SALRC Sponsored Workshops

The Use of Technology in the South Asian Language Classroom, December 3rd and 4th, 2004

Participants | Schedule | Resources | Workshop Home

Download a printable (pdf) version of the agenda for the SALRC workshop on The Use of Technology in the South Asian Language Classroom

Friday December 3, 2004

9-12 AM: Session 1Technology and Pedagogy (130 Franklin Center) Introductory discussion

  • How can we best mesh the internet technology available to us with the best pedagogy for teaching languages?
  • How should technology be appropriately applied to pedagogical tasks?

Chris Jones, Carnegie Mellon University
“Digital media and new technologies for language teaching”

BREAK

Robert Blake, University of California, Davis
“Effective use of technologies in language classroomsSpanish and Arabic without Walls”

1-4 PM: Session 2Tools, Technicalities, and South Asian Languages 130 Franklin Center)

Robert Smitheram, Consultant, Center for Education Technology, Middlebury College
“Fostering and expanding faculty involvement in applying technology to language learningThe experience of the Center for Educational Technology”

Discussion: Authoring Tools, Fonts, and other Technical Matters

  • Authoring toolsWhat are good and easy to use?
  • Is there existing courseware that can or should be adapted or copied? What are the fair use and
  • ntellectual property issues involved?
  • Fonts and other technical issuesWhat are the compromises between font standardization (Unicode) and accuracy? How should fonts be used in the classroom?

BREAK

DiscussionSpeaking of South Asian Languages

  • What success stories do we have so far?
  • Where are we in South Asian languages compared to others, and why?
  • Do we need better workshops for materials development?

David Germano, University of Virginia
“Incorporating the Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library into the Language Classroom”

Saturday December 4, 2004

9-12 AM: Session 3: Policy, Standards, and Future Directions (130 Franklin Center) DiscussionPolicy, Quality, Evaluation

  • Can we set down some policies about what we will support?
  • Can we put in place some evaluative mechanisms to use when making decisions about what are good materials?

BREAK

Concluding DiscussionEffectiveness and Future Directions

  • How should we convince colleagues about using technology?
  • Was this a profitable discussion? Will continued discussion be productive?