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Date:         Sun, 13 Sep 1992 06:55:38 -0700
From:         MACEYTAY@ARIZVMS.BITNET
Subject:      Re: FLEAT CONFERENCE

[From TESOL CALL-IS newsletter, October '92 - in press]

By Bernard Susser

FLEAT II, the second Foreign Language Education and Technology
conference, was held at Chubu University (Japan) from August 4-7,
1992.  FLEAT is a joint conference of the Language Laboratory
Association of Japan (LLA) with the International Association for
Learning Laboratories (IALL), based in the U.S.  There were well
over 300 participants, including 50 from IALL; the program lists
three keynote speeches, several symposia and panel discussions,
workshops, demonstrations, and over 40 presentations.  The
conference proceedings will be published (watch this space for
further information), so I will not describe individual presen-
tations.  Instead, I'll mention a few themes of interest to CALL-IS
members.

First, the audiotape-based language lab is being replaced by
multimedia/hypermedia labs using both audio and video hardware under
computer control and new computers with internal high-quality audio
and video capabilities.  Several dazzling interactive video programs
that had been designed to motivate learners working independently in
the lab outside class were shown .

A related theme was the rela- tionship between the hi-tech media
center and the classroom.  Several presenters emphasized that the
new technology pro- vides individualized instruction and motivates
learners and offered suggestions for following up in the classroom
with speaking activities, one area where computers are not yet of
much use (except for pronunciation training).  Most Japan-based
presenters described classroom uses of technology, while many from
overseas assumed their programs would be used outside class in
self-access media centers.  This difference springs not so much from
different pedagogies as from the fact that most Japanese students
commute to school (there are few residential campuses) and tend not
to stay on campus (which often closes by 8:00 p.m.!).

Another conference topic was the emphasis on authoring programs,
templates, modules, etc. designed to enable teachers (or their
institutions) to make their own hyper- media materials.  New
hardware  (e.g., better scanners), new soft- ware (e.g., video
digitizers), and  new services (e.g., satellite broadcasts and
telecommuni- cations  networks) give the language teacher many
oppor- tunities for developing exciting teaching materials.

Unfortunately, training, financial considerations, and legal
restrictions are only some of the problems here.

Concerning the participants, most LLA members are EFL teachers
although there are few in Japa- nese as a second language.  Jim
Alatis of TESOL fame was there, as were several CALL-IS mem- bers
including  LeeAnn Stone (president of IALL), John McVicker, and
Michael Barlow.  Most IALL members are FL specialists, teaching
French, German, or  Spanish in the USA.  The main lesson of this
conference for me was  that as valuable as TESOL is, we in EFL have
much in common with FL  teachers.  For technology in particular,
the pedagogical issues are  much the same, whatever the language
being taught.  The purpose of many projects described at this
conference is to create a foreign-language environment for learners
just because they are far from the country where the target language
is spoken.

Note: JALT '92 will be held November 21-23 in Kawagoe near Tokyo.
Friday, November 20, ten all-day pre-conference workshops will be
offered, including "New tools for teaching: CALL in the language
classroom" by Lance Knowles.  For more information, contact:

JALT  Central Office
Shamboru Dai 2 Kawasaki 305
1-3-17 Kaizuka, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki
Kanagawa Pref. 210, Japan
Phone 044-245-9753
fax: 044-245-9754.

The first time I tried to send this, the whole thing went kerflooey.
I don't think it went.  Hope this one's okay.

Macey Taylor, TESOL CALL-IS Editor
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU