Oregon State University's
English Language Institute
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Oregon State University'sEnglish Language Institute |
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1998 Micro Course --
Hands-On Software
Saturday-Sunday, March 14-15
Is there any good software available for language teaching? Publishers are happy to tell you how marvelous their products are, but what can you really do with what's out there? This two-day session will let you take a hands-on look at many of the current software packages. You'll hear from experienced English language teachers -- not necessarily computer experts -- about what works with computers in their classrooms. You'll get the benefit of a small class with plenty of hands-on time. For those who are continuing on to the TESOL Convention in Seattle, we'll point out ways to take advantage of the conference, suggesting sessions that will fit your specific needs. The Micro Course will give you the context you need to take full advantage of what the TESOL Convention offers.
Topics for Saturday include:
Topics for Sunday include:
Please note: the ELI Micro Course is not part of the TESOL Convention, nor is it sponsored by TESOL.
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R1a: Finding and Using
Software Effectively
Friday-Sunday, August 7-9
Teachers are always looking for new tools to add to their "bag of tricks," ways to make learning more memorable for their students. Computers have a great deal to offer for the teacher who knows how to use them. One problem, though, is the abundance of software that can be used for language teaching. With over 600 titles in the 1997 CALL Interest Section Software List from TESOL, it's important to know not only what's possible with computers, but also how to choose among various programs for the best fit with your students and curriculum.
This three-day session is geared toward those who have used computers, particularly word-processing, for their own benefit but who now want to see what computers can do in the classroom. We'll focus on effective computer use in communicative and content-based courses by discussing, then trying out different types of software. You will have a chance to evaluate a number of computer programs for language teaching, then develop lesson plans to use with your students. Evaluations and lesson plans from the group will be compiled into a handout you'll take home.
You will have six hours of class, including three hours of supervised practice time, for three days. The ELI's Learning Center will be open in the evening, as well, for additional hands-on time.
Topics include:
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R2a: Internet in the
Classroom: E-mail,
World Wide Web, and Other Uses for Networked Computers
Friday-Sunday, August 7-9
You know there's a lot going on in the Internet, but you may not be sure just how to take advantage of it. This three-day session will give you not only Internet-savvy words to sprinkle through your conversation, but hands-on practice in a small class to help you exploit this very large and growing resource. Just because something offers language data doesn't mean it's instantly useful by itself in a language classroom. You'll see many of the possible ways to incorporate use of the Internet and information taken from the Internet into your classes. The course will combine presentation of concepts, hands-on practice -- with knowledgeable assistants standing by to help -- and discussion and debriefing. The Internet is a wonderful arena for exploration for teachers and students; this course will give you the tools to make good use of it.
Participants will have six hours of class, including three hours of supervised practice time, for three days. They will also be able to use the ELI's Learning Center during open hours in the evening.
Topics include:
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R3a: Designing and
Authoring Courseware
Monday-Thursday, August 10-13
A 4-day workshop for intermediate and advanced computer users.
It is a rare teacher who is so completely satisfied with a text that she or he does not feel compelled to make a few new worksheets, bring in a few new handouts, and otherwise customize material to fit the class. Teachers who use computers are no exception. Fortunately, a number of software publishers have made it relatively easy to customize software by adding new exercises, readings, and other activities. This session will touch on those possibilities, then introduce you to HyperStudio, a program that will let you incorporate sound, graphics, video, and animation. It's designed for those with more interest in content than in programming, although it allows those with time and interest to do complex work.
Because courseware is software with an instructional goal in mind, the workshop will start with instructional design basics and CALL methodology to give you a framework within which to start creating. Instructor Larry Statan is a teacher and software developer who brings both perspectives to this session.
You will have six hours of class, including approximately one hour of lecture/discussion and five hours of supervised hands-on work, each day for four days. You will also be able to use the ELI's Learning Center during open hours all week.
Topics include:
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R4a: Creating Your Own
Web Pages
Friday-Sunday, August 14-16
If you've ever given your students a handout with websites on it, you've seen how easy it is to type an address wrong and go nowhere on the Internet. At the very least, you'd like to provide "click and go" links for your students, keeping them more focused on the task at hand. Maybe now you're ready to start putting your course material online, design interactive pages with course content, or even help your institution along the road to visibility on the Internet.
This session will start you off with a background in basic webpage design -- the do's and don'ts of putting information on the Web. You'll see the choices that are possible, and learn how to maximize your page with a minimum of effort. You'll use a web authoring program and also get an introduction to the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) operating behind the scenes. You'll be able to add graphics, sound, and video clips -- judiciously -- to create an attractive and useful website for your students or your institution.
Topics to be covered include:
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Deborah Healey (MicroCourse, Create Your Own Webpage)is Seminar Coordinator and the ELI's Technology Coordinator. She has been combining ESL and computers for 12 of her past 20 years in ESL. Co-editor of CAELL Journal, author of Something to Do on Tuesday, and a former Chair of the CALL Interest Section of TESOL, she has written and presented extensively on computer-assisted language learning and administrative uses of computers, most recently in Brazil and Austria. Deborah has helped set up computer labs for the ELI at OSU and in Yemen. Her doctorate is in the field of computers in education.
Jeff Magoto (Finding and Using Software) is the Associate Chair of TESOL's 1998 Annual Convention and the 1996/97 Chair of TESOL's CALL Interest Section. He is currently Director of the Yamada Lab for the University of Oregon. He has presented numerous teacher training sessions for teachers of English and other languages, including sessions in Greece and Puerto Rico and at the TESOL Academy in Baltimore.
Michael Witbeck (Internet) has worked as an ESL instructor, materials developer, and administrator in several corners of the world, including Czechoslovakia, Japan, Spain, Yemen, and Great Britain. His special interests include proficiency testing, composition, and ESL computer applications. Michael is currently an instructor and the Financial Officer for the ELI, as well as a Departmental Computer Administrator.
Larry Statan (Designing and Authoring Courseware) is a software developer for SpeakWare and Heinle and Heinle, creating such titles as Graffiti One, In the Print Shop, Dictation A, B, C, and D, TOEFL Test Preparation, All Clear! Idioms in Context, and Making Connections One. He is also an ESL instructor at Contra Costa College.
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Jane Averill (Micro Course, Finding and Selecting Software) is the ELI's Project Manager and an instructor with interests in writing, testing, and CALL.
Maria Dantas-Whitney (Micro Course, Finding and Selecting Software) is the ELI's Coordinator of Instruction and the current Chair of TESOL's Intensive English Program Interest Section. One of her major interests is video use in the classroom.
Eve Chambers (Micro Course) is the ELI Director. She has created a number of lessons for the ELI's Computer Language Learning course, which she teaches as frequently as her administrative duties allow.
Barbara Dowling (Micro Course, Finding and Selecting Software), the co-author of Business Concepts for English Practice, has been using simulations and other computer applications in her courses for a number of years.
Gary Fallow (Micro Course, Finding and Selecting Software) has taught in the US, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. A confessed novice with computers, he nonetheless has found ways to incorporate effective computer use in his classes.
Lorina Johnson (Create Your Own Web Pages) is an avid user and creator of web pages in her classes, primarily in her University Reading and Writing course. She has a strong appreciation of the ways the Internet in particular can enhance student learning.
Debby Marino (Micro Course, Finding and Selecting Software) has been a teacher and administrator in the US and Yemen, as well as a USIA consultant in Hungary. Her special interests are reading, writing, and individualized instruction.
Helen Polensek (Internet, Micro Course) has taught in Eastern Europe, Yemen, and the US. She was instrumental in setting up the ELI's Learning Center and in the creation of the ELI's pronunciation CD-ROM.
John Whitney (Creating Web Pages) is the ELI's Student Services Coordinator and International Student Advisor. He is always looking for more ways to better serve students, whether by individual meetings or by making online resources more easily available.
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While we've designed our courses to be stimulating and fun, there is more to being in Oregon in the summer than working on computers. We've put together some optional activities to help you enjoy the Corvallis area. We'll have vans available for some group lunches and evening gatherings in Corvallis and nearby Albany. While it usually doesn't rain in August in Oregon, it's good to bring a raincoat just in case! You can sign up for excursions when you arrive.
One note: state law forbids us from carrying children in state vans, but we'll be happy to connect you with local car rental agencies if your family is accompanying you.
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