Our first speaker, Paige D. Ware, is giving a keynote on From Telling To Collaborating: Examining How Adolescent Learners Use Collaboration.
Page is making the point that CALL research tends to be focused on post secondary education, as opposed to primary, on EFL rather than less widely taught languages as well as being not evenly spread geographically.
I really liked the problematisation of the notion of collaboration. I have an 18 year old daughter who has the usual 'devices': smart phone, laptop and is glued to one or the other (or both - plus iPod) most of the time. She also has access to older communication tools like the home phone. What I've noticed is that there is a reconfiguration of communication going on with these kids. My daughter will text some things, facebook or 'inbox' others, chat on facebook about still others - and it doesn't seem random. What does strike me, however, is that it is hardly ever appropriate in this scheme to phone someone (either on mobile or landline) and talk... I think it's really interesting to think about collaboration online in this new communicative milieu... some work there waiting to be done...
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