Job Discussion Forums

[BigZen]

Hi,

I teach a TOEIC listening class at small college. There is a language learning lab that has not been used in several years, so one of the Japanese English teachers suggested I try and make use of the lab, since no one at the college seems to care, and it has fallen into disrepair through neglect. There is no internet access for the students in the lab. The system in the lab is called Chieru and there is a voice recording package called Softteleco.

I have not used the lab yet but was given a brief orientation. The server is not hooked up and there has not been much if any maitenance done for at least a year.

My questions/concerns are:

1. Is there any valuable applications for a TOEIC Listening Class using any of the above programs? I used a text and CD to teach the class last year, but now I am being strongly encouraged to try and utilize this facility. I was told that with Chieru the teacher can broadcast audio files to the students' individual laptop computers in the class as a group, or indivually. So if I bring in something on a USB or CD I can broadcast it to the students.

2. Is there any value to use the Softteleco software (i.e. having students made audio voice recordings)?

3. Is it possible to download audio/visual materials from the WWW and out them on a USB to bring into the lab?

The textbook and audio CD that accompanied it worked well for a TOEIC preparation class, since there were many listening exercises similar to those found in the test. I am just not sure if it is worth the effort to try and learn how to use this CALL facility since there is very little technological support at the college if I were to experience a software/hardware problem. There is an IT expert on-camous, but since he teaches full-time, cannot always be available to help-out. My Japanese language proficiency level is OK, but not strong enough to feel I could tackle such problems in the lab myself. The Japanese English teacher who showed me the lab and is encouraging me to 'take the initiative,' is a full-time teacher, so unable to provide support I would need.



Thanks,

BZ

[Pitarou]

I think you're right to be skeptical. Why isn't everyone else using it? Why was the lab neglected for so long? In my experience, even the most technically clueless people will go to great lengths to use some new tech if it makes their working lives significantly easier.

I don't know how the classroom is laid out, but if you're going to use audio visuals then think carefully about classroom interactions. Whatever you do, don't have everyone glued to their own computer monitor. On the other hand, an interactive whiteboard can be an amazing tool....

Moving files on a USB stick sounds find in principal, but there are a few things you need to consider:

1. Are you confident you can do it without spreading viruses?
2. Many video sharing websites don't let you download the video. (If memory serves, Google video is an exception.)
3. You might find that not all video formats are supported on the systems you'll be using.

[Glenski]

Most schools buy a commercial LL package and let it ride. They think it is a miracle software package that students will automatically use whenever they like, and that it will improve their language abilities. Totally false, of course.

You might first want to find out why people stopped using it. Maybe it was too hard for teachers or students. Such packages need to give teachers an ongoing evaluation of how often and how students have used it.

You might also want to find out how current the software itself is, how much support the vendor provides (if any), and whether you can actually learn it. Probably get an English manual in the end if you choose to use it, because you're going to need to explain it to the kids.

Make a plan. If you do use it, don't just open the doors and tell kids "go for it". Decide how often they must use it, and how you are going to check. Moreover, is it a carrot or a stick? Most students don't use things because they see no benefit from it (whether grade or fluency).

If you have a room full of computers with no Internet, but the capability to record things, then yes, it is a usable room.

1. TOEIC listening materials can be employed there, but again I say have a plan. Just playing a disk and answering the questions is pointless. You will need to explain all the choices that are incorrect, and you also need to pre-teach the stuff they are trying to get (short dialogs, listening for gist, listening for special points, etc.). TOEIC study is not plug-and-play, even though there are (far too) many study books on the market in Japan.

2. I do not know this software, but if students can record audio, then make use of it. Have them record things that other students have to listen to and do worksheets on, whether they or you make the worksheets.

3. Download, yes. Use in your room? Impossible to say without knowing the limitations and construction of your system. As mentioned, be careful about infections. Also about copyright.

By the way, it sounds as if you have an LL facility, not a CALL facility.

[BigZen]

Dear Glenski and Pitarou,

Thank you for your replies. There the studens has a laptop at each desk in the room, but as I wrote, does not have interent access. Does this mean it is NOT a CALL Lab? If lab is not at all connected to the internet, but only to an internal (school) server, are there still virus threats if I bring in something on a USB which I downloaded from the internet?

Why the school has not used it for the past three years? I was told the college got a windfall of money and threw it into the renovation of this lab. As you know, the Japanese faculty here are so overworked, that no one has time to try and learn how to use the system. There are two other foreign teachers from a local eikaiwa who teach part-time here, but they are not qualified, so my Japanese colleague felt since I am the only qualified EFL teacher with some CALL experience (all of which I obtained overseas), that I should try to make use of the lab.

BZ

[Glenski]