--- Forwarded Message from Stephanie Kufner <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 11:51:03 -0500 >From: Stephanie Kufner <[log in to unmask]> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #7684 designing a language learning center from scratch >References: <[log in to unmask]> >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> >User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) 3.2.1 Dear David! All your questions are well taken - here at Bard we have been wrestling with them between 1998 and 2003 - discussing the move from a VERY old analog lab towards a digital Center. For our small liberal arts college with 12 languages beeing taught (no language requirement) on all levels to an average of 400-500 students each year a repeated question was: Why have a Language Center in the first place when students will be able to access most audio/video/ internet files from their dorm rooms if not right njow then in the very near future. After many discussions with all members of the Language and Literature Department, we came to the conclusion that it is not so much an issue of technology but of COMMUNICATATION . We decided to apply for a grant for a "center for Intercultural COmmunication and technology" - emphasizing the absolute necessity of creating a place on campus where people know they'd find an answer to ANY kind of question related to 'foreign languages, literatures, and cultures' - from multiple language wordprocessing, audio -video archives, international satellite, foreign language tutors, and an international staff speaking more than the 12 languages we teach. SO designing the space was just as big a part of this as discussing the necessary technology - if not more important : 1. The Space needed to accomodate small tutoring spaces (we now have 2-3 spaces for our 10 FL tutors) ) , a small writing lab, a big seminar/lab/work by yourself (in other words VERY flexible) room with 20 computers all around (this used to be the old LAB), a small regular seminar room, a 'faculty development room', and an office holding all the archives, encoding stations etc.etc. The whole Center was designed to be as inviting, versatile, flexible, and accomodating as possible with a small lobby to 'hang out', enough open and individual tutoring/ studying, teaching, designing space and computers to accomodate all FL students, any person from across campus, as well as the community. 2. Technology: We tried to be as flexible and wide spread as possible by trying to cater towards FL students AS WELL as any student or professor from across campus promoting cross-disciplinary projects as much as possible - by for instance integrating satellite viewing and recording on all computers sparking the interest of political studies students as well as history and art students for projects in English as well as foreign languages, still promiting old lab functions such as listening and pronunciation lab work (we are using Sony Virtuoso/Soloist) off the server, video viewing + tons of creative exercises to go along , oral reading, essay, interview tests to be save on the server by students to be graded later by faculty and many more creative exercises integrating available resources as well as trying to make various levels of language teaching, learning and testing more efficient. - all the while ALWAYS emphasizing the importance of the human communication factor happening in the Center - one main reason why we do NOT make all the things that are available in the building accessible to students in their dorms - to force them to come out and meet up in the Center with fellow students, faculty, and tutors! Collaborative projects between for instacne the computer science program and us we promote research projects to develop our own programs tailored for Bard classes - now much easier ever since we have the space for that! And yes, more research projects are in the making. Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is, that SPACE makes a big difference, Space and easy and flexible access to all sorts of resources in order to promote creative, efficient and challenging input from students as well as faculty with resepct to the issue of integrating technology into the teaching and learning of Foreign languages, literatures and cultures, I hope this helps a little bit - please write to me directly if you want more specifics Greetings, Stephanie bard College Quoting LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]>: > --- Forwarded Message from David Weible <[log in to unmask]> --- > > >To: [log in to unmask] > >From: David Weible <[log in to unmask]> > >Subject: designing a language learning center from scratch > >Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 09:01:47 -0500 > > I know this topic has come up in the past -- repeatedly, if I'm not > mistaken. But that was then and this is now. > It seems to me that the proliferation of ancillary CD-ROMs accompanying > text books and web-based instructional materials, not to mention other > internet resources have all weakened certain aspects of traditional > language lab functions. Trying to project these trends into the future, > what do you see to be the strengths now (and tomorrow) of instructional > technology in foreign language learning. To put it another way, if you > were starting from scratch, what are the component elements of such a > unit which you would regard as essential and/or highly desirable. > > In particular, what can and should be provided by such a unit which > would not already be available in a computer lab, or, for that matter, > on one's own home computer? > > Among other possibilities, how do you feel about: > live foreign language audio, video > speech recognition > speech evaluation (programs which attempt to compare a learner's > pronunciation to a given model > on demand use by individual students > use by classes > locally developed CALL materials > use for second language acquisition research purposes (important to us) > > Any and all feedback on this will be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > > David Weible > Associate Professor and Acting Head > Department of Germanic Studies (MC 189) > University of Illinois at Chicago > Room 1530, University Hall > 601 S. Morgan St. > Chicago, IL 60607-7115 > Tel: 312-996-3205, Fax 312-413-2377 > www.german.uic.edu > > > > * LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for > Language Learning, and The Consortium for Language Teaching and > Learning (http://consortium.dartmouth.edu). > Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. > Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) > -- Stephanie Kufner, Ph.D Academic Director, Bard Center for Foreign Languages and Cultures Visiting Assistant Professor of German Bard College 30 Campus Road Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504 845 758 7443 [log in to unmask] * LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning, and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://consortium.dartmouth.edu). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask])