Arguing against the common perception of technology as passive, neutral, and universal, this article presents a theoretical analysis of a commonly used and frequently studied technology--Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)--to illustrate how a technology that is often undistinguished in practice and research is indeed active, biased, and…

In this article Lynne Meiring and Nigel Norman focus on the notion of entitlement and the demands this has made on schools and teachers to cater for the needs of a wide range of pupils previously denied an experience of foreign languages. In order to enable all pupils to realise their potential, facilities and strategies have to be reviewed and…

While there is ample documentation on the use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in the foreign language classroom for instructional purposes (Beauvois, 1994, 1998; Beauvois & Eledge, 1996; Chun, 1994; Darhower, 2002; Kelm, 1992, Kern, 1995; Warschauer, 1996), research devoted to assessment in this area is quite rare (Heather,…

Having grown up in an age of rapidly developing electronic communication technology, today's students come to higher education with high levels of comfort and familiarity with computer-mediated communication (CMC, hereafter). The students' level of comfort with CMC, coupled with CMC's promises of enabling supplemental class discussion as well as…

This volume gives language teachers, software designers, and researchers who wish to use technology in second or foreign language education the information they need to absorb what has been achieved so far and to make sense of it. It is designed to enable the kind of critical reading of a substantial literature that leads to a balanced and…

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to investigate the effects of visual information, background knowledge, and academic reading experience, and (2) to identify the non-native readers' problems in comprehending Japanese academic texts. Sixty-three foreign students studying at universities and graduate schools in Japan participated in this…

Interviews Mark Warshauer, Vice Chair of the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in second and foreign language teaching, the impact of ICT on literacy, and the relationship of ICT to institutional reform, democracy, and social…

Reports findings from a study on the use of computer-mediated communication to support postgraduate second language teacher education. Findings are reported according to organizing categories of social interaction and different tasks that can effect online communicative exchanges.(Author/VWL)

Describes an off-campus distributed language course in Indonesian and discusses the use of computer mediated communication in on-campus and off-campus courses. Argues that off-campus delivery language programs need to seek the linking of learners to a community of learners with whom they share common goals and to the broader native speaker…

Examines the experiences of three instructors in Hawaii who have attempted to integrate online communication into their academic writing courses. Emphasizes that the underlying assumptions of what academic writing constitutes are fundamental in influencing how teachers integrate technology in the classroom. (Author/VWL)

Highlights the life of one Chinese English-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher who uses computer-mediated communication and the Internet to provide his students with communicative language experiences. (Author/VWL)

Describes an on-going computer-mediated communication (CMC) cross-cultural project between French and American university students. Explores the possibilities and limits of CMC, using the research of Paul Ricaeur and Claire Kramsch, who provide a practical and theoretical framework in which to analyze student-authored writing. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the advantages and challenges of using e-mail in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning, focusing on synchronous versus asynchronous computer-mediated communication; what online English is like; the advantages of computer-mediated communication; and how to make communication available to ESL learners. (SM)

This study investigated the effect of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) in a protocol designed to facilitate (1) second language acquisition, and (2) enhanced intercultural awareness between Australian university students whose first language (L1) is English, and Japanese university students whose L1 is Japanese. (Author/JL)

Examines the speech communities associated with computer-mediated communication (CMC). Summarizes results from research and adds a critical perspective by questioning who is advantaged and disadvantaged by CMC. Brings these concerns to bear on the application of CMC to distance education, raising questions about its use in teaching English as a…