Contextualizing language learning in the digital wild: Tools and a framework

David Wible, Chin Hwa Kuo, Nai Lung Tsao

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

A premise of this paper is that there are distinctive qualities of the domain of language which render learning a language uniquely suitable for a radical contextualization within digital environments. The paper thus describes and illustrates an approach to supporting foreign language learning ubiquitously in unrestricted networked environments. The two tools presented focus on vocabulary learning. The Collocutor tool detects and highlights collocations (such as 'prescribe medicine' or 'stiff competition') in real time on any web page the user is viewing. The user can select any of the highlighted collocations for focused attention, activating a 'push ' mechanism that will provide repeated examples of the collocation over the ensuing days. Word Spider allows users to select unknown words in any web text and it responds by finding semantically related words in its context, automatically annotating these, exploiting them as contextual clues to the meaning of the targeted unknown word.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, ICALT 2004
Editors Kinshuk, C.-K. Looi, E. Sutinen, D. Sampson, I. Aedo, L. Uden, E. Kaehkoenen
Pages231-235
Number of pages5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
EventProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, ICALT 2004 - Joensuu, Finland
Duration: 30 Aug 20041 Sep 2004

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, ICALT 2004

Conference

ConferenceProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, ICALT 2004
Country/TerritoryFinland
CityJoensuu
Period30/08/041/09/04

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