Explores recent developments in the use of computers in language testing in four areas: (1) item banking; (2) computer-assisted language testing; (3) computerized-adaptive language testing; and (4) research on the effectiveness of computers in language testing. Examines educational measurement literature in an attempt to forecast the directions…

Compares the effect of pedagogical tasks implemented in synchronous face-to-face tasks versus text-based computer mediated communication. Analysis reveals that the first signs of change in developmental stages of morphosyntactic development are more clearly identified in the computer-based interaction task than in the face-to-face oral task.…

This article reports on the gains that may be obtained from the use of computers to develop language skills in students of English as a foreign language. Advantages and disadvantages of using computers to teach English are presented. A set of guidelines for using computers are suggested, and two related issues in using computers in instruction are…

Groups of editors and authors used a variety of technologies to create a cohesive team that produced a textbook series with instructor manuals along with a supporting Web site. Describes the development of the groups for this materials publication project in terms of six areas--situation, leadership, individual versus group goals, norms, roles,…

Online fanfiction communities provide adolescent English-language learners (ELLs) with a forum for engaging in an array of sophisticated literacy practices. This article draws on constructs from literacy studies and second-language acquisition as conceptual bases for exploring the writing, reviewing, and social practices in an online fanfiction…

An English-as-a-Second-Language teacher recounts her first experience with computer-assisted language learning (CALL), discusses the emergence over the years of new technologies for language learning, including multimedia, authoring tools, and the Internet, and considers the future of CALL. (Author/VWL)

This paper outlines the findings of a research project studying the effects of task modification on learner interaction when using email. Taking as its starting point interactionalist theories of SLA, it argues that if those interactional features characteristic of negotiation of meaning which have been identified as promoting SLA are to be…

In the course of designing, writing and implementing CALL-supported material, it has become evident to me that a systematic investigation into the factors that shape the Blended Learning (BL) experience in the context of language learning and teaching is missing and urgently needed. The core question when designing a BL environment is: Which…

Meta-analytic research of experiments conducted on the effects of native-language (L1) glosses on second-language (L2) reading comprehension have revealed a significant difference between groups of studies with traditional and computer-assisted L1 glosses. This means that learners provided with L1 glosses comprehend significantly more…

This paper describes a collaborative Internet-based project involving foreign language students and teacher trainees in three different countries. The project involved both online collaboration with international partners and face-to-face classroom activities and was designed not only to facilitate purposeful, authentic language use, but also to…

The present paper explores the extent of Irish language use in networked communications, and attitudes towards the language by 125 schoolchildren from three backgrounds in Ireland: (1) an Irish-speaking area (Gaeltacht) and Irish medium of instruction, (2) an English-speaking area and Irish medium of instruction, and (3) an English-speaking area…

Online templates have the potential to scaffold complex writing processes and to provide information and language prompts for writers. The purpose of this study is threefold. First, for assisting students in their scholarly writing, an online Scholarly Writing Template (SWT) was designed and developed. SWT includes two major features: (1) an…

This article presents a survey of computer-based tracking in CALL and the uses to which the analysis of tracking data can be put to address questions in CALL in particular and second language acquisition (SLA) in general. Adopting both quantitative and qualitative methods, researchers have found that students often use software in unexpected ways,…

The use of online rater self-training is growing in popularity and has obvious practical benefits, facilitating access to training materials and rating samples and allowing raters to reorient themselves to the rating scale and self monitor their behaviour at their own convenience. However there has thus far been little research into rater…

This paper outlines a presentation on available Macintosh computer software for learning Japanese. The software systems described are categorized by their emphasis on speaking, writing, or reading, with a special section on software for young learners. Software that emphasizes spoken language includes "Berlitz for Business…