--- Forwarded Message from Jack Burston <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:56:09 -0500
>From: Jack Burston <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7307 most important trend in lang tech (technical &      pedagogical)
>In-reply-to: <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
>User-Agent: Microsoft-Entourage/10.1.4.030702.0

------------------
Hi Samantha!


You raise two very interesting questions.

1. Regarding technology, I don't see any major hardware innovations coming
down the pipeline in the next couple of years, leastwise nothing that is
likely to make it into the language classroom. Analog technology is on its
last leg, hanging on only in the case of the VCR. The one hardware change
that may start to make its appearance would be re-recordable DVD players
replacing VCRs. 

I believe the major technological changes we'll see will be on the software
side. Specifically, I see facilitative (as opposed to tutorial) applications
having an increasing impact on the language classroom in the coming years.
Which is to say, the use of computer technology as a tool rather than an
explicit teacher. The facilitative use of the WWW as a resource base is
already quite common in the foreign language curriculum. Use of presentation
software (e.g., PowerPoint) is another ready example. I see the use of
audio, video, graphics and web page editing increasing significantly as
students are called-upon to work with media as part of the language
curriculum, e.g., dubbing video clips, creating short video segments,
producing portfolios, etc..

2. Pedagogically, the trend towards more task-based approaches is almost
certain to accelerate. In part, this is being driven by learner-centered,
constructivist, SLA theories. But it is also very much supported by recent
hardware/software improvements which lend themselves well to the kinds of
facilitative applications described above. The Unicode support now built in
to the OS of W-XP and Mac OSX has opened the floodgates for computer usage
with any language. Bundled software (e.g., Windows Movie Maker, i-Movie)
make basic video editing easily accessible to faculty and students.
Likewise, free or inexpensive audio editors (e.g., Audacity, Amadeus)
provide the same facility for sound.


What's nice about making such predictions is that it doesn't take much
crystal ball gazing. Just looking around to where innovative language
teaching is is now give a good indication of things to come.  Jack

-- 
Jack Burston, Ph.D.
Director 
Foreign Language Technology Center
College of Liberal Arts
Rochester Institute of Technology
92 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5604

Phone: (585) 475-3156
Fax: (585) 475-7120
WWW: http://fltc.rit.edu/burston/jack_rit00.htm


> Hi everyone,
> 
> As part of a new cycle of strategic planning for my unit at Duke, I've been
> giving a lot of thought to current trends of interest for language
> technology, in the both the technical realm and pedagogical arenas.
> 
> I'd like to draw on the collective creativity and foresight of the LLTI
> community to get your input on what some of these trends might be. If you
> would be so kind as to provide an answer to one or both of the following
> two questions, I would greatly appreciate it.  I welcome replies off-list,
> but my guess is that other LLTIers would be interested in the responses as
> well. I'll send a summary message once the discussion ends.
> 
> Note: I am using the phrase "language classroom" to include all potential
> aspects of language teaching & learning.
> 
> 1. What do you see as the most important technical trend that may have an
> impact on the language classroom in the next 1-3 years?
> 
> (for example, 2-3 years ago one might have answered wireless computing)
> 
> 2.What do you see as the most important emerging pedagogical trend in the
> language classroom that is made possible by technology?
> 
> I look forward to reading your replies!
> 
> Best,
> Samantha
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Samantha Earp, Director
> Foreign Language Technology Services
> Duke University
> 919.660.5945 - [log in to unmask]
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~