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EXTRA CATEGORY
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Suzan Stamper, Yew Chung Community College, Hong Kong
In this community column, we will get acquainted with four
members, who are our new CALL-IS Steering Committee members: Jennifer
Meyer, Heather Benucci, James S. May, and Ellen Dougherty.
For each newsletter, I invite members to answer a set of questions:
- What is your favorite platform?
- What is the one indispensable tool/webpage?
- What is your most unexpected source of information about CALL?
- What was your favorite CALL creation?
- What are you working on now?
- What area would you like to see developed/researched?
- In a sentence, what advice would you give to a newbie starting out in CALL?
I hope you enjoy this space to compare experiences, share
advice, nurture inspiration, and make connections within our community.
Please email
me if you have suggestions or contributions to Making
Connections.
Jennifer Meyer
Jennifer Meyer has earned an MA in international relations from Webster
University in St. Louis; her erste Staatsexamen in EFL, political
science, and education from the Universität Hamburg in Germany; and her
EdS in curriculum and instruction from Middle Tennessee State University in Tennessee. She has been teaching ESL in the USA and
Germany for more than 20 years. She currently teaches K–2 ESL in
southern rural middle Tennessee. She is new to the CALL-IS, recruited by
Abe Rashad and Vance Stevens via the webcasting team.
Affiliation: TNTESOL & Bedford County Schools Tennessee, USA
Years in the CALL-IS: New member
Q: What is your favorite platform?
A: My favorite platform is mobile. Most of my students do not have
access to computers or Internet connections in their homes, but everyone
has a cell phone, including myself. A multitude of free apps are
available to use in the classroom. If the students are on their devices
anyway, why not give them something constructive to do?
Q: For you, what is the one indispensable tool/webpage?
A: I find Voki or GoAnimate excellent tools to
use with my students. Students can use their creativity in designing
avatars or animes, but they also have to enter text for their characters
to speak. During playback, students can hear their mistakes and go back
and improve their work.
Q: What is your most unexpected source of information about CALL?
A: My own children are my most unexpected source. They will tell me
about new games or apps, and I immediately see the connection to
learning and instruction and start brainstorming about how I can
incorporate something that kids find fun and exciting into my
lessons.
Q: What was your favorite CALL creation?
A: One of my favorite CALL activities involves the use of publishing
software to create a travel brochure about the setting of a novel or
short story.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently developing a unit on the Power of Peaceful Protest
and César Chávez, which I hope to be accepted to present at TESOL 2017
in Seattle.
Q: What area would you like to see developed/researched?
A: Due to the nature of the population that I serve, I would like to
see more invested in providing free access to the Internet for everyone.
My students are at a technological disadvantage due to their inability
to access the Internet from home.
Q: In a sentence, what advice would you give to a newbie starting out in CALL?
A: My advice would be not to be intimidated by anything. When you
encounter something new, do not be afraid to try it out.
Q: What is your funniest CALL-related incident?
A: My funniest CALL-related incident involves time. When we schedule
online webcast meetings, Vance usually gives the time in UTC. Because I
have trouble calculating numbers (I freely admit to being
numerically-challenged), I always reiterate the time in my time zone to
be sure I have it right. In the beginning, however, Vance assumed that
since Atlanta was close to Tennessee, I would be in the same time zone
as Atlanta. Where I live in Tennessee, however, is not in the same time
zone as Atlanta. I was an hour late to a couple of meetings until we got
our time zones sorted out. So now we have this running joke about my
being temporally-challenged; and his announcements for meetings usually
contain an aside just for me, with the time of the meeting in my time
zone explicitly stated.
Heather Benucci
A TESOL teacher educator and materials development specialist,
Heather has led virtual professional development programs in 100+
countries, and she regularly presents at international and regional
events on CALL topics. Heather is a longtime fan of the CALL-IS
Electronic Village— she loves presenting and volunteering there. She is
excited to serve on the CALL-IS Steering Committee and hopes to help
more teachers become aware of the amazing resources this group
offers.
Affiliation: English Language Programs,
Georgetown University/U.S. Department of State, USA
Years in the CALL-IS: 5
Q: What is your favorite platform?
A. Do I have to choose just one? I've found CourseSites, a free learning management
system for creating and teaching online courses, to be user friendly for
teachers on the backend and easy for students to access and navigate.
I've created a variety of dynamic, collaborative learning activities
through its integrated features such as wikis, online discussion
threads, and small group workspaces.
Q: For you, what is the one indispensable tool/webpage?
A: Right now, I'm really into Canva, a free graphic design website. It
isn't created specifically for CALL purposes, but I use it on a daily
basis along with Pixabay (free CC0-licensed images) when
creating social media content for EFL teachers and learners. It can also
be incorporated in digital literacy–focused projects that help ELLs
interpret and create infographics, a frequently encountered information
format in news and pop culture media these days.
Q: What is your most unexpected source of information about CALL?
A: I'm always happy to learn from my students! They keep me current by
showing me their favorite mobile apps, websites, and programs that focus
on topics like test prep, vocabulary study, and pronunciation.
Q: What was your favorite CALL creation?
A: I enjoyed being part of the design team for a mobile app for ELLs
that was optimized to work on feature (nonsmart) phones. The app
provided global access to free EFL graded readers, audiobooks, and other
e-content via this ubiquitous, but often overlooked, medium.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: As an online learning consultant, I currently produce and
present EFL teacher professional development webinars for the U.S.
Department of State (we have had amazing participants from more than 100
countries!), and I create EFL teaching tips, classroom activities, and
other content for their American English website and social media
channels.
Q: What area would you like to see developed/researched?
A: A lot of strides have been made in the field of adaptive learning in
recent years, but there is still a lot of room to increase the fidelity
of these platforms to create more customized language learning
opportunities for ELLs.
Q: In a sentence, what advice would you give to a newbie starting out in CALL?
A: Don't feel like you need to try every "new, cool" tech tool you come
across; strategically pick one or two tools per term that you think
will support your teaching, learning, or administrative goals, test them
out (collecting data as you experiment), and then reflect on whether
the tools suit your needs.
Ellen Dougherty
Ellen Dougherty is a member of the English faculty at the
Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates. She is a
doctoral candidate in TESOL, cognate technology, at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas, and holds an MA in leadership from McGill University.
Ellen has more than 25 years of experience with second language
learners both as an educator and administrator in North America and the
Middle East.
Affiliation: Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Years in the CALL-IS: 6
Q: What is your favorite platform?
A: My favorite platform, if defined as “the operating system and
computer hardware only” is the Apple platform. I really like the
simplicity of use and the logic associated with the platform. However,
if a platform is defined as “a group of technologies that are used as a
base upon which other applications, processes or technologies are
developed,” I would also include Google. I have been using Google tools
for many years with ELLs.
Q: For you, what is the one indispensable tool/webpage?
A: That is a difficult question, as I believe the situation
defines the tool I will choose to use. However, right now as I am
involved in implementing a 1:1 iPad program at the college where I am
employed, I would say my favorite tool is the iPad. I really like the
flexibility it affords students and the opportunities it provides to
optimize students' creativity.
Q: What is your most unexpected source of information about CALL?
A: Even though I peruse a wide variety and range of academic
sources to remain current on developments in CALL, I would say, my
students are the best source of information on ICT and CALL for me. I
continually learn from them as we collaborate and share ideas, concepts,
and “tricks” on new developments and tools.
Q: What was your favorite CALL creation?
A: I really appreciate PBWorks and have been using
this Web 2.0 tool for many years. It has helped me to remain organized,
to collaborate with colleagues and students, and to store a plethora of
information.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Presently, I am completing my dissertation. For those of you
who have been involved in writing a thesis, you know the time and
effort that this requires.
Q: What area would you like to see developed/researched?
A: An area I would like to see researched and developed is how
digital tools can be used to enhance ELLs' creativity. I enjoy Nik
Peachy's work and website. He has
several good eBooks on the subject.
Q: In a sentence, what advice would you give to a newbie starting out in CALL?
A: Enjoy the ride!! There is always something new to learn.
Q: What is your funniest CALL-related incident?
A: Perhaps my most “fun” experience with CALL relates to a presentation
I did with several of my students at a workshop for a major teachers'
conference in Quebec, Canada. Our presentation was on how we set up a
secure intranet at our school to promote student collaboration, to
exchange ideas, and to provide a platform for completing homework/
assignments. The presentation was on the process: our successes and our
challenges. I began the presentation; however, the students quickly took
over, as they were the experts, and really carried the workshop. They
fielded questions, in French and in English, and exchanged ideas with
the “professionals.” One student who had been instrumental in completing
the project Skyped in as he had recently moved back to Brazil. The
students were thrilled with the response and reactions from the
participants.
James S. May
Dr. May is the Faculty Fellow for Innovation and Technology at Valencia
College in Orlando, Florida. He also teaches ESL and is a past
president and current webmaster of Sunshine State TESOL, Florida’s
affiliate to TESOL International Association. James got his start in the
field of CALL in the mid 90's as a linguist for the U.S. Army, and has
been working in digitally hybrid worlds ever since. He has been named
Professor of the Year in the state of Florida twice, first by the
Association of Florida Colleges in 2010 and then again by the Carnegie
Foundation in 2011. He was also named one of the Nation’s Top 40
Innovators in Education by the Center for Digital Education in 2013. Affiliation: Valencia College, Orlando, Florida
Years in the CALL-IS: Not really sure. I
know I signed up when I signed on as a TESOL member, so I guess it has
been a long while now. :)
Q: What is your favorite platform?
A: I see this as kind of a trick question. I like Mac for video and
general computing, but I have to give it to Google for all things cloud.
I have also started playing with Microsoft again because of the
capabilities of my Surface Pro and the free live streaming tools that
are PC only. So I guess I would have to ask: Favorite platform for
what?
Q: For you, what is the one indispensable tool/webpage?
A: In one word…Google (of course, this includes Drive, Calendar, YouTube, Chrome, etc.)
Q: What is your most unexpected source of information about CALL?
A: Believe it or not, I would have to say my father-in-law, Dick
Anderson, because he routinely feeds me with articles, links, and
technologies which spark my interest and allow me to fuse edutaining
content with language learning.
Q: What was your favorite CALL creation?
A: Probably my TeacherTricks blog. It actually started as a
blog for me to bookmark and store teaching ideas that I found
interesting. I am a big fan of transacted memory. It has since become a
play space where I can test out ideas, share hacks, and teach others. I
have even had others share ideas with me to post/guest post there.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently working on ways to use Virtual Reality and 360 video
in the classroom with ELLs. Here is an example of 360
video if you haven't seen it. (It is best viewed on a mobile
device using the YouTube app).
Q: What area would you like to see developed/researched?
A: I would like Google to expand their "Annotations" feature to 360
video so that users could make 360 video content more interactive. This
could lead to crowdsourced interactive video game making and a wide
variety of interesting, highly interactive content.
Q: In a sentence, what advice would you give to a newbie starting out in CALL?
A: If you have a question, just ask; it never ceases to amaze me how
the CALL community is always happy to share, teach, advise, and cocreate
with newbies, provided they are willing to jump right in and
ask.
Suzan is senior lecturer and English language team
leader at Yew Chung Community College in Hong Kong. She has been a
CALL-IS member since 1995.
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