This workshop will introduce participants to Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL).  First, the rationale of ATALL will be presented and its goal described as providing language learners with the knowledge needed to use technology to improve their foreign-language skills on their own outside of or after the completion of formal foreign-language instruction.  Second, the four components of ATALL will be presented comprising input, interaction, exercise and assessment.  Third, activities will be described designed to engage students in ATALL.  Fourth, resources for ATALL will be presented and participants will be given the opportunity to contribute to these resources via the ATALL Wikibook available at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ATALL.

---

Preface

• An ideal workshop on this topic would involve all participants trying out new language learning tools at a computer connected to the Internet
• No internet connection here, so instead I wish to make the workshop as interactive possible and so we can learn from each other:
• For me to share my ideas of how I see ATALL
• For you to share your ideas how ATALL can be used by teachers and students of EFL in Taiwan
• Questions and comments are welcome both during presentation and after

---

Introduction

• What is Autonomous Language Learning?
• Learning one's own, either completely independenly or in conjunction with formal classroom language courses
• What is Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL)?
• Use of the technology to facilitate language learning, particularly the Internet
• What types of activitites would permit an ATALLer to improve his or her profiency in a second language?
• Read
• Listen
• Write
• Speak
• Exercise/Drill
• Assess
• Anything else

---

An ATALLer should be able to:

• Find and read/hear interesting text, audio and video in the foreign language (FL) on a daily basis -> INPUT
• With all the English available on the Internet, why should there be any materials created for English language learners?
• Regularly interact in the FL using asynchronous text and audio and synchronous text and audio (maybe video, too!) with other users of the language -> INTERACT
• Why do we need FL teachers when there are so many native speakers of the language you are learning?
• Engage in exercises to increase vocabulary, improve accent and fluency and facilitate grammatical development -> EXERCISE/DRILL
• Get feedback on his or her FL skills involving diagnosis and proficiency assessment -> ASSESSMENT

---

How can we make it possible for ATALLers to do these things?

• Provide information on appropriate technological resources and activities.
• Develop new technologies where none currently exist
• Continually revise information by all those knowledgeable about appropriate resources and activities
• And not just for English, but for ALL languages.

• Is this possible?

---

ATALL Wikibook

• What's a wiki?
• "A wiki . . .  is a group of Web pages that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows others (often completely unrestricted) to edit the content. . .  In essence, the wiki is a vast simplification of the process of creating HTML pages, and thus is a very effective way to exchange information through collaborative effort." (from the Wikipedia 2005-10-27)
• What's a wikibook?
• "A wikibook is a book based on wiki that can be edited by anybody." (from the Wikipedia 2005-10-27)
• What is the ATALL wikibook?
• A wikibook continually under development that provides resources and activities for ATALL involving
• Input (for reading and listening)
• Interaction (asynchronous and synchronous in text, audio and video)
• Excercise (for vocabulary growth, pronunciation improvement and fluency, grammatical development)
• Assessment (for diagnosis, proficiency assessment, certification)

---

Overview and tour of the ATALL Wikibook

• see http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ATALL

---

Facilitating Interaction: electronic Tandem on Moodle (eTOM)

• Moodle is a free, open-source course management system (like Blackboard and WebCT) that is easy to use by both teachers and students
• Tandem language learning involves two students learning from each other via interaction
• Bilingual, Bicultural: Native speakers of two different languages who are learning each other's native language
• e.g., a Taiwanese learning English and an American learning Chinese
• Monolingual, Bicultural: Two individuals from different cultures using a common foreign language for communication
• e.g., Taiwanese and Japanese learning and using English with each other
• e.g., Taiwanese and American using only English
• eTOM: Provides both the tools for Tandem interaction as well as a means for language teachers to find Tandem partner classrooms

---

Reactions

• Discuss in small groups:
1. Which technological tools and activities mentioned do you think would be most useful for you or your students to improve English proficiency?
2. What barriers do you see to using these tools and activities?
3. What needs to be done to overcome these barriers?

---

References

• This outline (and other presentations in Taiwan during November 2005) via http://garycziko.net > Presentations
• Autonomous Technology-Assisted Language Learning (ATALL) Wikibook at  http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ATALL (or search via Google using "ATALL Wikibook".
• To find out about new tools, resources and language learning activities
• To share what you have discovered with other language teachers and students

---

 Copyright © 2005 -- Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Last updated 2005-11-11 by Gary A. Cziko  [e-mail: g-cziko@uiuc.edu]