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NewsletterSanako Global Newsletter www.sanako.com
SPRING 2015 CONTENTS:•EndangeredLanguages•13modernlanguageprogramsatOakton•NewSanakoSLH-07USBheadsetcableavailabeinshorter length
•LP:FlippedLearninginyourlanguagelessons•LanguagelearningatHuaQiaoUniversity•NewsinBrief•Events
MyveryfirstvisittoNewZealandrecentlybroughttolightthe
positiveimpactthatdeliberateactioncanhaveonendangeredlanguages.
Stillconsidered‘vulnerable’byUnitedNationsEducation,ScientificandCulturalOrganisation(UNESCO)whoregularlypublishesalistofendangeredlanguages,theMaorilanguage,tereoMaori,wasindeclineinthe1970swithorganisationsevenhavingtopaytheNewZealandBroadcastingCorporationtousetheMaorilanguageinbroadcasts.
Butpro-activecampaigningtoraisetheimportanceofthelanguageandcultureofMaoriinNewZealandhasbroughtaboutadegreeofchange,includingfreetoairtelevisionchannelsintereoMaori.
AmongUNESCO’sdefinitionsofendangeredaretheattitudeandpoliciesofthegovernmenttothelanguage,andthepassingonofthelanguagetoyoungergenerations.BothofthesehaveplayedamajorroleinstrengtheningtereoMaori:since1987thelanguageisoneofNew
Endangered Languages
Zealand’sofficiallanguages,andopportunitiesforimmersivelearningareenshrinedinthecountry’sEducationAct.
Allofthismeansthatanincreasingnumberofpeopleareusingandhearingthelanguageinmoresituations,andalsothattheyoungergenerationaregettinginvolvedinwhatwasrapidlybecomingthedomainoftheoldergeneration.OntheothersideoftheworldinthenorthernreachesofCanada,livesMillieQitupanaKuliktana,whohasdevotedherlifetokeepingherownInuinnaqtunlanguageandculturealive.
TheInuinnaqtunpeopleliveinasmall,isolatedcommunity,andfind
thattheiryoungstersareleavingtheareaforstudyandwork,andsodriftawayfromtheirowncultureandlanguage.
Milliementorsyoungerpeoplefromhercommunitytohelpthemmaintainandimprovetheirlanguageskillsandculturalknowledge.Sheandother‘elders’teachtheyoungerpeoplesongs,craftsandtraditions,allthroughthemediumofInuinnaqtun,sothatthelanguagedoesnotbecomeextinct.
Ofcourseitallsoundswonderful,butit’snoteasyineithercountry,asmodernlifestylesovertakeoldertraditions,andyoungerpeoplebecomelessinterestedintheirrootsandassociatedlanguage.Whatthesetwogeographicallydistantanddiversecommunitieshaveincommonisawillingnessto
effectchange,andthefocusoninvolvingchildrenandyoungpeopletolearntheirheritagelanguage.
Andsoifthelanguageisnotmarginalisedandisallowedtobearegularpartofeverydaylife,whetherathome,ontelevision,orinthechambersofgovernment,thensurelyitbecomesapartofnormalitynotjustforthe
indigenouspeople,butforanyonewholivesinthecountry?We’veallreadthenewspaperarticlessayingthatspeakingmorethanonelanguageboostsbrainpoweretc;thenwhynotboostthebrainsofouryoungergeneration–oureconomicandculturalfuture–byensuringthatweallbecomeatleastbilingual?AsMilliesaysinhervideo“Languagedoesnotstandalone.Languagestandswithculture.”Weworkhardtopreventanimalspeciesfrombecomingextinct,surelyourownlanguageandcultureisjustasimportant?
ByMarie O'Sullivan,TheLanguagepoint
"Whynotboostthebrainsofouryoungergeneration–oureconomicandculturalfuture–byensuringthatweallbecomeatleastbilingual?"
Newsletter
andESL-aspecialplacetoexperimentsafelywithlanguagelearningaswellasthesupportoflanguagelabequipment,softwareandserviceshasprovedveryvaluable.
Why Choose Sanako
OurnewlanguagelabwasinstalledinSeptember2014andneededtobeuser-friendly.Thesystemalsoneededgoodlisteningandrecordingcapabilities.Asendusers,weusethesoftwaredaily.
TheSanako Study 1200hasallowedmodernlanguageteacherstocustomizetheirlanguageclassesandmakemoreefficientuseoflabtimeandconductingexams.OurESLteachershavebeenabletoexperimentwithdifferentexercises,likelisteningtoaudiobooks,whichcanbedoneatthepaceofeachstudent,andusingtheDiscussionfeature,whichallowsstudentstospeakmorefreelywithaclassmate.Thelanguagelabstaffoffersmanysuggestionstoourmodern
languageandESLfacultyabouthowtousetheSanako Study 1200 softwaretoimprovetheirlabuse.WeareluckythatouradministrationandfacultypartnerwithustoimprovelanguageteachingandlearninginthelanguagelabsatOaktonCommunityCollege.
OnespecifictaskforwhichweusetheSanako Study 1200isrecordingusingtheVoiceInsertfeaturewithourModernLanguageclasses.Thisisaveryimportantfeatureforourlanguagetesting.Ratherthanhavingstudentsreadasituationandrecordaresponse,theVoiceInsertfeatureallowsourstudentstosimulatearealconversationbylisteningtothetestquestionsinthetargetlanguageandhavingtorecordaresponseinthetargetlanguage.
Bringing the World to Oakton
AtOaktonCommunityCollege,studentshaveanunusuallyricharrayofopportunitiestostudyculturesandlanguages.FromSpanishtoKorean,ItaliantoArabic,theCollege'sModernLanguagesprogramofferscoursesin13differentlanguages-morethananyothercommunitycollegeinIllinois.Thesecoursesstressthebasiclanguageskillsofspeaking,listening,reading,andwriting,andtheyarenowenhancedbythefeaturesoftheSanako Study 1200 multimedialanguagelab.Inaddition,OaktonCommunityCollegehasnon-creditandcreditEnglishasSecondLanguage(ESL)classes,whichalsoutilizetheLanguageLabforvariousactivities.
Oaktonintroducesstudentstotheworldthroughprogramsin13modernlanguagesandtheSanakoStudy1200multimedialanguagelab
Havingpreviouslyusedanout-of-datecassettetapelanguagelab,the
ModernLanguageDepartmentknewwehadtostartusingcomputersanddigitalmediatoserveourlanguageinstructorsandstudents.WebeganconvertingourlablittlebylittlefromanalogtodigitalbyaddingmoreandmorecomputersandrecordingstudentexamsdigitallywithSanako Study Solo,untilfinallyOaktonapprovedacompletereplacementforourlanguagelab.
Additionally,ourModernLanguageandESLdepartmentsmadethecaseregardingtheimportanceforhavingadedicatedspaceforlanguagelearningandteachinginourLanguageLabs.ReducingtheanxietyoflanguagestudentssothattheycouldperformbetteraslanguagelearnerswasabigpartofourmessagetoourCollegeabouthowourLanguageLabssupportlanguagelearning.Givingallofourlanguagestudents-ModernLanguage
ByBethWrobel,LanguageLabCoordinator
Whilethe1.5mshorterlengthUSBcablewasprimarilydevelopedforcustomerswithwirelesslabswhouselaptopcomputers,manywired/LANcustomerswillbenefitfromitaswell.Forexample,instationarySanakolanguagelabsweareseeingmanyschoolswhoarenowpurchasinglaptops,all-in-onecomputers,ortheslim/smallformfactordesktopcomputerswhichcansitonthestudentdesk.Sincetheselabsallhavetheteacherandstudentcomputerswithinarm’sreach,thecurrent2.5mUSBcableprovidesfarmorelengththanisrequiredfortheheadsettocomfortablyreachthecomputer.
ThereforeSanakohasalsodesignedthisshorterlengthUSBcableinanefforttobetteraccommodatetheenduserandtopreventearlydamagetotheheadsetcables.Replacingyour2.5mUSBcableswiththenew1.5mUSBcableorwrappingupanyextracablelengthshouldresolvethisissueforyou.
IfyouareinterestedinutilizingthenewSLH071.5mUSBheadsetcableinyourSanakolanguagelab,pleasecontactSanakooryourlocalreseller.
http://www.sanako.com/contact/http://www.sanako.com/resellers/
NewSanakoSLH07USBheadsetcableavailablein1.5mshorterlength
Newsletter
Stimulating language learning with technology
FromtheviewpointoftheHuaQiaoUniversity,ahighqualitylanguagelabofferingadvancedtechnologyandalltheneededfunctionsforteachingisanessentialtoolforamoderncampus.Amodernlanguagelabwillhelptheteachertoimprovethemeansandqualityofteaching(withtechnology)byprovidingasecureandefficientsystem.Witha“student-oriented”approach,astheteachersatHuaQiaodescribe,thelanguagelabprovidesdailyteachingactivitieswithadvancedtechnologywhichimprovestudents’communicationskillsinforeignlanguage,makingthemostout
oflimitedclasshours.Learninginalanguagelabwillstimulatestudents’motivationandmakethelessonsmoreactive,meetingthecommunicationalneedsofallskilllevels,alsothemoreadvanced.
LanguagelearningatHuaQiaoUniversity,China
With a history of more than 50 years, the Hua Qiao University offers education for over 30 000 students, out of which 5000 are foreign students from altogether 40 different countries, making the university a truly international institution.
FlippedLearninginyourlanguagelessonsBy Marie O'Sullivan, The LanguagePoint
InrecentmonthsI’vebeenreadingalotmoreaboutflippedlearning–
anapproachinwhichstudentslearnandpreparefortheirlessonsathomethrough,forexample,pre-recordedvideolecturesorexplanations.Duringclass,teacherscanthenusetheirtimetoengagewithstudents,helpingthemtoapplytheirknowledgethroughactive
learning,suchaspracticalworkandproblemsolving.
Teacherscanaidstudentswhenandwhereitisneeded,thereforemakingthemostofone-to-oneinteractiontimeavailablewiththestudentsinclass.
Researchsuggeststhatbenefitsofflippedlearninginclude:improvementinstudentperformance,studentsfeelingmoreengagedandempoweredtotakeonmoreownershipfortheirlearning,andgreaterflexibilityforstudentsastheycanrepeatthelessonstounderstandthecontentinordertopreparefullyforclass.
Flippedbasedlearningthereforeseemsverysuitableforlanguageteachingandlearning,wheresomuchprogressdependsonthestudentsthemselvespracticingtheirspeakingandlisteninginatargetlanguage,butwheresooftentheteacherisanecessarysupportintheseactivities.
Foraflippedbasedlanguagelesson,youcouldprepareanexplanationforatopicsuchasthefuturetense.Then,whenyourstudentscomeintoclass,theycouldbeputinpairsusingtheStudy1200languagelabandpracticetheirspeakingwiththefuturetense.Thelanguagelabisreallyusefulhere,asyoucaneasilylistenwithheadphonestoanyoftheconversationsandinterveneifnecessary.Thelabthereforeallowseachstudenttodemonstratetheirunderstandingwithouttheneedforeachpersontospeakindividuallyinfrontoftheclass.
Byrecordingtheconversationswithaclickofthemouse,thelanguagelabgivesthestudentsfreedomtopracticeandallowsyoutomonitorthemallwithease.Alotofushaveprobablyalreadyimplementedthistypeoflearningplanwithoutevenrealizingit!
©iStockphoto.com/dr911
Sanako language labs in efficient use
ThelanguagelabsatHuaQiao,altogether20ofthem,nowinactiveusebythousandsofstudents,arethefullydigitalyetnonPC-basedSanakoLab100languagelabs.Forthedemandingtrainingofinterpretationskills,theHuaQiaoalsoworkswiththeextensionmoduleofSanako Lab 100 STS,thatoffersfeaturesthatarespecificallydesignedfortraininginterpreters.AmongthefavouritelearningactivitiesofferedbytheSanakoLabsatHuaQiaoarethepossibilitytopracticephoneconversationsandmeetings.Sanako language labs are currently in active use by
thousands of students at the prestigious University of Hua Qiao
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Sanako CorporationHeadquartersHighTechCentreLemminkäisenkatu46FI-20520TurkuFinlandT:+358207939500F:+35822363440info@sanako.comwww.sanako.comwww.thelanguagepoint.com
New activities in Sanako Study v. 8.0
Fromtheperspectiveoflanguagelearnersandteachers,Studyv.8.0includesseveralnewfeaturesandenhancementsthatexpandthelearningexperience.ThenewPhone Conversation activityhasbeenmuchrequestedandisafamiliaractivitytomanylanguageteachers.PhoneConversationallowsstudentsto“call”eachother,whichallowsforawiderangeofreal-lifebasedconversationexercises.
ThesecondnewactivityinStudyv.8.0integratesthewell-likedPronouncetoolwiththeStudyclassroom.ThePronounce activityallowsteacherstoconvertanytextintoapronunciation
exercisethatcanbelauncheddirectlytostudents.Atthestudentend,aseparatewindowwillopenwheretheycanproceedwiththepronunciationexercise.ThePronounceactivityemploysallthespeechrecognitionandpronunciationanalysistoolsinSanako Pronouncetoproduceobjectiveresultsofstudentperformance.Additionally,teachersareabletocollectstudentworkandareportofstudentscores.
Introducing: Pronounce Classroom
Weareexcitedtoannouncethereleaseofanewproduct, Sanako Pronounce Classroom.
PronounceClassroomcombinesthepronunciationtoolsofSanako Pronounce withautomaticmanagement,evaluationandcollectionfeaturesfortheteacher.
ThesystemincludesanewPronounceManagerapplicationthatallowsteacherstomanageexercises,viewstudents’progressandperformanceandcollectstudentwork.
Sanako Everyday English content
Sanako Everyday EnglishisaseriesofEnglishlessonsoneverydaytopics.Thematerialistargetedforyoungteenagers,butisalsosuitableforlearnersofallages.ThereallifesubjectsintheEverydayEnglishlessonsprovidelearnersatangiblecontextforlearnlearningEnglishandtheywillbeabletoimprovetheirlanguageskillswhilediscussingtopicsthatarepresentintheirday-to-daylives.
Eve
nts
March 12-14th - TESOL Arabia, Dubai, UAE
The21stTESOLArabiaInternationalconferencewillbeheldattheHYATTRegencyhotel,Dubaiandinvitesteacherstoexplore‘themyriadways’ofhowtechnologycanenhancetheirlessons.
Sanakoareproudtoonceagainbeinattendanceofthisfantasticevent.
April, 10-12th -China International Education Equipment
Sanakoisaregularparticiupantofthiseventandarelookingforwardtoexhibitingagainthisyear.
April 23rd - International Education South-East Asia Expo, Manila, Philippines
InternationalEducationSouth-EastAsiaExpoManilaisa1dayeventbeingheldon23rdApril2015inManila,Philippines.Thiseventshowcasesproductslikeboardingschools,privateschools,holidayandsummercamps,internshipsandlanguageteachingassociatedwiththisfieldetc.intheEducation&Trainingindustry.