Invited Speeches
Keynote Speech
Randall W Sadler
(U of Illinois at Urbana Champaign)
"Going Meta for Language Learning: From Text-Based to Immersive Realities "
Abstract
Recently, High Immersion VR Environments (accessed via VR headsets) for language learning and teaching have garnered strong interest from researchers and practitioners alike (Chien et al., 2019; Gruber & Kaplan-Rakowski, 2020 & 2021; Kaplan- Rakowski & Wojdynski, 2018; Xie et al., 2019; York et al., 2021), based on their realistic imitations of environments where target languages might be used for 'authentic-like' interactions (with other learners or bots). This heightened attention is reflected in the recent renaming of Facebook to Meta due their new focus on “3D spaces in the metaverse [that] will let you socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.” However, •What does the metaverse mean for us as language teachers or researchers and what is it? •Is this really something new or a rebranding of another idea? •What opportunities and/or drawbacks does the metaverse have for us and our students? This presentation will begin with an examination of the fictional history of the metaverse, followed by technical innovations that led to our current stage of development, ranging from text-based creations, to 2D avatar-based environments, and on to low-immersion Virtual Worlds, all of which led to what many are (erroneously) calling the Metaverse today. This discussion will also include a review of six currently available VR environment that have potential for language learning and exchange and also an examination of one VR app specifically designed for student-teacher interaction for language learning.
Dr. Randall Sadler (Ph.D) is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Director of TESL and ESL at the University of Illinois. He teaches courses on telecollaboration, VR and language learning, and teaching L2 reading and writing. He has published in journals including CALICO Journal, ReCALL, LLT, Computers & Education, ELT, and in numerous edited volumes. His books include Virtual Worlds, Telecollaboration, and Language Learning (2012, Peter Lang), the Handbook of Informal Language Learning (2020, Wiley Blackwell), and New Ways in Teaching with Games (2020, TESOL).
He is the current President of CALICO, the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium.
Plenary Speech
남대현 교수
(KAMALL Vice President, 사이버한국외국어대학교)
"MALL 25년 연구동향: 메타연구"
Abstract
The concept of mapping knowledge domains describes a newly evolving interdisciplinary science aimed at the process of charting, mining, analyzing, sorting, navigating, and displaying knowledge. Therefore, research has been conducted to employ the scientific bibliometric analysis method for a large number of publications, which could be visualized clearly. Given the recently developed overviewing knowledge map of academic disciplines, the purpose of the current presentation is to critically review how the published articles in Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) are thematically related to each other to form an ecology of multimedia-assisted language learning. To this end, the MALL articles' bibliometric information (1998-2021) was collected from various sources (e.g., OpenAlex) to conduct a series of 'relatedness' analyses (e.g., co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence). Based on the results, the presentation discusses the themes and trends of the MALL over the last two decades. [Presentation in Korean]
Daehyeon Nam is Associate Professor in the Division of General Studies at Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. His research focuses on EAP/ESP writing pedagogy through corpus linguistics and its application to network analysis of various genres of texts.
Featured Speech
Junjie Gavin Wu
(PacCALL Representative; Shenzhen Technology University, China)
"Enhancing Native Cultural Awareness through Virtual Reality"
Abstract
Language and culture are inseparable. Teaching language and culture in foreign language education should be bidirectional, which not only refers to the cultivation of understanding, comparing, evaluating, and applying L2 cultural knowledge but also relates to that of a speaker's native culture. However, language and culture learning has to some extent been a tedious and arduous task for EFL learners due to various factors such as the lack of learning motivations, the insufficient attention to task authenticity, and the inadequate chances for learners to engage in interactive activities. New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) have revolutionized our accustomed ways of learning as the learning opportunities have been extended beyond the limited classroom time. Yet, the integration of VR in native culture learning has not been widely seen in exam-oriented societies such as China. This novel study reports on an exploratory attempt to improve EFL learners’ L1 native culture learning with the assistance of VR games. Specifically, we aim to explore the use of a self-developed VR system in supporting learners in improving their Chinese culture knowledge via a simulated world of The Forbidden City. The present talk will report some exploratory findings on the students’ attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of VR in culture learning. In addition to the affordances of the VR system, the talk will also touch on some challenges students encountered and follow-up suggestions will be discussed at the end of the talk.
Gavin Wu is Assistant Professor and Book Review Editor of TESL-EJ. He serves on the committee of PacCALL. He has published in top TELL journals and he co-edited the book Language Learning with Technology: Perspectives from Asia (Springer). He is currently editing special issues for international journals.