Program

2015 Online Schedule

You can now view a list of presentations & times here, and you can view as a timetable here. If you are a presenter and the timetable doesn’t correspond to the time specified on your homepage, please contact us.

Note these pages are responsive pages so they should work fine whatever (modern) device you are using: PC, tablet, or mobile.

Conference Handbook (PDF)

Friday, June 5th, 18:00-21:00,  Pre-conference Workshops

Saturday, June 6th Schedule

  • 08:30-17:00     Registration
  • 09:10-09:20     Opening Ceremony
  • 09:30-10:10     Session 1
  • 10:20-11:00     Session 2
  • 11:20-12:00     Session 3   Poster presentations
  • 12:00-13:10     Lunch (available at cafeteria)
  • 13:10-13:50     Session 4
  • 14:00-14:40    Session 5
  • 14:50-16:20     Session 6
  • 16:30-16:50     CALL AGM
  • 16:50-17:50     Keynote Address: Ema Ushioda
  • 18:00-18:30     Travel to the Networking Reception by bus
  • 1830-20:30      Networking Reception at Luigans

Sunday, June 7th Schedule

  • 08:30-13:00     Registration
  • 09:30-10:10     Session 1 Poster presentations
  • 10:20-11:00    Session 2
  • 11:10-12:10     Plenary Address: Rab Paterson
  • 12:20-13:10     Lunch
  • 13:20-14:00     Session 3
  • 14:10-14:50     Session 4
  • 15:10-16:30     Round table discussion & Closing Ceremony

Keynote & Plenary Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Ema Ushioda, University of Warwick

Title: Engaging with technologies for language learning: Perspectives on autonomy and motivation

The title of this talk is intended to highlight a subtle yet significant semantic distinction between ‘language learning technologies’ (as expressed in the theme of the conference) and ‘technologies for language learning’ – i.e. a distinction between technologies pedagogically designed for language learning purposes, and everyday technologies that can be exploited for language learning purposes. While these are not mutually exclusive categories since the latter may subsume the former, the distinction is useful because it points to important psychological differences in how language learners conceptualize and relate to particular technologies, and thus points to differences in the quality of their autonomy and motivation in engaging with these technological resources. For example, when provided with appropriate language practice materials online, learners who are ‘autonomous’ (in the sense of self-motivated or self-determined) will freely engage with these materials to develop their language skills accordingly. Yet the same learners may lack the ‘autonomy’ (in the sense of strategic thinking and know-how) to understand how they can creatively exploit their engagement with various everyday technological affordances for the purposes of developing, practising and using their language skills. Or they may lack the motivation (in the sense of willingness) to allow language learning to suffuse (or interfere with) their everyday personal use of technologies, and thus they may express a different kind of autonomy (i.e. resistance) in this regard. In short, in focusing on how learners engage with technologies for language learning, we are brought to consider some interesting complexities in autonomy and motivation. My aim in this talk will be to explore these complexities from a theoretical perspective, and consider their implications for understanding how to enhance the quality of students’ engagement with technological resources for language learning.

Ema Ushioda is Director of Graduate Studies and an associate professor at the Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, UK, where she has responsibility for the Centre’s PhD programme and for overseeing postgraduate teaching and learning provision. She has been working in the language education field since 1982, has taught English in Japan, Ireland and the UK, and has conducted in-service workshops on motivation and autonomy for language teachers from many countries, including Azerbaijan, China, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan and Russia. Her main research interests are motivation for language learning and intercultural engagement, learner autonomy, sociocultural theory and teacher development, and she has published widely in these areas. Recent books include International Perspectives on Motivation: Language Learning and Professional Challenges (2013), Teaching and Researching Motivation (co-authored by Z. Dörnyei, 2011) and Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self (co-edited by Z. Dörnyei, 2009).

Plenary Speaker: Rab Paterson, International Christian University

Title: Creativity, innovation, and 21st century literacies as a path to student academic autonomy

It has been documented that in many cases students of today are not being taught the skills they need to adequately prepare them for the jobs and society of tomorrow (Pink, 2005; Wagner, 2008; Daggett, 2010). However, in Japan the situation is arguably more problematic as many of Japan’s educational approaches and institutional infrastructures do not prepare students for the world of the present, never mind that of the future. This environment can leave teachers in a less than ideal situation for the promotion of student autonomy and motivation. Furthermore, teachers are having to deal with these large gaps in students’ preparedness for modern learning styles and the challenges of 21st century life due to students’ old fashioned prior study experience. Likewise, digitally literate and tech savvy students are being underwhelmed and under motivated by the old-style class work tasks required by some higher education institutions. So this plenary presentation aims to show how problems arising from having to teach both of these types of students can be addressed by fostering a classroom atmosphere that places a heavy emphasis on students’ creative, critical, and lateral thinking along with some educational technology knowledge. It will also demonstrate how an innovative mindset with no fear of failure can be instilled in students as this, along with the above range of thinking types, helps to foster the appropriate autonomy needed in students for modern life and modern pedagogy. So be prepared for a learning challenge as you, the audience, will be actively participating instead of the passive viewing associated with plenary presentations.

Rab Paterson is an Educational Technology Specialist, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Educator, Google Certified Teacher, Google Education Trainer, Google Education Group Leader, and COETAILer. He is an Instructor English for Liberal Arts program / Lecturer – Global Leadership Studies program, International Christian University.

Pre-conference workshops

Workshop #1: Creating an intercultural collaboration for our students using online tools

Facilitator: Edo Forsythe (Hirosaki Gakuin University)

Teachers at secondary and tertiary levels of education have an exciting opportunity to connect their students to peers in other countries using technology. as there are now a number websites and software applications that allow people to make these intercultural connections more easily than ever before. This presentation will demonstrate how to create a platform for conducting an intercultural collaboration between Japanese and American university students. The presentation will begin by explaining the exchange which has been conducted between Japanese and American university students. Attendees will learn what issues have arisen in the collaboration’s 4-year history and they will create a wiki site which they can use to host a collaboration of their own. The presenter will provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up the online exchange using a wiki page as an example, with comments about the pros and cons of other platforms which can be used, such as social media, blogs, etc. Attendees will also as learn where to find safe, reliable partners for their students’ interactions in an educational setting. Finally, examples of the presenter’s collaborations and the students’ exchanges will be provided so that attendees can see how rich the exchanges can be. Experience has shown that students gain linguistic confidence as well as improve their digital literacy in intercultural exchanges such as these. Attendees will come away excited and prepared to introduce their students to the world safely and confidently using technology that most of them already possess.

Workshop #2: Gamification in Moodle: Setting up passing grades, completion conditions, restricted access and digital badges

Facilitator: Gordon Bateson (Kochi University of Technology)

This 90-minute workshop will highlight functionality that already exists in standard Moodle 2.x to gamify online courses. This functionality can be used to emphasize to students the goals and structure of the course, and to help them to decide what to do next. This clear understanding reduces anxiety among students and leads to increased motivation to engage with the course materials and their classmates. The workshop will examine in turn (1) setting up passing grades in the grade book, (2) setting up completion conditions on labels, resources and activities, (3) restricting access to resources and activities until certain conditions have been met, and (4) setting up and awarding digital badges to students to recognize their learning achievements. Workshop participants will be given teacher access to their own Moodle 2.8 course on http://badges.quizport.com, where they can experiment during the workshop with the functionality and techniques that are introduced. The workshop room has computers available for participants to use, and WiFi will also be available so that participants can use their own portable devices if they wish to. By the end of the workshop, participants will have created a Moodle 2.8 course that contains resources and activities that are linked together in such a way as to form a flexible and adaptive set of online learning materials, that students find easy, enjoyable and educational to interact with.