The College of Languages and Translation (COLT) prepares translators and interpreters. Some of the courses that the students take are language courses such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and 4 types of interpreting courses (simultaneous, consecutive, liaison and sight). COLT has installed 4 multimedia language labs…

This paper reports on a nation-wide study designed to investigate the use of Multimedia Language Labs (MLLs) and the attitudes of students toward MLLs at tertiary level. The study will also explore the factors affecting students' attitudes towards MLLs. In an attempt to catch up with the technology, many institutions have invested in MLLs and…

Feedback has been one of the important elements of learning and teaching theories and still pervades the literature and instructional models, especially computer and web-based ones. However, the mechanisms about feedback dominating the fundamentals of all the instructional models designed for self-learning have changed considerably with the…

One evening not too long ago, a well-known American TV news analyst just back from his summer holiday travels was giving wry consolation to less fortunate stay-at-home viewers by sharing his opinions on a few of the risks today's vacationer might encounter upon venturing beyond his own computer-free back yard. To support some pithy comments on the…

This digest highlights non-Internet technology for teaching and learning foreign languages. Specific sections discuss (1) software for language teaching and learning; (2) authoring aids; (3) language lab systems; (3) networked multimedia; and (4) distance learning via satellite. (Contains 7 references and a list of 17 resources for further…

Challenges language educators to use the computer wisely, as a tool for more effective learning of language, which is so crucial to the building of world-wide bridges of understanding in this age of economic interdependence and nuclear threat. (Author/SED)

A seminar sponsored by the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics on the role of media and media technologies in second and foreign language learning is reported. The organization of this report reflects the program of the seminar. Four plenary papers established some broad applied linguistic perspectives and presented an overview of recent…

The conventional language lab, though it motivates few students, lingers on at many institutions. While poor study habits contribute to the lab's low impact on language acquisition, an equally credible possibility is that the traditional language lab's "audio-only" technology is ill-suited to the primary cognitive styles of today's video-oriented…

The Language Laboratory Teaching Machine (LLTM), as it is conceived to function at a typical high school, serves as an independent teaching facility having a wide variety of applications. Description of the different mechanical and electronic components accompanies discussion of student involvement. Distinctions between the "audio" teaching…

The basic mechanical functions of the foreign language laboratory described in this report enable utilization of authentic target language, linguistically effective learning devices, visuals, and facilities for monitoring and testing. Brief descriptions of 11 laboratory functions include: (1) isolation (physical, acoustical, and psychological),…

This report outlines in detail the proceedings of a symposium held on the integration of audio-visual aids into the teaching of modern languages in the classroom. The following topics were discussed: (1) textbooks, a new look; (2) an audio-visual course, its structure and content; (3) radio and radio-vision, and film and videotape as course…

Presents a history of the use of technology in second-language instruction, beginning with the 1960s and the grammar translation method; through the audiolingual movement and language laboratories; into emerging use of tape recorders, videotapes, and computer-assisted language learning; and up through computer-assisted instruction, distance…

Language laboratories, VCRs, and microcomputers are not labor-saving devices for the teacher. Technology-mediated lessons demand as much, if not more, planning effort than does conventional instruction. Four points to consider in planning are (1) selection of medium; (2) selection of software; (3) amount of student control; and (4) amount of…

Technological developments, which have improved and increased the audiovisual materials and mechanical aids available, can be especially useful to teachers of science, math, and foreign languages. This technology revolution is not a threat to teachers, but a source of educational tools to be used as a part of an overall teaching design. Most…