June 26, 2009
Faculty, Staff and Administrators
Benefit Too
St. John’s University’s Academic Computing Initiative continues to
expand, and students are again the prime beneficiaries. This fall,
St. John’s is providing students with access to advanced
language-learning technology on their laptop computers. An
exciting, new web-based program,
TELL ME MORE®, is being installed on all incoming freshmen’s
laptops, which are being distributed at Orientations held
throughout the summer.
The state-of-the-art software, which is available in nine
languages—ESL/English, Spanish (Latin and Castilian), French,
German, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic—will also be
provided to sophomores, juniors and seniors who might wish to
utilize it to enhance their studies.
“At St. John’s, we are always seeking out new ways to support and
enhance our students’ academic experience,” says Maura Woods,
Associate Vice President of Information Technology. “TELL ME MORE®
is one more tool that can help them succeed in St. John’s
competitive academic environment.”
This latest technology enhancement is intended to complement the
language curricula, providing St. John’s students with an
interactive virtual language laboratory experience, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. No longer will they have to visit the language
laboratory or wait until it opens to practice their languages
skills or participate in language-related activities. It will all
be available to them “on demand,” whenever and wherever they
choose.
The “on demand” feature is a most valuable resource for all
students, but particularly those enrolled in the University’s
innovative global programs. While students are learning and serving
abroad, TELL ME MORE® can assist them in both their academic and
social interactions. Plus, the recent creation of the Vincentian
Institute for Social Action (VISA)—which provides an academic
platform for students and faculty to address issues of global
poverty and social injustice through teaching, research and
service—virtually demands that students have the language skills
needed to communicate with people around the world.
With TELL ME MORE®, international students enrolled at St. John’s
will be able to access continuous ESL (English as a Second
Language) support via their laptops. Students in the University’s
Distance Learning programs can also take advantage of the
language learning software, which is additionally being made
available to St. John’s faculty, staff and administrators to better
prepare them to work with and serve an increasingly diverse student
body.
Software for the Millennial
Student
With 2000 hours of content, TELL ME MORE® far surpasses its leading
competitor, which offers a mere 150 hours of language-learning
material. It also offers three times more activities than any other
competitor.
The new software also offers: advanced speech recognition software,
which will assist students in patterning native speech and reduce
accents; complete grammar sections; countless reading and writing
exercises; a “cultural workshop”; placement and progress tests to
measure students’ proficiencies; and an interactive tracking
feature that will allow students and faculty to follow the progress
being made.
“TELL ME MORE® covers all four language skills—reading, writing,
speaking and listening—which is more than any other language
product I’ve encountered. It’s also the most cost-effective product
for University-wide usage,” says Millard Yoder, Coordinator of ESL
Placement as well as Arabic, German, Hindi, Modern Greek,
Portuguese and Russian in the Language and Literature Department of
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Herbert D. Pierson, Ed.D., Professor and Chair of that department,
agrees, adding, “TELL ME MORE® is definitely software for the
Millennial student.”
The new language learning software is also intended as the first
step in St. John’s creation of a Global Language and Cultural
Center on its Queens campus. As currently conceived, that
center will exist in Council Hall, which will be sectioned into
individual language areas where students can experience a
particular language and culture through conversation, television
broadcasts and other presentations—in essence, become immersed in
that language and culture.
“It will be place where student-student and student-faculty
engagement takes place, enhancing the language learning process,”
Dr. Pierson explains. As plans for the Center evolve, he sees the
potential for increased student involvement.
State-of-the-Art Technology Is Hallmark at
St. John’s
TELL ME MORE® joins a plethora of technology innovations that have
been introduced with great success at St. John’s in recent years.
Beginning with personal laptop computers for every freshman,
students have additionally benefitted from a dedicated student web
portal (St. John’s Central), student computer labs, an expanding
catalog of online courses, student chat rooms and, most recently, a
new Microsoft email system, “Microsoft Outlook Live@edu” that
offers HTML, 10 GB of space, spam control, and a 25 GB virtual hard
drive that allows for selective file sharing and email
collaboration.
Additionally, an ongoing institutional commitment to technology has
fostered an enhanced learning experience for both students and
faculty. From a campus-wide wireless network to the classroom
podiums equipped with stereo speakers, DVD and VHS capability; and
a wide assortment of classroom software; the student experience at
St. John’s continues to be decidedly high-tech.