GSL520: Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Online
Saint Michael's College
Christine Bauer-Ramazani

The course is delivered through the Saint Michael's Online Portal of eCollege--This is just a demo site!  If you are a currently enrolled student, you have reached this site in error.  Please go to http://smcvtonline.org and use the log-in information and password you have been sent.

Contact the instructor (cbauer-ramazani at smcvt.edu) for up-to-date course information.

Location of the Course/Logging In

LOG-ON information
Access to Saint Michael's College email and resources

Course Overview
Course Schedule
Prerequisite Skills, Books, Hardware, Software, Lesson Plans
How/where can you get help if you have a problem or question? (Course content question and tech support)
Course Organization
How will you interact with the other course participants and me?
How will the course progress?
Terms of Agreement
Ready to get started?

Welcome to GSL520/GED565: Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)!  Please read carefully and print this out for easier reading/later reference!

Location of the course/ Logging on--VERY IMPORTANT!

A.  LOG-ON information

1. 1st time access to the eCollege site: From the email I sent to you, enter your Saint Michael's College username as the eCollege user ID and your Saint Michael's College student ID number as the password.

2. Setting your preferred email account: Click on MY PROFILE in the eCollege course site and change your email address and your password to your preferences, but please be sure that the email address is the same one you gave me!  After that you can log into the course with your new information.  If prompted to "remember my password", please click the box for easy/fast log on the next time.

3. SAVE your new password: Send an e-mail message to yourself right now with your log-in information and password! Then SAVE the e-mail message in a place where you will surely find it again (recommended: Create a personal folder called "Subscriptions" and store it there, along with other subscriptions you will make for this course.).

B.  Access to Saint Michael's College email and resources

1. Resources: Since you are officially a Saint Michael's College (SMC) student, you have access to all of the College's activities and resources.  You can find important information on the SMC Web site at http://www.smcvt.edu.

2. SMC email: You have access to SMC mail via our web server at http://smcmail.smcvt.edu.  Please see the instructions at Accessing your E-mail Off-Campus.

   Your password is the first initial of your first name, capitalized, followed by the first initial of your last name followed by your SMC ID # (a 7 digit number) and ending with an "!". (ex. for jsmith - Js1234567!). Saint Michael's College requires passwords changes at least twice a year. 
   For first time log-on, type in
                    Domain/username: mikenet/yourmikenetusername 
                    Password: Capital letter of your first name lower case letter of your username your SMC ID number !
                                    (No spaces and do not forget the exclamation mark at the end!)
   
   You will then be prompted to change your password.  You will need to put in your account as mikenet/yourusername again.  Please see the instructions at Accepted Students and MIKENET Passwords.
    

3. You can access all of the SMC resources (email, Public Folders, virtual drives, library databases) by downloading the Virtual Private Network (VPN) client at <http://www2.smcvt.edu/itweb/VPN/Old%20Instructions/userguide.htm>.  Use your SMC username and ID (which I emailed to you in A.1.

Course Overview

GSL520/GED565: Computer-Assisted Language Learning is a course that takes a hands-on approach to technology. You will learn about the uses of computer technology by actually trying it out. I think the best way to find out about the capabilities and limitations of technology is by experiencing them first-hand. Thus, the goal of this course is NOT to learn technology for technology sake but to learn how technology can assist you as a teacher in delivering your classes more successfully. That is why you will find a rather heavy emphasis on lesson planning and actual teaching, in addition to getting a lot of how-to's (instructions, tips, workshops) for using the technology.

Important note: At the end of this page, I will ask you to send me an e-mail message, stating that you have read and understood the information and accept the terms and conditions specified.

Course Schedule

The course follows the Saint Michael's College schedule for Graduate Programs. Since it is a Saint Michael's College course offered by the Master of Teaching English as a Second Language Program, all participants are bound by the policies and procedures for such courses, including schedule, length of time, grading, deadlines, etc.

Once we get started, the course is 5 weeks in length, starting the week of May 19 and ending on June 20. Each week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday at midnight.  Weeks open up on Friday the week before.  This means that instead of meeting at a regular time and place, you will have one week to complete all the "class" work, fulfill the required assignments, and submit any projects that are due. Due dates/times for projects are Sundays/midnight, unless otherwise noted. Please note: There will be ONE holiday in between, with no scheduled online meetings and no assignments due that day--Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day).

The beauty of an online course is also that you get to do your work at your own pace and when it works into your schedule. Of course, the downside to that is that you will be working individually, for the most part, and therefore you will probably miss the verbal and face-to-face interaction that you are used to. Nevertheless, I have built in many ways for us to communicate and stay in touch (more below)!

The course work corresponds to the 50-hour requirement for 4-credit graduate courses at SMC in that I have scheduled 5 weeks worth of "Tasks" and "Assignments." According to the SMC Graduate Catalogue, p. 3, "students spend approximately two to three hours in preparation for each hour of class time." The "Tasks" I have estimated to require about 4 hours of intensive on-task work plus roughly two to three times the number of hours for hands-on preparation and regular weekly assignments. Many tasks are optional or extra credit, and although many students choose to complete them because they are interesting, these should not be counted into the number of hours spent on task.  Please note: When you upload your assignments, they receive a date stamp, so it is easy to see if an assignment is late or not. In case of an emergency or extenuating circumstances for not being able to complete the weekly tasks, please send me an e-mail message.

Prerequisite computer skills, books, hardware, software

• You should have experience with Windows XP and be able to navigate through the different drives (hard drive, flash drive/USB port, CD-ROM drive), folders, and files on your computer. Understanding what's on your desktop and how to access these resources and where/how to save information is critical to the CALL course, especially since I won't be able to show them to you!
• You should be able to manage your files by moving, copying, and pasting them from one location (folder or drive) to another without any problems.
• You should also be familiar with the basic functions of MS-Outlook for e-mail, MS-Word for word processing, and MS-Explorer for using the Internet. If you don't feel comfortable with these functions yet, I would advise you to get some outside help or work through the handouts for Windows XP Beginning and Windows XP Intermediate from the Davis School District's Technology Training Handouts and Resources to build your familiarity with and competence in Windows XP.  I would strongly suggest working through the following sections PRIOR TO starting the CALL course!

  • In the Windows XP Beginning handouts, be sure you "walk through" the sections Manipulating Open Windows, Navigating using the Toolbar, Customizing the Desktop, File Management within My Documents, and Basic Troubleshooting Tips.
  • In the Windows XP Intermediate handouts, be sure to "walk through" the sections Manipulating Windows, More Toolbars, the Control Panel, Find, Windows Explorer with the Right Pane and the Left Pane, Organizing Documents, Screen Captures, Updating Windows, and Basic Troubleshooting.

Books: If you have not yet ordered the required book(s) for the course, you should do so immediately.    You will need it/them to discuss the readings.  All of the required and recommended books can be purchased at or ordered through the Saint Michael's Bookstore (Manager: Steve McMahon.  As of May 13, 2008, shipping one book through the U.S. mail would take 4-5 business days and cost $10 (approximately $12 for international delivery in a Global Priority envelope). If you need to order, you can contact the SMC Bookstore as follows:

• toll-free number: 866-213-0727 (add 001 in front for international access and 1 for calls within the U.S. and Canada)

• toll number: 802-654-2516 (add 001 in front for international access and 1 for calls within the U.S. and Canada)

• Fax: 802-654-2596 (add 001 in front for international access and 1 for calls within the U.S. and Canada)

• email:  at smcmahon2@smcvt.edu

You may also order your book(s) directly through the Internet by using a credit card, but please note: It may take up to 3 weeks (domestic delivery) or 6 weeks (international delivery) for the books to arrive from Amazon.com or TESOL. Please look at the information under Text(s) in the Syllabus link to order your materials. Please send me an e-mail message confirming that you have purchased and received your book. You can find all contact information under Contacting the instructor on the Course Home page or you may send me an e-mail message at cbauer-ramazani at smcvt dot edu.

Hardware: You will need

• a headset to hear communication and sound files
• a microphone to record sound
• a storage device/place for large files, e.g. a writeable CD-ROM, or a flash drive/memory stick, or a web account to hold large files. If you have an Internet account with Yahoo, Hotmail or other provider, you may also send files to those accounts and store them there. If you want to establish such an account, please visit Yahoo at http://billing.mail.yahoo.com/bm/MailReg?.v=8 or Hotmail at http://join.msn.com/?page=hotmail/plans&pgmarket=en-us or any of the other freeware sites (see the resource list on my page at http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/freeware.htm).

Software: For your computer, you will need the following software, which you can obtain at a student discount from the SMC Bookstore.  Please see specifics at Microsoft Agreement. 

• Microsoft Word (XP or later)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (XP or later)

You may also download open source software from OpenOffice at http://www.openoffice.org/ (for wordprocessing, download “Writer”; for presentations, download “Impress”), but there will be missing features/functions and incompatibility issues when we use the Insert Comments and Track Changes features.

Also, later in the course you will be asked to review several pieces of software that you may want to use in your classroom.  Although I have built in links to demos of this software, it still would be best to have access to the actual software on CD-ROM.   It can either be specifically designed for teaching English or general educational software. Software is very cheap in the U.S. You can find good deals at stores like Costco, Circuit City, Staples, or at excellent deals (just a few dollars) at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com). For those of you on campus or in the area, we have an extensive collection of ESL and language software in the backroom of the Language Learning Resource Center (LLRC) in Saint Edmund's Hall 215.  General educational software can be found in Durick Library in the room adjacent to the Circulation Desk.

How/where can you get help if you have a problem or a question?

Course content question/problem: If you have a question/problem regarding the course itself, contact me by e-mail at cbauer-ramazani at smcvt.edu, by phone (during the day, U.S. Eastern time) at 1-802-654-2642 or (before 8:30 am and after 7 pm), at home (posted in the course and will be emailed to you), by fax at 1-802-654-2595. Please see also the link on the course home page for "Contacting the instructor."   Important note: Don't hesitate to call me at home, but please do not give this number out.  My home phone number is for your use only, but I'd rather have you call me at home than go through frustrations. Often the frustrations can be solved very easily and quickly.

Tech support: If you have a computer/technology question/problem, please click on the HelpDesk link on the log-in page for the course. There is a representative available 24 hours a day, 7 days-a-week (24/7), and the average response time is 4 hours. You can also call them at 866.647.1488 toll-free off campus or ext. 2022 on campus or e-mail them at helpdesk@smcvtonline.org.  The eCollege Helpdesk folks are excellent about getting back to you.

How is the course/web site organized?

The Course Home page will always be your starting point. By clicking on the Course Home button, several other buttons will open up, such as Syllabus, Calendar, Getting Started, Resources, Tools, and Semester Schedule -- all very important components of the course.

The links on the left side of the the screen are your main navigation buttons--they will take you to the different weeks and weekly components of the course. Each Week button, when clicked, will give you links to the Tasks, Assignments, Reading Discussion Forum, Sharing what you learned Discussion Forum, Checklist, and Virtual Cafe of the week. These links contain the class dates, topics, readings, hands-on assignments, projects, due dates, as well as topics for class discussion. The Virtual Cafe is mainly for "taking a virtual (coffee) break" and discussing items of your choice with your classmates. No course-related assignments should be posted there! One important general hint--to find your way back on the Internet, hit the Back button in the top left-hand corner of your screen. This will return you to the previous pages you have visited.

Across the top of your screen, you will see additional main navigation buttons. We will use the Email, Chat, DocSharing, and Webliography buttons extensively, so you should make yourself familiar with them by clicking on them and reviewing what they do. In addition, I will post individual grades in the Gradebook for your review. Grades can only be viewed for each individual user.

How will you interact with other course participants and me?

We will use three modes of interaction with each other: the course web site (for announcements, postings, file uploads/downloads, and links), e-mail, text + voice chat (YahooMessenger), and 2-way audio + text chat.  There may be issues with firewalls for these venues, so be sure to try them out early!  With technology, it's never a good idea to wait till the last minute, as there are likely to be unpleasant surprises.

1. Interaction on the course web site: We will start the course by introducing ourselves--not face-to-face, but via responses sent through our discussion forums called Reading Discussion Forum and Sharing what you learned. Each week has several interaction assignments that relate to the readings, links, and special topics. Your success in this course and the success of the course itself depends on this type of interaction. The information submitted by you and your classmates remains on the course web site AND IS NOT SENT TO YOU, so it is absolutely necessary that you log into the course DAILY. I will respond to the interaction once a week, summarize the trends that I see, and respond accordingly.

2. E-mail: You can send e-mail to the entire class (including me) or to selected members through the Email button across the top toolbar. This is especially important for announcements, questions, problems, etc., so it is absolutely necessary that you check your e-mail DAILY.

An important note on e-mail etiquette: If you have a question about the course, an assignment, etc., please be sure to send me an e-mail message and put in the subject line "URGENT QUESTION" or "CLARIFICATION NEEDED" and the assignment it pertains to, in order to attract my immediate attention. DO NOT send e-mail messages with assignments.  And don't forget--always write the topic of your message in the subject line.

3. Chat (text-based) with the other course participants and me: I would like to hold a few 60-minute class meetings with all course participants in real time (= synchronous communication) where we will all meet in the Chat Classroom, accessible through the Chat button in the top toolbar. These class chat meetings are required and will be held at times that all of us can be present.  These dates will also be found in the Semester Schedule link (left toolbar), and I will send out reminders!

4. Office Hour Chat with me: I have reserved the days and times below for office hours--M, W, F 1:00-2:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern time.  During these times I can log into the Chat function of the course web site and you will be able to correspond with me through instant text messages. Please send me a brief email message requesting such an Office Hour chat. Of course, you can reach me by email (cbauer-ramazani at smcvt dot edu) or telephone (802-654-2642) as well.

How will the course progress?

Once the course has begun, you should always check the Announcements link on the Course Home page each time you log on. This is where I will post important updates or changes to the schedule. After that, you should click on the week that you are currently in. There you will find the topic of the week, followed by a brief statement about the goal(s) of the week. Next, under the week, click on Tasks and work through them; then go to the Assignments to find out what you need to complete for the week. Next, you should discuss the readings in the Reading Discussion Forum and the links you have visited in the Sharing what you learned Discussion Forum.

Important note: The Assignments always consist of three parts: 1. Readings and Interaction to be completed this week, 2. Sharing what you learned: Hands-on links and interaction to be completed this week, and 3. Projects to be completed this week.

• The Reading Discussion forum is dedicated to the discussion of assigned articles, theory, and teaching experience. Your responses remain on the course site. They are not sent out as e-mail messages.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: The Sharing what you learned Discussion Forum ALWAYS contains several topics or threads that you will be asked to respond to. Click the drop-down arrow to find the next discussion area. The Checklist summarizes the assignments for the week and asks you to check them off once completed.

Students should be prepared to spend time to complete the readings, the task-based work/hands-on assignments, and the projects. Much of this time you will spend following links to Internet resources and writing about them, writing reactions to readings, as well as interacting with classmates regarding their postings and projects. In many of the assignments, you will be offered a variety of options from which you can choose, depending on your professional interests, your level of skill, and your desire to try new things. Your course participation will consist of keeping me and your classmates informed as to what you are doing, what you are learning, what new things you found, etc. In each course students have surprised me with new links or new ways of doing things. We will mentor each other along the way!

How will I check your attendance, and what policies and Procedures will I use in the course? In order to complete the course successfully and to enjoy the contributions of the course participants, it is absolutely necessary that you stay in step with the course schedule and complete the assignments during the weeks that they are assigned. This includes readings, hands-on assignments, posting reactions, and uploading projects. Participating regularly in the interaction is particularly important. I will discuss the details next in the Syllabus. Important note: The points/grade for each delinquent assignment will be reduced by 10% for each week late.

TERMS OF AGREEMENT

Please indicate that you have read and understood the information on this page and accept the terms and conditions specified. Type in your name, click the radiobutton, then click Submit.

Type Your E-mail: Type Your Name: Yes, I agree to the terms and conditions specified.

Ready to get started?

Next, click Course Home in the left toolbar and return to the home page for GSL520: CALL Online. Watch my welcome message on video, read about me in information about the instructor on the Course Home Page, and find out how to contact me in Contacting the Instructor. Then start the course by reading the Syllabus.

© Christine Bauer-Ramazani  
Date of last update: May 13, 2008