[ASIA CALL 2003 News] Keynote Abstract 2 (Dr. Thomas Robb, Japan)

[Larry Chong]

Dear ASIA CALLers & Subscribers!

We are very pleased to lease our keynote speakers' abstracts in turn.
This is from Dr. Auh, U.S.A.

Globally yours,

Larry Chong, Chair


Speaker
Thomas Robb (Ph.D. U. of Hawaii), in the Faculty of Foreign
Languages, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan


CALL and the Abandonment of the Non-Autonomous Learner

Modern CALL has at its disposal the Internet in all its glory.  Not only is
it possible to search for an access information virtually instantaneously,
it has now become a tool for interactive communication, not only with text
chat, but by voice and now even video.

With the Internet, geographical isolation is no longer a problem. Highly
motivated students now have the tools to communicate with native speakers
and other learners, and to practice any or all of the four skills to their
hearts' desire.

But what about the rest of our students?  What does CALL do for them?  Are
our normal, undisciplined or low-motivated students benefiting from this
revolution?

This presentation will discuss how non-autonomous, non-independent learner
might be getting short-changed by technology and will present some ideas to
help remedy the situation.



About Dr. Thomas Robb:

Thomas Robb (Ph.D. U. of Hawaii) teaches in the Faculty of Foreign
Languages, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan.  He has been involved with
computers, CALL and the Internet for over 30 years.  He has served on the
Board of Directors of TESOL, as Chair of the TESOL's CALL Interest Section
and as President & Executive Secretary of JALT.  He has been instrumental
in the founding of TESL-EJ, the ESL's first electronic journal and the
"Student List Project."  He is the creator of Oxford University Press's
interactive "Passport Online" site and with his students, the, "Famous
Personages in Japan" Project.  He is currently interested in ways to foster
effective use of CALL in unsupervised settings.