for orientations, it is
not very practical to do this, but if, as we do, you can have each class
come in the last ten minutes of their first class (and we have
two classes at a time, so it's a little easier to schedule them all), it
is possible.
I do perhaps 25 at the beginning of each year, and although it is hard on
the voice and my schedule, talking w/ all the students energizes me for
the new school year and (maybe) makes
the students a little more at home and comfortable in the lab.
A higher-tech way would save money and time, but, I think, at a price.
We are all justly enamoured of our technical tools, but in our case we're
staying w/ the old way.

(I hesitated to send this because of its vague neo-Luddite tone and not
so vague verbosity, but that initial contact w/ each student who uses
the lab makes such a difference, I think, that it overcomes the idea that
it is an inefficient use of resources [the director's time.])
 Cheers,
Ed
    "Canaries in the morning, orchestras in the afternoon, balloons at night."
                                        -Wallace Stevens
                                         <<Academic Discourse at Havana>>


On Mon, 24 Sep 2001, LLTI-Editor wrote:
> --- Forwarded Message from "Primov, Rachida S" <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
> >From: "Primov, Rachida S" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Lab User Orientations
> >Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 12:51:12 -0400
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> We currently spend the first two or three weeks of the semester conducting
> lab user orientations to students enrolled in foreign language classes.
> This practice represents a huge expenditure of staff time and decreases the
> availability of the Lab for regular uses.
>
> We would like to prepare video or audio material which can be accessed
> individually in used as a tutorial for how to use the Lab services.  We are
> considering creating a video, an mp3 or MPEG file, or any other medium.
>
> I have received a quote from Tegrity for a Tegrity WebLearner Platform for
> $24,800.  This is completely beyond my budget.
>
> Can any of you suggest alternative or sources for creating Lab User
> Orientation Modules?  Any idea or suggestions will be welcomed.  I also
> would like how other labs handle orientations for their users.
>
> Thank you very much.
>
>
> Rachida Salama Primov
> The Eleonore Graves Tripp Foreign Languages Laboratory, Director
> University of Miami
> Phone: (305) 284-4858 X 8-7228
> Fax: (305) 284-2225
> Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> http://www.fll.miami.edu
>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edmund N. Dente
Director, Language Media Center    Ph: 617-627-3036
Tufts University                   [log in to unmask]
Medford, MA 02155