Language teachers are working in a world which has changed in the past decades in fundamentally disruptive ways, through profound changes in the role that networked computers play in everyday life and through the social and demographic shifts brought on by an increasingly globalized society, bringing together more than ever before people from…

The new era of mobile computing promises greater variety in applications, highly improved usability, and speedier networking. The 3G iPhone from Apple is the poster child for this trend, but there are plenty of other developments that point in this direction. Previous surveys, in LLT, and by researchers at the UK's Open University, have…

Courses in Spoken English (SE) are yet to be acceptable in Indian universities because conducting session-end tests in SE is assumed to be logistically difficult and academically problematic. This article argues that it need not necessarily be so; session-end tests can be conducted just as in other courses. With voice recording, preferably a…

Telecommunications projects underway in Hawaii include various multimedia computer-based educational telecommunications (CBET) and multimode node telecommunications (MMN) projects. CBET uses a computer network to send messages rather than an ordinary telephone call, and MMN is a technique for transferring messages, data, and images between…

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…

This paper outlines a range of projects developed with funding from the European Community for a computer communication and research network and the electronic means employed to realize the network, from the point of view of the Director of Languages Resource Unit, University of Ulster, who must coordinate language training on six distant campuses…

This document explains the World Wide Web (WWW) and how to use it, with specific reference to sites that would be of interest to those in the fields of language teaching and linguistics. To use WWW, one needs a computer, a modem, and a search engine. Web sites contain text as well as graphics that can be downloaded and edited for educational or…

Discusses the integration of the Internet at Eagan High School (Minnesota). Highlights include the Internet for Minnesota's Schools (InforMNs) Project; connectivity; and using the Internet in specific disciplines, including English (and history, politics, etc.), work experience, foreign language, and business law and science. A sidebar discusses…

Reviews the evolution of Internet-based projects in Japanese computer-assisted language learning and suggests future directions in which the field may develop, based on emerging network technology and learning theory. (Author/VWL)

Examines the use of new technology in foreign-language classrooms, specifically language labs equipped with interactive computers, interactive software packages, CD-ROMS, e-mail, and the Internet. States that faculty members are creating language multimedia packages that engage students in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Suggests ways…

Presents information on the importance and the difficulties of setting up networked multimedia environments for language education, and discusses some possible solutions for the strategic transition to this new instructional format. Reasons for adopting multimedia networking, some applications, and specific answers to some technological problems…

Future technological advancements in computers will soon provide high-definition video and graphics ability to simulate language learning situations. Trends in technological options, networks, word processing, and database management are explored, and their usefulness to Chinese language study is discussed. (59 references) (CB)

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss some communicative opportunities currently emerging in networked classrooms and their implications for didactics. In particular, I examine multiple contexts that appear and how they give rise to diverse practices. However, such practices often have their origin in out-of-school contexts and not…

Foreign or second language (L2) acquisition literature frequently makes the claim that, by not facilitating interaction, distance learning fails to create the conditions necessary for achieving the goals of widely accepted L2 communicative curriculum. This assumption is not as yet supported by any empirical evidence from L2 acquisition research.…

A discussion of distance-delivered foreign language instruction in Wisconsin focuses on the selection of appropriate technology for instructional delivery and on the design of distance instruction. Issues relating to both secondary and postsecondary instruction are examined. The first section examines some of the considerations in selecting…