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WELL
Passing fad or
fundamental shift in
language learning?
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Overview
Caveat professor…
Is it changing student learning?
Is there a theoretical basis for web-based learning
What is it doing to the role of teacher?
Conclusions
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Paradigm shift
bite-sized, personalised, interactive, multimedia,
integrated…
Just-in-time learning
“Magic clicks: no more sitting in stuffy lecture halls”
Times Higher 17th May 2002
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
“Laptop to oust books”
There will be few books in the classroom of the future and the
blackboard will be almost obsolete. Pupils in class will be linked by
computer to the teacher in … an ‘integrated learning system’
Guardian January 17th 1998
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
“The ………… is destined to revolutionalise our
education system and … in a few years it will supplant
largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks”
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
“The motion picture is destined to revolutionalise our
education system and … in a few years it will supplant
largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks”
Thomas Edison, 1922
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Imagine a technology that instantly connects teachers to resources
around the world, that allows teachers to reach parents on a moment's
notice, that helps teachers reach out to the community and even helps
bring the community into the classroom.
Imagine a time when virtually all professionals have such terminals in their
work spaces, and virtually all homes -- even those of the poorest
citizens -- are connected to the network.
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Imagine a technology that instantly connects teachers to resources around the
world, that allows teachers to reach parents on a moment's notice, that helps
teachers reach out to the community and even helps bring the community into
the classroom.
Imagine a time when virtually all professionals have such terminals in their work
spaces, and virtually all homes -- even those of the poorest citizens -- are
connected to the network.
Imagine the day when all teachers in the state of California have that crown of
1880s technology, the telephone, in their classrooms.
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Getting it wrong
“The world can get by with about 5 computers in toto”
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Getting it wrong
“The world can get by with about 5 computers in toto”
Thomas J Watson, founder of IBM
Language lab
CALL
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
1997 WELL survey
Do staff use any of the following for language
teaching? –

Word processing

CALL packages

E-mail

WWW

Other CALL activities
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
1997 WELL survey
Do staff use any of the following for language
teaching? –

Word processing
62%

CALL packages
28%

E-mail
24%

WWW
16%

Other CALL activities
12%
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Not so fast…
“while there are some good resources on the 'Net, it is
currently slow, loaded with garbage, and rapidly becoming
as commercialized as network television”
Clifford Stoll, "Silicon Snake Oil"
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Not so fast…
“Digital Diploma Mills – the automation of Higher
Education”
David Noble, 1997
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
Accelerated learning?
Learn French Fast
Learn French Fast!
Smart Phrase.com
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
“Today’s students are tomorrow’s business leaders and
customers. We have to encourage children to use
computers. It will be good for the country, the economy
and it’s also about building our business”
Mark East, Head of Microsoft’s schools programme
1998 – overall UK schools computer market, including
support services and training, was estimated to be worth
as much as £500m
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Caveat professor…
The Internet will change the shape of education … but not for at
least five years
(Roger Shrank, Director Northwestern University’s Institute for the
Learning Sciences) Cambridge seminar August 2001
Despite the attention on-line learning has drawn in recent years,
there are still very few examples of “pure” virtual education
where all aspects of teaching and learning use technology of
some sort.
Glen Farrell “The changing faces of virtual education” London 2001
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WWW – How many online?
Worldwide: 513.41 million
Africa
4.15
Asia Pacific
143.99
Europe
154.63
Middle East
4.65
Canada & USA 180.68
Latin America
25.33
Source: Nua Surveys (August 2001)
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Internet access
Internet traffic doubles every 100 days
(Source: UUNet)
95% US homes with access by 2004
(Source: Merrill Lynch)
2000 = 327 m people connected
(Source: Computer Industry Almanac)
2010 = 1 billion people connected
(Source: CIA estimate)
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WWW - server growth
5,000,000
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Sites
Source: Hobbes Internet Timeline
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WWW - languages used
Global Internet statistics by language
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Web as medium for...
Delivery
Interactivity
Communication
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Web-based learning
Different ways to exploit
Full web
• Merlin
• Global English
• Study pack online
Web enhanced
• BBC
• Nathalie Casaux French test
• VLEs
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning








Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Assessment
Cultural awareness
Transferable skills
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Listening / watching
 Le déserteur
 Clare FM
 Funambule
 iVideo
 Live radio en direct
 L’Auberge espagnole
 RNE
 Champs Elysées webcam
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Speaking
 CAN8
 MOO
 NetMeeting
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Reading
 Kidon Media
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Writing
 e-mail
 Web fora
 page production
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Grammar + lexis
 Verbix
 Realfrench
 Leo
 YourDictionary.com
 Dictionnaires spécialisés
 Grammar Central
 CILT
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Support for language learning
Assessment
 Dialang
 Hot Potatoes
 Perception
 WELTS
 SurveyMonkey
 more
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
WELL
Schools online
 Piquecos
Portal sites
 About French
 Oilte
 Centro Virtual Cervantes
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Theories of learning
Is there a theoretical basis for web-based learning?
Structural perspective
behaviouristic CALL
Cognitive/constructivist perspective
communicative CALL
Sociocognitive perspective
integrative CALL
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Teacher role
o
sage on stage v guide on side
o
never mind the technology, where’s the training?
– herding cats
o
HTML
o
XML, Flash, ActiveX, JavaScript, CSS,
broadband wireless
o
potential for collaboration…
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002
Conclusions
Hype
Not a panacea, but a tool. Ensure that the
technology tail is not wagging the learning dog
Costs
WELL – the new chalk
Oilte, Limerick September 13th 2002