Theme-based Invited Speakers

Yanjie SONG
The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Title: Design, implement and orchestrate mobile and seamless learning in school education: A pedagogical perspective (C4)

Friday, November 30, 2018
10:30-11:10, Hall A

Abstract Mobile and seamless learning has been trialed and practiced over a decade in school education. Despite that positive findings have been reported, the majority of studies have not been grounded in pedagogical principles and have not been designed with explicit pedagogical approaches (e.g., Bano et al., 2018; Zydney & Warner, 2016). In addition, researches on class orchestration have been on the rise (e.g., Dillenbourg, et.al. 2011; Prieto et al. 2018; Schwarz et al., 2018). However, in many cases, studies on class orchestration have been focused more on making use of digital technologies or objects to help manage in-class learning activities, less on pedagogical use of technologies for class orchestration across different settings. Hence, this talk aims at addressing how to design, implement and orchestrate mobile and seamless learning from a pedagogical perspective, taking a few studies as examples. It is expected that the sharing can help highlight the importance of pedagogies in the design, enactment and orchestration of mobile and seamless learning in school education.

Biography:
Yanjie Song is a promising researcher in innovative pedagogical design and implementation leveraged by mobile technologies. She has conducted a series of research in seamless learning, mobile computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL), BYOD supported collaborative science inquiry, flipped classroom, and class orchestration. Yanjie developed a seamless inquiry-based pedagogical model, the niche for seamless learning using the concept of affordances, framework of reflective engagement with BYOD in higher education and productive failure-based flipped classroom. Currently, her research is focused on class orchestration by developing a web-based mobile-orchestration platform to help primary school teachers to manage collaborative science inquiry in a seamless learning environment, and integration of in-class and real-life language learning using a learner-generated tool. Yanjie has
published over 20 SSCI journal articles and won a few awards, such as Dean’s Research Output Prizes at The Education University of Hong Kong (2018), Best Teacher Forum Paper Award (2016) in GCCCE 2016, Outstanding Paper Award in GCCCE 2013, Best Paper Award in ICCE 2011, and APSCE Merit Scholarship 2008.

Ju-Ling SHIH
National University of Tainan, Taiwan

Title: STEAMing the ships for the Great Voyage—The innovative design and practice of an interdisciplinary education (C5)

Friday, November 30, 2018
13:30-14:10, Hall A

In this talk, I will introduce <Mast Dream>,<Fragrance Channel>, <STEM Port>,<ONE Peace>, a series of multimedia driven complex board games, with the goal of transforming the passive classroom learning into one that embraces interaction, participation, exploration, and knowledge construction. It is a historical and geographical board game integrated with STEAM, computational thinking, and Maker. By creating more human interaction and hands-on experiences, we enable NISE learning modes that are narrative, investigative, strategic, and explorative.

In the game, students were put into groups that represent the European countries in the Age of Discovery, and conduct tasks. The tasks of the countries were to collect various spices from colonies owned by different countries, and solve international conflicts; therefore, cooperation and competition between countries were enforced. The students would go through a series of activities to prepare for skills needed, such as unplugged coding, coding with block editor, coding for robots, making and painting of robot ships, the maker game, and the summit game.

It is an interdisciplinary activity, which refers to “doing one thing that requires knowledge and skills from various subjects” Instead of distributing the tasks into classes of different subjects. It is a STEAM activity with the addition of CHARM that covers both the science-oriented disciplines and the humanity- oriented disciplines.

The activity requires four elements including students, companions, objects, and mobile devices. Through the process, students communicate with each other, form knowledge, operate objects with hands, re-construct knowledge along the way, and manage the situation. Through the observation of others’ strategies, they make synthesis, learn lessons, and launch for another cycle of adventure. It is our educational model “C-Formosa”.

With all this, we are guiding the kids to sail to the world by STEAMing the ships for the great voyage.

Biography:
Ju-Ling Shih is a Professor and the chair of the Department of Information and Learning Technology in National University of Tainan, Taiwan. She earned her Ed.D. in Communication and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has two Master degrees: Ed.M.in Communication and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; and M.S. in Broadcasting Production from Boston University. Her research interests include instructional design and qualitative research in digital learning, game-based learning, mobile learning, and technology-mediated education in various levels and fields; and conduct interdisciplinary activities for educational practices. She has developed a cross- platform 3D role-play digital learning games “Taiwan Epic Game” that integrates the mobile-learning and digital games for the exploration of Taiwan history and culture, and a STEM-based maker game of the Great Voyage with computational thinking and robotic education in the context of history. With both projects, she has won consecutive Excellent Young Scholars Projects from Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan in the last decade, and received the 2012 Ta-You Wu Memorial Award. Her publications can be seen in academic journals such as Educational Technology and Society, Computers &
Education, and British Journal of Educational Technology among others.

Vivian Wen-Chi WU
Asia University, Taiwan

Title: Creating a Technology-Rich English Language Learning Environment to Enhance Language Learning and Teaching (C6)

Thursday, November 29, 2018
10:30-11:10, Hall A

Nowadays, the use of technology to assist second or foreign language learners is much in demand by students, but many language teachers are not sure “where” and “how” to start in incorporating technology. Their own teachers in years past did not use technology and they feel less sophisticated than their students in simply understanding today’s technology potential. In addition, these teachers feel outside their “comfort zones” when they encounter terminology such as Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL), Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), and Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL). Moreover, most academic literature about using technology for English language teaching reports on experimental one-time tests and provides little guidance on how technology can be incorporated into the curriculum over the long term (Chwo et al., 2016). In my talk, I will first present a theoretical framework for how and why technology can actually enhance language learning. Then I will provide a step-by-step process for making decisions about technology use. Teachers must understand outcome goals for the class or curriculum, identify learning activities that allow students to achieve those outcomes, and only then select one or more technology platforms that can deliver those learning activities via task-based assignments. Evaluation of each potential technology should be based on the affordances of the technology. Best practices and examples will also be provided in my talk.

In addition, I will also address how technology fits in with the overall language-learning environment, including the physical environment, the social/cultural environment, the instructional environment, and the assessment environment. This presentation uses accessible language and is based on the assumption that audience is teachers who do not currently make extensive use of technology but intend to do so in their language classrooms in the future.

Biography:
Wen-chi Vivian Wu, who received her doctoral degree in USA in 2006, is a distinguished professor of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at Asia University in Taiwan. Her recent research areas include CALL, MALL, cross-cultural communication, telecollaboration, robotics learning, and learner motivation for English as a global language. She has published extensively on CALL and technology-related prestigious journals, including CALL, System, Computer in Human Behavior, Educational Technology and Society, etc. She is on the editorial board of CALL Journal (SSCI) and serves as an executive peer reviewer of ETS Journal (SSCI). She is also a founding member of English Scholars Beyond Borders (ESBB) Association and has been a senior adviser of Asian EFL Journal (Scopus) and associate editor of Asian ESP Journal (Scopus) for many years.

As an experienced English as Foreign Language (EFL) instructor, she teaches a variety of English- related courses at the undergraduate level as well as research-oriented courses at graduate level, such as business writing, academic writing, research methodology and application of technology into classroom instruction. Over the past few years, she has employed several innovative pedagogical methods to motivate the learners in her classrooms, like flipped classrooms and problem-based learning. To cultivate a global view of learners, she has also integrated international experiences into her conversation and writing courses linking her students with college students and university professors in America and Japan.