Multimedia Enhanced Language Teaching

FOCUS OF THE PROGRAMME

In the first stage of the cognitive approach for the second language acquisition, comprehensible input, the underlying assumption is that the learner needs help in identifying the critical features in “the wealth of the linguistic and nonlinguistic information they receive”. This means that the supports embedded in the multimedia instructional approach should guide what students notice in a word, sentence, passage, or image. This strategy can also be accomplished through immediate and focused teacher feedback.
Another strategy for increasing the accessibility of material is, using the multimedia glossary for problematic vocabulary. When students have access to images, sentences, and pronunciations for the words, their comprehension of the content increases.
The second stage of the cognitive approach includes “information links that provide simplification, elaboration, clarification, definitional support, or redundancy”. Similar to highlighting important information, teachers can scaffold student comprehension of content-area facts, concepts, and generalizations and the links between them. When considering how students might interact with the new content, it is important to ensure that new information be linked to previous learning.
The teacher can also create shared experiences for the entire class through virtual field trips or other cooperative activities through digital multimedia environment. Researchers also stress the importance of teachers valuing their students’ first language. When teachers show this respect, students are more likely to have positive attitude towards their language minority peers, creating a supportive environment that can benefit the learning of all students.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Melt -09 is organized by R.M.K.College of Engineering and Technology aiming to motivate the second language teachers to prepare and use Technologically Advanced Multimedia Material and the Technology in real life Language Teaching / Learning and also to bring together students, researchers and practitioners to exchange research and development in the fields of language and technology. This conference is sponsored by the Educational Technology Unit, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. The program, MELT-09 will proceed with invited talks and paper presentations. Authors are invited to submit full papers describing completed or ongoing research and development in the following and related areas.
Conference topics include the following topics:
• Electronic language resources and tools
• Formalization of natural languages
• Parsing and other forms of NL processing
• Computer modeling of language competence
• NL user modeling
• NL understanding by computers
• Knowledge representation
• Man-machine NL interfaces
• Speech processing
• NL applications in robotics
• Text-based information retrieval and extraction
• Tools and methodologies for developing multilingual systems
• Translation enhancement tools
• Corpora-based methods in language engineering
• Methodological issues in HLT
• Language-specific computational challenges for HLTs (especially for languages other than English)
• HLTs as a support for foreign language teaching
• Communicative intelligence
• Visionary papers in the field of HLT
• System prototype presentations
• Machine Translation
• Information Retrieval
• Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications
• Supporting Visual and Verbal Learning Preferences in a Second-Language Multimedia Learning Environment.
• Multimedia for language learning and teaching
• Emerging Technologies : Language Testing Tools and Technologies
• Second language competencies and skills through web
• Network based language teaching / learning
• Interactive multimedia packages for language learning
• Hypermedia Assisted Instruction and Second Language Learning
• Multimedia materials / packages – Teaching & Learning
PAPER SUBMISSION
The conference accepts papers in English. Papers (Max.8 formatted pages) are due by 10.7.2009.In order to facilitate submission the formatting requirements are reduced as much as possible at this stage. Author(s) are required to send one hard & one soft copy of the paper (Abstract & full length paper) by post. The same copy should also be sent through email to melt09@ymail.com on or before 10.7.2009.

STYLE GUIDELINES FOR PAPER SUBMISSION
I. Page Limit: The Maximum number of pages, including references and appendices is 8.
II. Page Setup : Use A4 size paper with margins set to 1inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
III. Font Type : Use Times New Roman throughout
IV. Formatting Specifications
1. Title: 14-point size, bold, centered, first letter of important words capitalized, single-spaced, followed by two blank lines.
2. Author(s), Affiliation(s) and email Address (es) : 12 font size, centered, single-spaced.
3. Abstract: Not more than 200 words, 10 font size, single-spaced, indented 6 spaces on both sides.
4. Key words: Not more than 6 key words, 10 font size, single-spaced, indented 6 spaces on both sides.
5. Headings: Not more than 3 levels of headings, following the APA style.
a. Level 1 heading: 14 font size, bold, centered, and first letters of important words capitalized, single-spaced, followed by one blank line.
b. Level 2 heading: 12 font size, bold, left aligned, first letters of important words capitalized, single spaced, with the following text starting on the next line.
c. Level 3 heading: 12 font size, bold, italicized, indented, first letter capitalized, ending with a period, with the following text starting on the same line.
6. Main Text: 12 font size left aligned, single spaced. No blank lines between paragraphs within a section.
7. In-text citations: Author-date system for running Text (APA 5th Ed.)
8. References: “References” appended to the end of the paper, according to the guidelines specified in the APA 5th Ed.
IMPORTANT DATES
 Last Date for submission of papers : 10.7.2009
 Acceptance/Rejection notification : 17.7.2009
PROCEEDINGS

All accepted papers, whose author(s) register themselves in time would be included in the conference proceedings to be published. The proceedings will be available during the conference and will be issued only to those who present the paper.

 NO REGISTRATION FEE

 Selected Paper presenters will be given TA / DA as per Government of India Rules.

Mail Your Paper To
Dr.J.R.Nirmala
Programme Co-ordinator –MELT-09
R.M.K.College of Engineering and Technology
R.S.M.Nagar, Puduvoyal- 601 206
Gummidipoondi (TK), Thiruvallur(DT)
Tamilnadu, India
Phone : 044 – 37983829/30/31/32
Fax : 044 - 37983828
Mail : melt09@ymail.com