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Installing
a Computer-Based Language Lab
Questions and Considerations
John
de Szendeffy
(March,
1997)
MLL
Training
| MLL Description
Introduction
The nature
of the analog-to-digital transition in language labs seems to be more
push than pull. That is, many programs are expected by their administration,
for reasons of competition and prestige, to offer a computer-based
lab, often before teachers and staff know what do to with one. Grant
providers and administrators (particularly those above the program
level) are often concerned only with getting hardware on desks--the
tangible acquisitions--and ignore the so-called hidden costs and concerns--the
intangibles. Ironically, though it is these intangibles that will
make or break a CALL (computer-assisted language learning) lab, it
is the tangibles, the hardware, with which most people involved in
an installation concern themselves.
General
considerations
- Pedagogical
goals. Is the lab compatible with your pedagogical goals?
- Timing.
Are you ready to use it immediately for a variety of tasks (writing,
listening, speaking, multimedia, Internet)? The clock of obsolescence
begins ticking the moment you purchase equipment.
- Technical
resources. Do you have very knowledgeable, objective people
(i.e., other than vendors) who will be responsible for making informed
purchasing decisions, installing, configuring, and maintaining the
system? Will you need a full-time coordinator? If so, what will
the balance be between this person's technical and teaching experience?
- Teacher
resources. Do your teachers have the computer training, enthusiasm,
and time to develop or implement a computer curriculum?
- Material.
Do you have enough material ready to use and copyright permission
or license to use it?
- Budget.
A CALL lab will not save money over a tape-based lab. In addition
to the initial outlay for hardware and labor, will your budget allow
for a full-time coordinator, faculty release time, maintenance,
upgrades, software, outside consulting, professional development,
etc.?
Specific
considerations: Physical nuts and bolts
- Networking
Issues: How your computers will be connected with each other, a
server, and the Internet.
- Networks
grow, not shrink, by nature. Your future network needs will
be much greater than they are today, so don't skimp on bandwidth
or ports.
- Installation
of wiring is far more expensive than the wire itself.
- Do
you want shared or dedicated server-to-client lines?
- Do
you need a hub? Do you want a switched, or intelligent, hub?
- Balanced
network components: The network is a system whose components
must work together and complement each other. For example, if
you have a high-speed server, you need comparatively high-speed
network connections that take advantage of the server's throughput
(and vice versa).
- Client-server
balance: The greater the speed and capacity of your server
and network, the leaner your client can be. The "Network
Computer," likely the next wave in lab hardware, relies
on the server for all system and application software and
data (i.e., no floppy, CD, or hard drives). This requires
massive bandwidth, such as is offered by fiber optic lines,
ATM, or Gigabit Ethernet, but greatly reduces workstation
cost and maintenance (TCO, total cost of ownership).
- Platform:
Macintosh, Windows, Linux . . .
- For
which platform can you receive the greatest local help (e.g.,
from your school's technical support center)?
- What
kind of local compatibility do you need (e.g., to connect to
a LAN or campus network)?
- What
kind of compatibility do you need to collaborate with others
in your field?
- For
which platform is the software that you need written?
- In
which platform do you already have a human investment (i.e.,
what are your people familiar with)?
- All
platforms are undergoing changes. With which are you least uncomfortable?
- As
a result of the convergence of PC and Mac capabilities and interfaces,
the old arguments in the PC vs. Mac debate have lost relevance.
But there are new ones. The opening of its architecture, and
the increased graphical nature and plug-and-play (still known
as plug-and-pray on the PC) capability of the PC make the choice
between them less clear cut. The popularity of one over the
other in a given field seems a more important consideration.
Go where the relevant software and experience is and avoid a
cross-platform system if you can help it.
- Network
Administrator.
- For
large numbers of users, you may need one person responsible
for network software installation, maintenance, systems standardization,
and general workstation integrity. Otherwise, the more each
machine is customized by each regular user, the less usable
it is by others and the more idiosyncratic become its problems.
- Expansion:
How you expand, upgrade, or build on a current or proposed lab.
- Does
your current or proposed lab allow for this? How? At what cost?
- Is
this expansion more feasible (i.e., cheaper, easier, faster,
or more tailored to your needs) than replacement?
- The
practical life span for most hardware is 3 to 5 years. Do you
know what your expansion possibilities might be at that point
(e.g., vis-a-vis funding)?
- Do
you know the specific expansion and upgrading potential of the
hardware you're buying?
- Specifically,
do you know
- How
much RAM can be added?
- If
a processor can be upgraded?
- If
it has sufficient expansion slots for peripherals or communications?
- If
it can deal with the requirements of multimedia (sound,
video, graphics)?
- Peripherals:
Hardware beyond computers, a server, and network components?
- Printers
(Ethernet? laser? color?).
- Video
capture and compression cards (e.g., MPEG compression).
- Data
backup, storage, and archiving hardware: external hard drives
(Zips, Jaz), CD-R (CD "burner"), DAT (digital audio tape).
- Scanners
for text and graphics.
- Headsets
for listening; mics with pre-amps for voice recording.
- Physical
plan
- Security:
software, secure rooms, locks, alarms, motion detectors, limited
access, etc.
- Layout:
Furniture and floor plans.
- Before
buying furniture, determine how you want students and teachers
in a lab class to interact.
- The
horseshoe shape with students facing out and the teacher
on an island is preferred by many labs.
Personnel
issues
- Administration
- Lab
staffing: Will there be a full-time or part-time coordinator?
- Full-time
coordinator.
- Expectations
of him or her.
- Initial
and continuing training arrangements.
- Professional
networking opportunities.
- Part-time
faculty as coordinator.
- Reduction
of teaching load.
- Reliance
on previous experience, development work.
- Other
options.
- Student
workers.
- Shared
personnel.
- Outside
consulting or managing.
- Institutional
commitment
- Willingness
and ability to adequately fund the lab.
- Ongoing
support for faculty and staff development.
- Training
(see MLL startup training approach)
- Starting
from scratch with the first CALL lab in an established program.
- Are
your faculty already sold on the idea of CALL?
- How
would you initiate or chart out the sequence of training
steps?
- What
computer skills--or enthusiasm for learning--do your faculty
have?
- Will
training be orchestrated by one or designated individuals
or by each for him/herself?
- Ongoing
training
- Do
you have in-service training for your faculty now? How often,
what topics, and who is responsible?
- How
much money do you anticipate spending on hardware and software
upgrades as the lab matures? How much on teacher training
to cope with these changes? (Think in particular about the
ratio of equipment and software to teacher training.)
- Can
you link into training provided by other departments at
your institution (e.g., IT or the School of Education)?
- Will
you encourage teachers to author their own material? What
training will you provide?
Materials
Development
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