JALT West Tokyo - May 26th event - Larry Davies

1. JALT’s Tokyo & West Tokyo Chapters, and CALL SIG are pleased to present…
An evening with Larry Davies:
Shifting Paradigms in Online Language Learning:
The Link between Technology and Organizational Culture
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Speaker: Larry Davies (ABD), St. Thomas
University
Fee: JALT members: Free!!
Non-members: ¥1,000 (You can join or
renew your membership at the event).
Venue: Tokyo Keizai University, near Kokubunji Station on the JR Chuo Line.
Building #3, Room C208 (on the 2nd floor). This room is also known as
LL2.
Registration: You may pre-register by contacting Kevin Cleary <kcleary@me.com>
More Info: <http://jwt.homestead.com/home.html>
Contact: <westtokyojalt-owner@yahoogroups.com>, or 070-5572-2882 on the day
Abstract: Recent literature suggests that learning online (eLearning), and learning in a face-to-face
environment involve different processes. Online learning poses its own challenges, including: (1)
building an effective and efficient learning community; (2) establishing a coherent and cohesive online
presence; (3) understanding administratively the time and effort needed to conceive, develop, implement
and revise online courses; (4) balancing the synchronous and asynchronous activities that occur in online
courses, and; (5) keeping up with the ever-evolving and quickly-shifting paradigms that newer
technologies bring. All of these worthy goals are hindered by Learning Management Systems (LMSs)
which were conceived and developed within a mechanistic model of education. Craig (2007) notes that
the paradigm behind these LMSs is now out of date with the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies. This
presentation will suggest ways that larger institutions can learn to adapt and change at a much faster rate
than they have in the past, while addressing faculty and staff-based hindrances to technology adoption.
The presenter concludes that institutions that don't undergo technological paradigm shifts at a faster pace
will be left behind in the online world by learners who will vote with their virtual feet, and their very real
pocketbooks.
Biodata: Larry Davies lived and worked in Japan from 1989 to 2003, mostly in Nagoya and Hakodate.
He was a member of JALT, its first webmaster in 1995-1996, a member of the 1995 JALT national
conference organizing committee in Nagoya, and was an officer in the JALTCALL-SIG, serving as
program chair for the 1999 conference. He left his position as associate professor of communication
studies at Future University - Hakodate to return to the United States, where he has been pursuing his
doctorate in Educational Leadership at St. Thomas University near Miami, Florida. He is also an
administrator at a Virtual College in the Miami area. His current research looks at the relationships
between academic organizational culture and technology acceptance and implementation programs in
higher education.