This article describes two emerging technologies--Skype and podcasting. Both Skype and podcasting can be considered "disruptive technologies" in that they allow for new and different ways of doing familiar tasks, and in the process, may threaten traditional industries. Skype, the "people's telephone," is a free, Internet-based alternative to…

Peer evaluation has been criticized as a threat to academic freedom and has been used, usually erroneously, as a justification for academic reappointment, tenure promotion, and merit pay. In recent years, scholars have recommended that peer consultation, which is primarily designed to improve teaching, be honored, but apart from evaluation. In…

We describe two experiments on signaling and detecting uncertainty in audiovisual speech by adults and children. In the first study, utterances from adult speakers and child speakers (aged 7-8) were elicited and annotated with a set of six audiovisual features. It was found that when adult speakers were uncertain they were more likely to produce…

Through research and classroom observation undertaken while conceptualizing and implementing the Intensive French program in Canada, many new insights were gained into the development of communication skills in a classroom situation. Five lessons learned about the development of spontaneous oral communication are presented in this article: the…

This study investigates raters' identification of errors in the writing of an EFL student. Drawing on data collected from a correction task and a questionnaire, we examine the beliefs and practices of three distinct groups of 16 participants in each: native English speaking EFL teachers, Japanese speaking EFL teachers and educated native English…

Estimates indicate that as much as 80% of an engineer's work time is spent on communicating. Studies done by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Arizona show that engineering firms, as well as ECE graduates, rank writing ability as the most important skill in determining engineers' success, even above…

Purpose: Proteomic methodologies offer promise in elucidating the systemwide cellular and molecular processes that characterize normal and diseased thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle. This study examined methodological issues central to the application of 2-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D SDS-PAGE) to the study of…

An undergraduate research mentoring program (URMP), initiated at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, was developed (1) to aid undergraduate wildlife students in the design, conduct, and analysis of original research projects; and (2) to encourage students to become effective written and oral communicators by preparing a manuscript of their…

The computer modem provides an inexpensive and simple method of teaching off-campus students. A speech communication course taught across a computer based distance learning system can provide students with a quality education if the course organization facilitates teaching, if assignments require students to demonstrate mastery of the material,…

An examination of the ritual of "sharing time" in a first-grade classroom in the United States shows how it reaffirms the ideal model of a "Good Communicator," develops a concept of personhood as "Self-as-Autonomous-Person," and establishes respect for "Authority." Through the development of these three "sacred objects," sharing time functions as…

Significant progress has been made to enhance the oral English proficiency of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs), with the greatest strides being made in the linguistic aspects but little attention being paid to cultural communication and pedagogical dimensions. A survey of ITAs in the chemistry, mathematics, and physics departments at…

This paper discusses nonverbal communication and its implications and relevance for teachers. The first form of nonverbal language is proxemics, which describes the physical arrangement of space within a classroom and the space we allow between ourselves and others. The second form, coverbal behavior, describes physical movement, such as gestures,…

A practical guide for language teachers to make the best use of television is presented. The focus is on the establishment of a "portfolio of good practice" with concrete ideas for using the medium, illustrated with examples from British programs. Also included are a chapter to set the scene, some thoughts on organizational alternatives, and a…

This book provides an overview of communication disorders and their causes and provides suggestions for strategies to be used by the classroom teacher in collaboration with the speech-language pathologist and audiologist to enhance communication skills development. Chapters have the following titles and authors: "Articulation Disorders" (Rhonda S.…

Called a response draft, this curriculum guide provides practitioners with further opportunity to examine and discuss adult learning in English and communications before the guidelines are adopted throughout British Columbia. The guide's three specific purposes are to (1) define a common curriculum goal and an array of learning objectives for…