General Information Members Newsletter Upcoming Meeting

New England Regional Association of Language Laboratory Directors

Fall 2004 Meeting Old Wine in New Skins: Doing Digitally What We Used to Do Analogically October 15, 2004, 9:00 - 4:00 pm Pre-Meeting Workshop on CAN-8 VirtuaLab October 14, 2004, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m Host Site : St. Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont Host Site Coordinator : Sue Breeyear - sbreeyear@smcvt.edu Program Co-Chairs : Ed Dente (Tufts University) - edente@ase.tufts.edu                                  Barbara Sawhill (Oberlin College) - Barbara.Sawhill@oberlin.edu Dick House (University of New Hampshire) - rhouse@cisunix.unh.edu Mary Simone (UMass - Boston) - Mary.Simone@umb.edu Dan Soneson (Southern Connecticut State University) - sonesond1@southernct.edu Ruth Trometer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) - trometer@mit.edu

The Prez Sez

From the President of NERALLD: Here we go again!   Another year has begun we are just as frantic as ever.   All the more reason to take a couple of days, drive to scenic Vermont and learn more about   how to get all of those audio and video cassettes in your classrooms and labs converted to digital files.   Our program committee has put together a very informative program which includes two presenters from the University of Albany who are experimenting with streaming technology. Unfortunately, we were unable to find someone to present on the topic on non-Western fonts for our Thursday pre-meeting workshop.   However, Jeremy Gilpin, the manager of St. Michael's LLRC has volunteered to give us a demonstration of his CAN-8 system which, unlike a vendor demonstration, will give those of us considering such a system an insider's view of the product. I look forward to seeing you at St. Michael's October 14 & 15! Mary Morrisard-Larkin, College of the Holy Cross mmorrisa@holycross.edu

 

Coming Events

Compiled by the President. •  October 18 th :   Rhode Island Foreign Language Association Fall 2004 Conference to be held at the Community College of Rhode Island, Lincoln Campus. http://www.uri.edu/rifla/index.html •  October 18 th : Connecticut Council of Language Teachers Fall 2004 Meeting to be held in Cromwell, CT. http://www.ctcolt.org •  October 28 th - 30 th : Massachusetts Foreign Language Association Fall 2004 Conference to be held in Sturbridge, MA. Http://www.mafla.org/conf2004.htm •  October 29 th - 31 st :   New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers Annual Meeting to be held in Rochester, NY. http://annualmeeting.nysaflt.org/ •  November 5 th - 6 th : New Hampshire Association of World Language Teachers 2004 Conference and Annual Meeting to be held in Wentworth-by-the-Sea, New Castle, NH. http://www.nhawlt.org November 19-21, 2004:   ACTFL Convention, Chicago, IL.   ( http://actfl.org/ )

 

Business Matters!

Tour of Magic Hat Brewery and dinner at Vermont Brewery & Pub .   Sue Breeyear, our gracious hostess for this year's Fall meeting, has arranged an outing for us after the pre-meeting workshop on Thursday.   If you are interested in joining us please contact   Sue Breeyear (sbreeyear@smcvt.edu) by October 6 th . Elections!!!   As much as I enjoy serving NERALLD, I must insist on stepping down after this meeting.   In addition to my family responsibilities, there are still two technology positions that remain vacant at Holy Cross.   Please seriously consider running for President when we hold elections at our Fall meeting.   It is a wonderful way to support the language and technology community.

 

Editor Notes

Are you still looking for that Czech (Indian, Argentinean) movie that you have not been able to find for a while?   Check the Internet Movie Database at http://imdb.com . This site offers free access to a huge international movie database.   Just type the title of a movie or its translation in English.   A window appears with links to all movies with that (or similar) title and the year in which they were released.   Following each link you have access to more specific information regarding director, cast, country, language and a short plot summary. It has worked really well as a starting point to find information for non-mainstream movies.   A professional version of this database is also available for a monthly fee.

 

NERALLD Fall 2004 Workshop and Meeting

	Old Wine in New Skins: Being Digital where we once were Analog October 14 th and 15 th , 2004 St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT

Pre-Meeting Workshop: Thursday, October 14 th , 1 pm â 3 pm

(Location: Bergeron 105)

1 p.m. -3 p.m. An Introduction to Multimedia Authoring in a Network Environment

Jeremy Gilpin (Manager, LLRC at St. Michael's College)

In the winter of 2002, the Language Learning Resource Center (LLRC) at Saint Michael's College dismantled and discarded the Revox cassette system, and entered the digital age once and for all.  Four rows of audio booths were removed, as well as the instructor console. CAN-8 VirtuaLab was selected as a replacement solution.  After a rocky start, both the Modern Languages Department and the School of International Studies (ESL) have been authoring lessons and exercises for use with their students.  Jeremy will demonstrate the system and some of the work that has been done by and for faculty, and will discuss the pros and cons of this type of lab system. The demonstration will be followed by a hands-on session where participants will have the opportunity to test the authoring and tracking capabilities of the CAN-8 system.  

4 p.m.   Magic Hat Brewery Tour

6 p.m.   Dinner at Vermont Brewery and Pub

Meeting: Friday October 15 th ,   7:30 am â 4:30 pm

(Location: International Commons)

7:30 a. m. - 8:45 a.m. Registration Table Open

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Opening remarks by Mary Morrisard-Larkin (President) and Sue Breeyear (Host Site Coordinator)

9:00a.m. - 9:20 a.m.: Recording Audio and Video Digitally; Putting the Why before the How

Dick House (Director, Language Resource Center, University of New Hampshire-Durham)

Dick will provide us with an overview of the key points a lab director needs to consider while making the transition to digital recording in language learning and teaching.

9:20 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: LabRecorder and TestFabrik: Task-Based Student Audio Recordings and More

Dan Soneson   (Director, Language Lab, Southern CT State University)

Having moved from a fully analog setup to a fully digital one, we [at Southern Connecticut State University] needed to re-establish some of the functionality of the old lab in the new facility. One of the most requested features was to have students record their speech for instructors to listen to subsequently. Instead of using cassettes we now use LabRecorder, a task-based application developed in-house, which is available for distribution. Recordings are transferred to our server automatically. We subsequently bring the audio samples together and deliver them to the instructors via portable medium. I will demonstrate this cross-platform utility as well as TestFabrik, a template for constructing electronic tests which assess communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Recordings are made in a similar manner to LabRecorder, and written responses are also collected and redistributed to instructors.   Finally, I will briefly outline a project currently underway in one section of French 100 here at Southern. Students are creating 8-10 minute videos throughout the semester using software that comes with our computers.â 

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. BREAK

10:15 a.m. - 10:45a.m.: DL-recorder: A Low Cost Solution for Putting the Language Lab on the Network   

Otmar Foelsche (Director, Humanities Resources, Dartmouth College)

DL-recorder offers playback and recording capability through a simple interface, permitting recording while listening without having to touch buttons. In its current version it can save student input for evaluation by an instructor. It can handle MP3 and Wave files, additional file compatibilities are planned for later version.   Otmar will demonstrate the program at this session and provide instructions for downloading and explain licensing arrangements.

10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.   All Things Just Keep Getting Better: What the Fab 5 Taught Oberlin About the Transition From Analog to Digital  

Barbara Sawhill (Director, Cooper International Learning Center, Oberlin College)

Barbara will present Oberlin's head first (lemming-esque) leap into changing (forcing?) the way students and teachers use available technology for language learning and teaching.  

11:15 a.m. - 11:45a.m. Virtual Audiocassettes in the Foreign Language Classroom; How to Go Home with an Empty Briefcase

Professor Chaston will discuss his experience as a language teacher during his transition from audiocassettes to digital audio.

11:45 a.m. - 2 p.m. NERALLD Lunch and Business Meeting

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Maximizing Campus Resources: Delivering Low Cost Streaming Video Content Using Your Existing Campus Infrastructure

Steven Doellefeld, (Assistant Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, University of Albany)  

Faculty interested in developing new courses or re-inventing existing ones need to make smart choices about the specific technologies employed when they choose to offer hybridized, mixed modality, or fully asynchronous courses.   In recent years, this has often led to suggestions of using the Internet to stream video clips that would otherwise be placed on library reserve. Unfortunately, at most institutions this choice is not an apparent option, as purpose built media servers are a particularly expensive endeavor to undertake. However, most campuses likely already own the necessary hardware for smaller scale streaming, and only need to make small additional investments in hardware and software to make the streaming of video a viable option. In this presentation we will discuss the fundamentals of how streaming video works, the hardware and software necessary to permit media streaming, and the small investments you will likely need to make to be able develop streamable videos.

3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.   Digitize on a dime â solutions for low-to-no cost streaming audio.

Kerry Walker (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, University of Albany)

The concept of managing and delivering media files as data is quite powerful. Unlocking the potential of this technology opens many possibilities for campuses to improve the quality of course offerings, open the doors to a more flexible, enhanced distance learning structures, and revolutionize the process of content acquisition and delivery. In recent years, there have been burgeoning pressures upon institutions to enable media delivery in spite of strained budgets, limited staffing, and lack of technical expertise. In this presentation, we will examine some of the technologies that enable the concept of streaming media delivery, and perhaps most importantly, we will concretely demonstrate how to stream audio files for low or no cost, using equipment that you probably already have in your office! If suitable bandwidth is available, we will record the first portion of our session, quickly digitize it and upload the file to the Internet. For our finale, attendees will be able to hear the beginning of the session streamed from our server on the University at Albany campus

4:00 Wrap-up

4:30 Lab Tour

Directions and Information

St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT

If you cannot reach Sue, please try Jeremy Gilpin 802 654-2935/802 578-2777 or the IT Help Desk number is 802 654-2020 (7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.)

From the Boston area --Take Interstate 93 or Route 3 & 93 north to Interstate 89 (Concord, NH).   Follow I-89 north to Vermont Exit 15 (Winooski).   Bear right off Exit 15, get into left lane.   At first set of lights, make a left turn into parking lot.   McCarthy Arts Center is on your right; Ross Sports Center is on left at back of parking lot.  

From Worcester area --Take Interstate 290 east to Interstate 495 north to Route 3 & 93 north (Nashua) to Interstate 89 (Concord) to Vermont Exit 15 (Winooski).   Bear right off Exit 15, get into left lane.   At first set of lights, make a left turn into parking lot.   McCarthy Arts Center is on your right; Ross Sports Center is on left at back of parking lot.  

From Hartford area --Take Interstate 91 north to Interstate 89 north (White River Junction); follow I-89 north to Exit 15.   Bear right off Exit 15 and get into left lane.   At first set of lights, make a left turn into parking lot. McCarthy Arts Center is on your right; Ross Sports Center is on left at back of parking lot.  

From Albany area --Take Adirondack Northway (87) north to Exit 20, Route 149 east to Fort Ann, follow Route 4 north to Fairhaven, VT to Route 22A north to Route 7 north (Vergennes) to Interstate 189 east to Interstate 890 north to Exit 15.   Bear right off Exit 15, and get into left lane.    At first set of lights, make a left turn into parking lot. McCarthy Arts Center is on your right; Ross Sports Center is on left at back of parking lot.  

PARKING:   We have been asked to by St. Michael's Security to park in the parking lot adjacent to Ross/Tarrant.   Other free parking areas for visitors are designated by signs.   Student parking is zoned.   If you park in a non-zoned area and get a parking citation, please give Sue Breeyear your parking ticket and it will be taken care of.

WALKING DIRECTIONS FROM ROSS/TARRANT PARKING LOT

To Bergeron (Thursday):   Walk back toward the campus buildings and past McCarthy Arts Center.   Take the second left past McCarthy onto the straight walkway through the quad--you'll pass by two large dorm buildings and come out on a service road.   You should see the tennis courts directly ahead of you; the small one story building to your right across the road is Bergeron.

To International Commons (Friday ):   Follow the directions above to Bergeron, but this time keep walking past Bergeron and take the next left.   Then take the first right and walk past the townhouses.   The International Commons is a one-story, standalone building with large windows, and will be on your left; the main entrance faces east.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

The best list of local hotels and other info is at the St. Michael's Site ( http://www.smcvt.edu/Std2.asp?SiteAreaID=241&Level=1%20%20 .). We have arranged for a block of rooms at the Wilson Inn in Essex at a reduced rate (but it's not a huge block, so I don't know what's left). The Days Inn is right across the street, but the accommodations are not exactly posh, but cheap.   Ask for the St. Michaels' rate if you stay there!   Sue suggests that people try to stay in the Burlington/South Burlington/Winooski/Essex/Colchester area. Stowe is about a 45-minute drive away from campus, and might be a far away, but good choice for people staying the weekend who have a car and want to see the countryside.

RECOMMENDED AREA RESTAURANTS

$   Papa Frank's Italian Restaurant, 13 W. Center Street, Winooski

$   Libby's Blue Line Diner, Exit 16 off I-89, South on Rt. 7

$$   Joyce's Noodle House, 5 Carmichael St., Essex Junction

$$   Peking Duck, 79 W. Canal St., Winooski

$$   Rusty Scuffer, 148 Church St., Burlington

$$   RiRa's Irish Pub, 124 Church St., Burlington   860-9401

$$   Tortilla Flat, 317 Riverside Avenue, Burlington   802 864-4874

$$   Shanty on the Shore, 181 Battery Street, Burlington   802 864-0238

$$   India House, 207 Colchester Ave., Burlington   802 862-7800

$$   Koto Japanese Restaurant, 792 Shelburne Rd, S. Burlington   802 660-8976

$$   Dog Team Tavern, Middlebury   800-472-7651

$$-$$$ New England Culinary Institute, 25 Church St., Burlington   802 862-6324

$$   Vermont Pub and Brewery, 144 College St., Burlington   802 865-0500

$$$ Lunch on the Lake Cruise, Spirit of Ethan Allen III (1 hr. cruise on Lake Champlain, reservations required, 802-

       862-8300)

$$$ Foxfire Inn, Rte. 100, North of Stowe Village (reservations recommended: 802-253-4887)

$$$   Souza's, 55 Main, Burlington (Brazilian) 802 864-2433

THINGS TO DO ON THE WEEKEND

* Lunch on the Lake Cruise, Spirit of Ethan Allen III (1 hr. cruise on Lake Champlain, reservations required, 802-862-8300)

* The Great Vermont Corn Maze, Patterson Farm, 1404 Wheelock Road, North Danville, VT (about a two hour drive from Burlington, north)   10 a.m. - 4 p.m.   Miles of pathways through towering walls of corn.   If you're really nuts, you can go there after dark and challenge yourself under the moonlight.   Adults $8, kids 4-14 $6.   www.vermontcornmaze.com

* Wild goose chase-Thousands of migrating snow geese and Canadian geese come in for a pit-stop at Dead Creek Wildlife Management area on Vermont 17 in Addison.   The height of the migration is (!) the third week in October.   Admission and parking are free-bring your binoculars.   Info at www.vtfishandwildlife.com

* Something afoot-the 34th annual Green Mountain Marathon, New England's third oldest marathon, covers an out-and-back course on the west shore of South Hero and Grand Isle.   $25, no race-day registration. Information on www.gmaa.net

* ECHO center, on Burlington's waterfront.   On October 16, there'll be a presentation by the Vermont Tree Society pointing out some of Vermont's oldest and biggest trees, including a willow in Plainfield, VT that measures 34 feet around.   Information:   802 864-1848 or www.echovermont.org

* Shelburne Museum, Rte. 7, Shelburne.   Historic New England village.

* Teddy Bear Factory, Rte. 7, Shelburne.   See teddy bears made; you might even want to make your own!

* Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Rte. 100, Exit 10 off I-89, Waterbury Center.   Free samples and a fun tour of the famous Vermont ice cream makers.

* "Cast-Offs: Girls, Riddles, Fate", sculptural work by Leslie Fry. Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, Church Street, Burlington.   802 865-5355.

* Theater:   "The Complete History of America (Abridged)"-600 years of American history in two hours.   FlynnSpace, Burlington.   $23-$27.50.   802 863-5966.

NERALLD MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL/NEW MEMBERSHIP &

FALL - 04 MEETING REGISTRATION FORM

(This form is also available as a separate pdf download.)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6th   IS THE CUT-OFF DATE FOR REGISTRATION

NERALLD Membership Dues for 2004-2005 = $25.00 Lunch at Meeting = $10.00

The NERALLD membership year runs from Oct 1 - Sept 30. Dues are $25.00 per year. NERALLD is open to all interested parties, upon receipt of dues. Membership allows you to attend meetings, workshops, vote, and receive NERALLD newsletters. Please note: Membership in NERALLD is on an individual basis. There are no institutional membership rates.

CURRENT AND PAST MEMBERS - REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW! Send in this form, or email the information to mmorrisa@holycross.edu by October 6th. Cash or check accepted at meeting. Paying by check? Make it out to NERALLD.

NAME: _____________________________________________ Email Address: __________________________

(If there are corrections to the mailing label, please note them below.)

___ I am renewing and will attend the meeting at St. Michael's College.

            ____ I will attend the pre-meeting workshop on October 14 th and the general meeting on October 15 th .

            ____ I will attend the general meeting on October 15 th .

$35 ($25. to renew, plus $10 for lunch) (____check enclosed / ____ will pay at meeting)

___ I am renewing but won't attend the meeting at St. Michael's College

$25 to renew (check enclosed)

********************************************************************************************

NEW MEMBERS - REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED but advance payment is not. Send in this form, or email the information   to mmorrisa@holycross.edu by   March 24th. Cash or check accepted at meeting. Paying by check? Make it out to NERALLD.

____ I am not a current member. I will attend the meeting.

____ I will attend the pre-meeting workshop on October 14 th and the general meeting on October 15 th .

            ____ I will attend the general meeting on October 15 th .

$35 ($25. to join, plus $10 for lunch) (____check enclosed / ____ will pay at meeting)

____ I 'd like to join but won't attend this meeting.

$25 to join (check enclosed)

Name: ______________________________________ Institution: _____________________________________

Department: ________________________________ Address: _______________________________________

Email: ______________________________________ City: ___________________________________________

Telephone #:______________ FAX#:____________ State: ______________ Zip: ______________________

SEND THIS FORM to: Mary Morrisard-Larkin, NERALLD President, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St.,

Box 118A, Worcester, MA 01602 or e-mail mmorrisa@holycross.edu or phone (508) 793-3796.