--- Forwarded Message from "Dennie Hoopingarner" <[log in to unmask]> --- >Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> >From: "Dennie Hoopingarner" <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: I'm borrowing time because I don't have enough of my own! ;-) >Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 08:33:32 -0500 >Importance: Normal This is in response to David Flores' thought-provoking message about the changing role of the language lab. I certainly don't think my lab is living on borrowed time. We're doing so much more than checking out tapes that even if tape disappeared tomorrow, we would still not have enough time to do everything that's on our plate. In my opinion, if language labs are doing the same thing that they were doing ten years ago, then something is wrong. If language labs are doing the same thing that they're doing in ten years, then something will be wrong. One of the exciting aspects of my job is that it's always changing. Every year we start doing something new, and some things, like tape, become more and more marginal. Yet we still maintain our tape library, and keep the tape equipment running, because it's an important part of some language programs, and it's still needed for testing. But for us, the "T" in IALLT is more prominent every year. We have found that, as language materials become more technology-intensive, our services are needed even more. Instructors need training, the students need a lab where "everything works" (i.e., there are headsets plugged into the machines, the computers are configured to display non-roman fonts, word processors have international spell checkers, the web browsers have the correct versions of plugins). In short, we are doing at least as much as we were before, but we're doing DIFFERENT things. And the new technologies offer new pedagogical applications. For the past few years, we've been supporting instructors who are having their classes produce video projects. That requires hardware, software, and expertise that the university's computing services just can't provide. My lab is the only unit in the college who can provide the services needed to take advantage of innovative technologies for language learning. In the economic current climate, with its squeeze on departmental budgets, it's healthy to stay on our toes. I always keep a mental list of the things that we're doing at our lab, just in case some busybody administrator or faculty member questions my lab's existence. Every once in a while, I hear someone challenge my labor budget, for example. All I have to do is shoot off half a dozen things that my student workers do for students and instructors on a daily basis, and the challenge goes away. I'm looking forward to FLEAT in August. It's always interesting to swap war stories with my colleagues. Maybe this would be an interesting topic for an ad-hoc panel discussion. Something like "why the language lab is relevant today." I know it's certainly relevant at my institution. Peace. Dennie Dennie Hoopingarner, Ph.D. Director, Language Learning Center Assistant Director for Technology Implementation, CLEAR Michigan State University *********************************************** 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]) ***********************************************