Vance and Rif co-author a paper
from a presentation given online, Nov. 2001
Rif
writes about his travels in Summer, 2002 - click here
Rif's website from
his email signature, Nov 2003: http://cc.ibu.edu.tr/aaltun
Meet Arif
Hi,
I am a new member to the group. Let me introduce myself. My name is
Arif Altun and I am a teacher and academician (assistant professor) at the
department of computers and instructional technology at a university in Turkey.
I completed my dissertation work on Computer Assisted Language Learning at the
university of Cincinnati.
You can reach me at altunar@hotmail.com or via ICQ 20906341
So, I am looking forward to hearing from you all.
Arif
peace
Vance had a chat with Rif on ICQ before class on March 18. Rif
gave permission for us to put it here:
rif: (11:52 AM) Hi Vance, how are
you
Vance: (11:53 AM) Hey Rif. Fine, and you?
rif: (11:54 AM) same here... I read the emails about the Arabian
TESOL, but I couldn't make it. It seems that you did not go to TESOL at St
Louis this year
Vance: (11:55 AM) No, did you?
Vance: (11:55 AM) First one I've missed in 15 years. I'll try to make
the next one.
rif: (11:56 AM) I am afraid I couldn't make it either. I am hoping
for the next year, too...
Vance: (11:58 AM) The TESOL Arabia presentation went well. We got an
applause
rif: (11:58 AM) congrads! you presented the Webheads, right? Are you
planning to present it at TESOL USA as well
Vance: (11:59 AM) I've presented at TESOL USA before. In Vancouver we
gave a live online show.
Vance: (12:00 PM) We've gone live online in Barcelona, numerous
conferences in the UAE, and in various online conferences
rif: (12:00 PM) cool.
Vance: (12:01 PM) Next one is May in Nicosia. I'm giving a plenary and I
hope my Webheads friends will help me out.
rif: (12:01 PM) In Northern Cyprus?
Vance: (12:01 PM) They always do. We've been doing this for several
years.
Vance: (12:02 PM) No, in the Greek part, so unfortunately I guess
there's no border crossing.
rif: (12:02 PM) I just asked because there is another conference in
the Northern part in May, too
Vance: (12:03 PM) Yeah, Famagusta. I noticed that. Maybe we could bring
them together online.
rif: (12:03 PM) Is it ok for Americans to attend such professional
organizations in Northern Cyrprus? (just asking to be sure since Northern
Cyprus is still unrecognized by the US I guess)
Vance: (12:04 PM) We have mainland Chinese talking with Taiwanese ... I
don't think there's any travel ban in Northern Cyprus. I'd love to go
there.
rif: (12:06 PM) If we talked before, we could have sent an abstract
together to the one in NCyprus to make a joint event there!!
Vance: (12:06 PM) If you have an online component, I can join you from
wherever I am
rif: (12:07 PM) I will keep this in my mind!
Vance: (12:08 PM) There's also this one: May 3rd, 4th & 5th 2001 -
Isik University, EFL Department, ELT Conference 2001: Isik University Campus,
Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey, "Creativity within Constraints", http://www.isikun.edu.tr/~efl/kayit/part.html
Vance: (12:09 PM) I can't find a
listing for the conf in northern cyprus at http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens/conferen.htm. Can you give me any particulars?
Vance: (12:09 PM) But I know I was aware of it ???
rif: (12:10 PM) I can send you tommorrow. I am now at home, and the
address is listed in my laptop
Vance: (12:10 PM) No, I was thinking of this one: 12-13 February 2001 -
"Bringing Textbook to Life." 3rd International Conference for English Language
Teaching Professionals, School of Foreign Languages, The Eastern Mediterranean
University, Gazi Magusa, Famagusta, Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, Key Note
Speakers Include: Sue Sheerin, Amos Paran and Peter Maingay; http://sfl.emu.edu.tr/tu/conference/
Vance: (12:11 PM) So, I didn't know
about a conference there in May. What are you presenting on?
rif: (12:11 PM) yes, here you go! it was this one that I was
mentioning
rif: (12:11 PM) wait wait, This is different, I will check tomorrow
Vance: (12:13 PM) ok, yeah, I keep track of these, as you see. Sure, if
you want me to come up and present with you some time, just let me know when. I
like Turkey. I want to get to Trabzon and the east next time I go.
rif: (12:13 PM) I am not sending any conference presentation this
semester. I will be presenting two papers in Bolu in June, about computer
education in Turkey (two different survey results that I conducted), and I am
working on a chapter that I will send to US in couple of weeks..
Vance: (12:14 PM) What are the topics?
rif: (12:15 PM) Presentations or book chapter?
Vance: (12:15 PM) oh, on computer education in Turkey? I mean, what
aspects?
Vance: (12:16 PM) Do you mean your survey computer use in Turkey?
Integration with language teaching in particular?
rif: (12:16 PM) one is about the students' and teachers' attitude
toward computers in classrooms, and the other one is about elementary education
teacher trainees' perceptions on the use of the Internet
rif: (12:16 PM) no, these are more geared toward computer literacy!
Vance: (12:17 PM) It's a shifting playing field isn't it? I guess it's
hard to get computers in the hand of the people there, economic reasons
rif: (12:17 PM) but, I will be co-presenting with a friend of mine on
electronic portfolios in an academic reading-writing environment
rif: (12:19 PM) Yes, but recently, the World Bank invested a lot of
money on hardware and software in schools in Turkey. The problem is there are
not many people who are computer literate to initiate an environment
Vance: (12:19 PM) That sound interesting. We do portfolio assessment
here, and assess what the students leave in their folders on the server, so is
that what that is?
Vance: (12:20 PM) The UAE is fortunate to pay salaries that attract good
people, and that's exactly it, it's the people who put it together. The
machines are secondary.
rif: (12:20 PM) yes, we developed a database (asp scripted) web-site
with a unique username and a password. We asked students enter their
reflections online. Are you doing a similar thing?
Vance: (12:21 PM) Except for student reflections. Their portfolio
consists of recordings and powerpoint presentations and projects they do for
the curriuculum.
rif: (12:22 PM) I see. I then interviewed with some key students to
explore their reactions toward this new medium. We are going to present the
findings ...
Vance: (12:23 PM) Should be interesting. Send me a copy if you can.
rif: (12:23 PM) ok, I will..
Vance: (12:23 PM) My last presentation is at http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/tesol/arabia2001
rif: (12:23 PM) a-ha, BTW, it is
going to be in Turkish :-))
Vance: (12:24 PM) hmmmmm
rif: (12:24 PM) well, maybe we should explore some possibilities to
publish it outside ....
Vance: (12:24 PM) Isn't there some website I can go to to have it
translated?
rif: (12:25 PM) not from Turkish into English! there are almost every
language but Turkish
Vance: (12:25 PM) What a shame. You guys will have to create one.
rif: (12:27 PM) you are right! We have a whole field of Turkish
Language Teaching departments throughout Turkey, but they do not seem to eager
to see this as a problem yet!
Vance: (12:28 PM) What is your area of work exactly?
rif: (12:29 PM) I have a master in Applied linguistics, and doctorate
in Computer assisted language learning at the department of Curriculum and
Instruction!
Vance: (12:30 PM) How impressive! What was your dissertation on?
rif: (12:32 PM) thanks... the socio-cognitive aspects in hypertext
reading in an ESL environment
rif: (12:33 PM) I did not have a chance to re-design my website, but
there is my dissertation proposal on-line if you would like to have a look!
http://oz.uc.edu/~altunar/dissertation/
Vance: (12:35 PM) Looks interesting.
And what did you find out?
rif: (12:36 PM) I organized my findings in categories, both in ternms
of hypertext reading and hypertext links, also, I have found that there is an
interaction in the classroom, oppor\site to the view that computers isolate
learning
rif: (12:37 PM) I am currently working on writing it in the form of an
article. I can send you when I complete if you want!
Vance: (12:37 PM) I certainly agree there. Our experience with online
learning indicates computers break isolation. Yes, I'd love to read the
article.
rif: (12:37 PM) Do you know JoAnn (Sullivan) Hammadou?
Vance: (12:38 PM) No, don't think so.
rif: (12:40 PM) ok, she is in New York at the University of Long
Island, now. They are preparing an edited book on the recent research in SLA
and technology. I am sending it to them for possible consideration. let's see
how it goes1 I would like to see it published very much! I think people should
start looking at computers as an interactive tool rather than disguising their
computer anxiety
Vance: (12:44 PM) Anything you want me to read and feed back to you on,
just let me know. Sounds like interesting work. Are you familiar with Papyrus
News (the topics would interest you)
Vance: (12:44 PM) http://members.tripod.com/vstevens/papyrus/news.htm
rif: (12:45 PM) No i did not hear
that one. Thank you for your suggestion. I definetly would like you to have a
look and give me feedback!
rif: (12:47 PM) I will be damned! How shame I did not know this! Was it
just after 1999?
rif: (12:48 PM) I already sent my subscription message!
Vance: (12:48 PM) The complete archive is there so you haven't missed
anything
rif: (12:50 PM) I was following the Eastgate Hypertext! It is at
Eastgate.com
Vance: (12:54 PM) Yeah, having a
look at that. Looks interesting. Have you ever read anything by Myron
Tuman?
rif: (12:56 PM) wasn't he the author of literacy online?
Vance: (12:57 PM) Yeah, several books like that, Word Perfect was one. I
was thinking of one he did on hypertext. And, getting lost in this eastgate
stuff ...
rif: (12:59 PM) I think I just saw his book, but I did not read in
detail. I am mostly thinking like Andrew Dillon. He suggests that getting lost
is not a big problem. It is more like a choice. However, I accept the fact that
there is a big cognitive overload on students to make them feel get
lost1
Vance: (1:00 PM) You need some kind of map if you take it to extremes.
Tuman talks of the docuverse, the world of hyperlinked documents.
Vance: (1:00 PM) Who is Andrew Dillon?
rif: (1:01 PM) he is a professor at the University of Indiana.
Cognitive Scientist, writing on hypertext!
rif: (1:02 PM) http://www.slis.indiana.edu/adillon/NewHome.html
rif: (1:03 PM) Vance, I gotto be
away from my desk for a while...
rif: (1:05 PM) I like to talk more about this later, if you like
Vance: (1:06 PM) me too. Can I put this conversation on your web page in
Webheads? Over the head of most students, but teachers would enjoy it.
rif: (1:06 PM) no problem at all
Vance: (1:17 PM) Yeah, it's good when we can share our interests among
our community. On the topic of isolation, I mean, here we are in our respective
countries / offices and I'm in as close touch with you as I am the people down
the hall.
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Last updated: November 20, 2003 in Hot Metal Pro
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