CFP: User-centred Computer Assisted Language Learning

Thu Nov 6 23:28:17 UTC 2008

http://sites.google.com/site/ucallsymposium/Home

uCALL 09 Symposium

Aegina, Greece

Kavos Bay Seafront Hotel

May 19-23, 2009

What is uCALL?

uCALL stands for User-centred Computer Assisted Language Learning. The most important part of this title is 'User-centred'. We want to focus on the hard work and objectives of the language learner, and provide as much help as possible in this great endeavour. This is the potential user of all kinds of media which increasingly includes web pages and software. We don't want a group of academics to discuss interesting research ideas in a vacuum. We want to focus clearly on practical, clear and useful assistance of many kinds, for the difficult and important task of learning a language.

We hope you find the Symposium of interest to you and that you will be part of this venture:

A chance to discuss in a beautiful, relaxed environment a range of important issues for the language learner, teacher and developer. 

Symposium attendance will count as a conference publication. Abstracts and submissions are double-blind reviewed.

All who attend the symposium are guaranteed a chapter in an internationally published anthology. 

A chance to meet others like you who share your passion and interests.

uCALL 09 Symposium

Learning the language of another culture is a great objective, opening our eyes to that culture and enabling real contact with more people. Yet many adults find it difficult. Why is this? How can we help learners in their great endeavour?

Perhaps you are learning a language right now and have some great tips to pass on. Perhaps you teach a language, and have some great advice. Or perhaps you are writing language text books, web sites to help language learners or software to assist. The aim of this Symposium is to bring people like you together, from all around the world to explore ideas and experiences. An anthology will be published soon after the Symposium, and it should be a great source of advice and help for anyone involved in language learning. You would author one chapter of this book, formed from your ideas and experience together with the discussions and inspiration from meeting others like you at the Symposium.

The Symposium is not like an ordinary conference. You may have been to such a conference. Hundreds, maybe thousands of delegates. Multiple streams so you can't be sure to go to the presentation your really want to go to. A brief 15 minute presentation perhaps, with interaction limited to a couple of questions at the end and if you are lucky, chance meetings over meals or in the bar.

Our Symposium will be a chance for 25 people like you to get together and discuss important ideas to help the adult language learner. Chapters for the anthology will be finalised ready for publication at the end of the summer. All submissions will be double-blind reviewed by an international academic committee.

This Symposium is on the beautiful Greek island of Aegina, easy to get to from Athens, in a hotel where every room looks out to the sea. Delicious home cooked food and drinks will be available whenever you want. 25 will join the Symposium to relax, share ideas, and finalise a chapter of the book - a chance to be inspired while relaxing. And a great publication at the end, that all authors can be proud of.

If this sounds a great idea to you, please submit an abstract for a chapter. Look under Navigation on the left of the page for more details about the Symposium. We want to get a balanced Symposium, with a chance to explore different ideas. The objective throughout is what you can contribute to help the language learner. All Symposium members are guaranteed to be included as a chapter in the anthology of the Symposium 'uCALL '09: Advice for language learners, teachers and  developers' and will receive a copy of the book a few months after the Symposium. 

Submit an Abstract

Please submit an abstract (less than 300 words) to outline your ideas for a chapter in the book. The objective throughout is what you can contribute to help the language learner. The deadline for submission is December 1st 2008. Abstracts will be double-blind reviewed and you will receive acceptance notification by the end of 2008.

We would also like you to tell us more about yourself and your experience as student, teacher or developer. 

Simply  email us at ucall09 at googlemail.com and submit:

Your name, who you work for / study with  and email address (and if available your web home page) 

Your experience of language learning as student, teacher or software /course developer 

The questions you would like the Symposium to answer under 3 categories:

Helping the adult language learner. 

Helping the language teacher to be more effective. 

Materials (software, web sites, books...) that can support student and/or teacher.

An abstract of 300 words or less outlining your thoughts for a chapter in the anthology.

We need to receive this email by the 1st of December 2008. By the end of 2008 we will ask 25 to submit a draft chapter for the book and Symposium. This will be double-blind reviewed and by early next year we will have confirmed the structure of the book, and the members of the Symposium. At the end of May 2009 (see dates) , we will all get together, explore the ideas of the drafts, and ready the anthology for publication at the end of the summer. 

_______________________________________________
Edling mailing list
Edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu
https://lists.sis.utsa.edu/mailman/listinfo/edling
List Manager: Francis M. Hult