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The Electronic Network for Language and Culture Exchange (ENLACE): Development and Implementation. Gary A. Cziko Raymond D. Meredith University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Turn on iPod recorder. Overview. Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL)
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The Electronic Network for Language and Culture Exchange (ENLACE):Development and Implementation Gary A. Cziko Raymond D. Meredith University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Overview • Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL) • Promise and Challenges of Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) for eTandem Learning • Development and Functioning of ENLACE • Plans for Continued Development & Research
Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL) • Input • Interaction • Practice/Exercises/Drills • Diagnosis & Assessment • see faculty.ed.uiuc.edu/g-cziko/atall
Input • Necessary (and maybe sufficient?) for language acquisition (written and/or audio) • Internet provides unprecedented access to input in many languages • Internet audio and video (e.g., DW-TV) • Low-power radio rebroadcasting of FL radio • AvantGo for FL on PDA • Francais facile; 2xAV • see Cziko (submitted) input paper
Interaction • Provides comprehensible & modified input via negotiation of meaning • Helps learners notice linguistic form (e.g., via recasts) • Lets learners appreciate “gap” between communicative intentions & current L2 proficiency • Internet makes possible “free” asynchronous and synchronous CMC using text, audio and video with other students and native speakers of many languages • See Cziko (2004, in press) August CALICO Journal for ATALL eTandem possibilities (not limited to computers & Internet)
Practice/Exercises/Drills • May be necessary for acquisition of “difficult” features of L2 • e.g., articles and verb inflections for Chinese learners of ESL • Structured Input (VanPatten et al.) • A mi mama la besa mucho mi papa • (choose picture: who is kissing whom?)
Diagnosis & Assessment • Allows learners to • Find their L2 strengths and weaknesses • Monitor their progress • Dialang online tests in 14 European languages (www.dialang.org) • Free • Only one form per language (can’t be used for monitoring progress • Ordinate’s tests of spoken English and Spanish (www.ordinate.com) • Computer-scored measures of vocabulary, pronunciation, sentence mastery, fluency • Based on: sentence reading, elicited imitation, prompted vocabulary, sentence formation, • Correlates about .95 with ACTFL, & DLI human-delivered & scored Oral Proficiency Interview • Free English demo test available (max score = 80) • Gary native: Sentence Mastery 80, Vo cab 80, Fluency 80, Pronunciation 80, Overall 80 • Gary “Phoney French” Sentence Mastery 79, Vocab 80, Fluency 48, Pronunciation 40, Overall 64 • Gary in Brooklyn: Sentence Mastery 71 (missed one), Vocab 80, Fluency 62, Pronunciation 61, Overall 70
Challenges in Using CMC for Synchronous eTandem Learning • Cross-platform compatibility • Any combination of text, audio & video • Minimum software requirements • Users must be able to • Find suitable partners • Schedule synchronous meetings across different time zones • Establish communication with partner • Obtain guidance, support, resource materials
The SystemHardware & Software • Four systems: • Apache web server (www.apache.org) • MySQL database (www.mysql.com) • ColdFusion scripting (www.macromedia.com) • Flash Communication Server (www.macromedia.com)
Functionality • User Registration • Partner Searching • Meeting Scheduling • Synchronous Communication
Future Development & Research • Multilingual support • Enhanced communicative environments • Whiteboard • Push & pull URLs • Shared applications • Recording capabilities for learning & research • Text chat, audio, video(?) • Language resources • Principles of Tandem language learning • Dictionaries, topics, projects • Guidelines for corrective feedback • Will require additional funding
Implementation Plans • Basic ENLACE should be ready for testing with students beginning of Fall 2004 semester • Seeking college language teachers interested in making ENLACE available to their students (preferably having a Tandem partner class) • Take count of • Of EFL teachers present, what is native language of students? • Of FL teachers of English-speaking students, what language do you teach? • Contact Gary: g-cziko@uiuc.edu; Ray: rmeredit@uiuc.edu