Student and instructor attitudes toward CALL and MALL in the L2 classroom

[EN] As part of an ongoing study focusing on language learner and instructor attitudes toward the use of computers and mobile devices in second language (L2) learning contexts, the authors attempt to identify to what degree language instructors value the use of computers and mobile devices in their teaching. We compare the responses of a survey administered to an “in-house” group of instructors within two faculties of a private university in Tokyo, Japan, with the responses collected from a similar survey administered to instructors solicited through various CALL organizations. The number of respondents of the “in-house” survey during the first three years was relatively low; however, in the final year was considerably much higher, with the number from both full-time and part-time staff totaling 34. The total number of survey respondents from the CALL organizations totaled 121, with the participants’ places of employment ranging from Europe to the Asia Pacific Rim. In addition to offering an interpretation of a sampling of the Likert scale items found on the surveys, the authors focus on comparing the responses offered by both groups of instructors regarding which skills they focused on in the CALL classroom, as well as what mobile applications they encouraged their students to use.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Pagel, J.; Lambacher, S.; Kikuchi, H.; Mori, S. (2018). Student and instructor attitudes toward CALL and MALL in the L2 classroom. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 891-898. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8108OCS89189

Following the Ontogeny of Retinal Waves: Pan-Retinal Recordings of Population Dynamics in the Neonatal Mouse

The immature retina generates spontaneous waves of spiking activity that sweep across the ganglion cell layer during a limited period of development before the onset of visual experience. The spatiotemporal patterns encoded in the waves are believed to be instructive for the wiring of functional connections throughout the visual system. However, the ontogeny of retinal waves is still poorly documented as a result of the relatively low resolution of conventional recording techniques. Here, we characterize the spatiotemporal features of mouse retinal waves from birth until eye opening in unprecedented detail using a large-scale, dense, 4096-channel multielectrode array that allowed us to record from the entire neonatal retina at near cellular resolution. We found that early cholinergic waves propagate with random trajectories over large areas with low ganglion cell recruitment. They become slower, smaller and denser when GABA(A) signalling matures, as occurs beyond postnatal day (P) 7. Glutamatergic influences dominate from P10, coinciding with profound changes in activity dynamics. At this time, waves cease to be random and begin to show repetitive trajectories confined to a few localized hotspots. These hotspots gradually tile the retina with time, and disappear after eye opening. Our observations demonstrate that retinal waves undergo major spatiotemporal changes during ontogeny. Our results support the hypotheses that cholinergic waves guide the refinement of retinal targets and that glutamatergic waves may also support the wiring of retinal receptive fields

A brief guide to resources for developing expertise in the teaching of pronunciation

12 page(s

Computer software in EFL teaching : recommended software for use at the University of Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

There is no abstract available for this creative project.Thesis (M.A.)Department of Englis

Symposium on Utilizing Emerging Technologies and Social Media to Enhance EFL Learning

This symposium examines the impact and potential of communication technologies in learning EFL. Case studies focusing on higher education in Japan show how mobile technologies and social media could improve language acquisition in Asian EFL contexts and beyond. Teaching with sound pedagogies and communication technologies, accessed by computers and hand-held devices, can bring about better outcomes through ubiquitous language learning. Impacts can span from better language comprehension to active involvement in learning communities generated in cyberspace. This symposium will thus detail how these emerging technologies are utilized to reform EFL classroom practices. The international presenters, based at five different universities, will theoretically and practically examine factors for successful EFL learning with emerging technologies. M-learning can generate contexts for active learning with learners as agents and creators rather than spectators or recipients of knowledge. We will particularly examine a) how to implement m-learning in institutional settings, b) what makes learners willingly use mobile devices and become involved in social contexts they themselves generate, and c) how teachers can help learners with scaffolding to develop agency as individuals who voluntarily engage with the social context. Among the emerging technologies demonstrated are Social Media, such as Facebook and Twitter, media players like iPods, tablet computers like iPads, iBooks Author for interactive, illustrated, multimedia artifacts that students can also create, and blended e-learning using a content management system and smart phones for m-learning. These studies will shed light on motivational attitudes towards these technologies for language learning, and measure how these tools have impacted L2 acquisition