Language Learning & Technology http://llt.msu.edu/vol7num3/news/ September 2003, Volume 7, Number 3 pp. 23-29 Copyright © 2003, ISBN 1094-3501 23 NEWS FROM SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS Sponsors University of Hawai`i National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) Michigan State University Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR) Co-Sponsors Apprentissage des Langues et Systèmes d'Information et de Communication (ALSIC) Australian Technology Enhanced Language Learning Consortium (ATELL) Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota (CARLA) Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC (CAL) Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL) International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT) University of Hawai'i National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) The University of Hawai‘i National Foreign Language Resource Center engages in research and materials development projects and conducts Summer Institutes for language professionals among its many activities. Future Conferences AILA 2005 -- Having played a prominent role in the planning and organization of AAAL 2003 in Arlington, Virginia, NFLRC staff and board members are currently involved in planning for the AILA 14th World Congress, to be held July 24-29, 2005, in Madison, Wisconsin, the first time that the World Conference of Applied Linguistics will be held in the United States. CALICO 2006 -- The NFLRC and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa are pleased to be the hosts for the 2006 Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO), which is scheduled to take place on May 20-24, 2006. For more information about CALICO, visit their Web site. NFLRC Publications Aozora: Intermediate-Advanced Japanese Communication develops intermediate students' oral and written communicative skills and provides insights into Japanese society and culture. These materials encourage students to actively participate in a variety of authentic and intellectually stimulating activities, including discussions of discourse and sociological aspects of the Japanese language. Three hours of natural language samples on CD provide students with examples of language use in multiple social contexts and useful functions and topics. The set includes a student text with three accompanying audio CDs and an Instructor's Guide. Click on the title above for ordering information and a downloadable sample chapter. Multimedia Language Learning Software This recently upgraded Web site was developed at the University of Hawai‘i National Foreign Language Research Center as a follow-up to the 1998 Invitational Symposium on Assessing and Advancing Technology Option in Language Learning. The goal of the Symposium was to develop a database of multimedia language learning programs. The project also resulted in the development of comprehensive criteria for evaluating computer-delivered multimedia language learning systems. The database is periodically updated and now contains language learning software for over 100 languages. Please visit the site and send us your suggestions and additions. Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 24 Michigan State University Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR) CLEAR's mission is to promote the teaching and learning of foreign languages in the United States. To meet its goals, projects focus on foreign language research, materials development, and professional development training. FOREIGN LANGUAGE RESEARCH • Feedback to Learners: The Case of Heritage Language Learners MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT Products • Business Chinese (CD-ROM) • Modules for Assessing Socio-Cultural Competence for German (CD-ROM) • Modules for Assessing Socio-Cultural Competence: Russian (CD-ROM) • Pronunciación y Fonética (CD-ROM) • African Language Tutorial Guide (guide and video) • Thai Tutorial Guide (guide) • Foreign Languages: Doors to Opportunity (video and discussion guide) • Task-based Communicative Grammar Activities for Japanese and Thai (workbook) • Test Development (workbook and video) • The Internet Sourcebook for Business French (Web links) • The Internet Sourcebook for Business German (Web links) • The Internet Sourcebook for Business Spanish (Web links) • Business Language Packets for High School Classrooms (French, German, & Spanish; PDF files) Coming Soon! • Introductory Business German (CD-ROM) • French Pronunciation and Phonetics (CD-ROM) Newsletter CLEAR News is a biyearly publication covering FL teaching techniques, research, and materials. Contact the CLEAR office to join the mailing list or see it on the Web at http://clear.msu.edu/newsletter/. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Summer Workshops Each summer, CLEAR offers professional development workshops for foreign language teachers on the campus of Michigan State University. For more information, go to http://clear.msu.edu/training/. Onsite Workshops CLEAR offers foreign language teachers at K-13+ institutions around the country the opportunity to host a CLEAR workshop. These 1-3 day workshops are led by CLEAR's professional development staff members. For more information, visit http://clear.msu.edu/training/onsite/about.html. For more information about CLEAR, contact Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) A712 Wells Hall Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 Phone: (517) 432-2286 Fax: (517) 432-0473 Web: http://clear.msu.edu/ E-mail: clear@msu.edu Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 25 Australian Technology Enhanced Language Learning Consortium (ATELL) Contacts: Assoc. Prof. Mike Levy, Griffith University (michael.levy@mailbox.gu.edu.au) Dr. Robert Debski, The University of Melbourne (r.debski@hlc.unimelb.edu.au) ATELL is pleased to announce the availability of the CALL Catalogue: http://www.callcatalogue.com.au/ The CALL Catalogue has been designed as a resource for researchers, designers, and teachers interested in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). The CALL Catalogue is essentially a searchable bibliographic database. It consists of a large set of abstracted articles on CALL and an index of specially designed keywords. The CALL Catalogue is an ongoing research venture that began with the construction of a large corpus of CALL publications for 1999. As such the CALL Catalogue (1999) included all the chapters in four books (Cameron, 1999a, 1999b; Debski & Levy, 1999; Egbert & Hanson-Smith, 1999) and all the articles in four major CALL journals: Computer Assisted Language Learning, CALICO, ReCALL, and the online journal, Language Learning and Technology. This amounted to 177 journal articles and book chapters for the year. Each item was then abstracted and indexed to form the original CALL Catalogue (1999). So far the CALL Catalogue has been completed for 1999 and 2000. The CALL Catalogue is an ongoing project and we are keen to have your contributions (see Abstracting & Indexing Guidelines on the Web site). Our immediate goal is to add abstracted and indexed articles on CALL for 2001, and then, subsequently, to work forward to the year prior to the current year of publication. The CALL Catalogue directly relates to published works by Levy (2000, 2002) where more detail about the overarching framework and methods of production are given. The CALL Catalogue is the first resource to be made available by ATELL, the Australasian Technology Enhanced Language Learning network. ATELL is an informal grouping of CALL researchers and practitioners in Australia and New Zealand. More resources for researchers and practitioners are to follow. References Cameron, K. C. (Ed.). (1999a). CALL: Media, design and applications. Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger. Cameron, K. C. (Ed.). (1999b). CALL and the learning community. Exeter, England: Elm Bank Publications. Debski, R., & Levy, M. (Eds.). WORLDCALL: Global perspectives on computer-assisted language learning. Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger. Egbert, J., & Hanson-Smith, E. (Eds.). (1999). CALL environments: Research, practice and critical issues. Alexandria, VA: TESOL Inc. Levy, M. (2000). Scope, goals and methods in CALL research: Questions of coherence and autonomy. ReCALL, 12(2), 170-195. Levy, M. (2002). CALL by design: Products, processes and methods. ReCALL, 14(1), 129-142. Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 26 Apprentissage des Langues et Systèmes d'Information et de Communication (ALSIC) ALSIC (Language Learning and Information and Communication Systems, http://alsic.org/) is an electronic journal in French for researchers and practitioners in fields related to applied linguistics, didactics, psycholinguistics, educational sciences, computational linguistics, and computer science. The journal gives priority to papers from the French-speaking community and/or in French, but it also regularly invites papers in other languages so as to strengthen scientific and technical exchanges between linguistic communities that too often remain separate. The editorial board of ALSIC invites you to contact them for any prospective contributions at the following electronic address: infos@alsic.org. Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota (CARLA) CARLA is one of several National Language Resource Centers whose role is to improve the nation's capacity to teach and learn foreign languages effectively. Launched in 1993 with funding from the national Title VI Language Resource Center program of the U.S. Department of Education, CARLA's mission is to study multilingualism and multiculturalism, develop knowledge of second language acquisition, and advance the quality of second language teaching, learning, and assessment by conducting research and action projects sharing research-based and other forms of knowledge across disciplines and education systems extending, exchanging, and applying this knowledge in the wider society. CARLA's research and action initiatives include a focus on the articulation of language instruction, content-based language teaching through technology, culture and language studies, less commonly taught languages, language immersion education, second language assessment, second language learning strategies, research on pragmatics and speech acts, support for study abroad, and technology and second language learning. To share its latest research and program opportunities with language teachers around the country, CARLA offers the following resources: an internationally acclaimed summer institute program for teachers; a database which lists where less commonly taught languages are taught throughout the country; listservs for teachers of less commonly taught languages and immersion educators; a working paper series; conferences and workshops; and a battery of instruments in French, German, and Spanish for assessing learners' proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening at two levels on the ACTFL scale. Check out these and other CARLA resources on the CARLA Web site at http://carla.acad.umn.edu. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) The Center for Applied Linguistics is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes and improves the teaching and learning of languages, identifies and solves problems related to language and culture, and serves as a resource for information about language and culture. CAL carries out a wide range of activities in the fields of English as a second language, foreign languages, cultural education, and linguistics. These activities include research, teacher education, information dissemination, instructional design, conference planning, technical assistance, program evaluation, and policy analysis. Publications include books on language education, online databases of language programs and assessments, curricula, research reports, teacher training materials, and print and online newsletters. Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 27 Major CAL projects include the following: · ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics · National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education · The Cultural Orientation Resource Center · Pre-K-12 School Services CAL collaborates with other language education organizations on the following projects: · Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence · Improving Foreign Languages in the Schools Project of the Northeast and Island Regional Laboratory at Brown University · The National Capital Language Resource Center · National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center · National Network for Early Language Learning News from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics · ERIC/CLL Resource Guides Online provide links to relevant resources on various topics in second language teaching and learning. A new Resource Guide Online has recently been added to the ERIC/CLL Web site: Resources for Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners. · ERIC/CLL Digests cover a range of topics in ESL, foreign language, and bilingual education. Our most recent Digests include: Working With Young English Language Learners: Some Considerations, Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers in the English Teaching Profession, Textbook Selection for the ESL Classroom, Interactive Language Learning on the Web, and Model Early Foreign Language Programs: Key Elements. · The newest book in ERIC/CLL's Professional Practice series is English Language Learners With Special Education Needs: Identification, Placement, and Instruction, edited by Alfredo J. Artiles and Alba Ortiz. This book describes the challenges involved in identifying and placing English language learners with special needs and describes model programs and instructional methods that have been successful in helping English language learners with special needs meet their full potential. · What Teachers Need to Know About Language, edited by Carolyn Temple Adger, Catherine E. Snow, and Donna Christian is the latest in ERIC/CLL's Language in Education series. Intended primarily for those involved in teacher education and professional development, this book addresses a crucial but heretofore undiscussed issue: the knowledge about language that teachers need in order to be effective educators in a linguistically and culturally diverse society. News from the National Center for ESL Literacy Education · NCLE's new digest, English Language Instruction for Incarcerated Youth discusses the issues and challenges in providing English language instruction to linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) incarcerated youth ages 16-24. The digest suggests best practices and models to provide intervention in correctional settings. · New NCLE publications on reading and adult English language learners are now available. Reading and Adult English Language Learners: The Role of the First Language is an ERIC Q&A that looks at the relevant research and discusses how literacy in the first language can affect the acquisition of reading skills in English and the ways that instruction should be delivered. The book, Reading and Adult English Language Learners: A Review of the Research, addresses factors influencing adult literacy development in English and the process of learning to read in a second language as well as implications for practice and research. · Recent NCLE publications include: Preparing for Success: A Guide for Teaching Adult English Language Learners, a book that addresses employment issues and related languages skills; English that Works: Preparing Adult English Language Learners for Success in the Workforce and Community, an ERIC Q&A that discusses how adult ESL educators can integrate workforce and civic Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 28 life skills into their curricula and then convey these skills to their students through learner-centered instructional strategies and classroom management techniques; and, Adult English Language Instruction in the 21st Century, which describes trend and issues in program design and instructional practices, assessment, and integration of research and practice. · The current edition of NCLE's newsletter, NCLENotes, focuses on assisting adults learning English for the workplace and community. · NCLE has created an annotated list of online resources that teachers can use as they work to promote cultural understanding in the adult ESL classroom. Resources include NCLE publications, lesson plans and instructional materials, background on specific cultures and cultural groups, and information on topics such as intercultural communication, tolerance, and trauma. Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) Since its inception in 1983, CALICO has served as an international forum for language teachers who want to develop and utilize the potential of advanced technology to support their teaching and research needs. Through its Annual Symposia, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), CALICO Journal, CALICO Monograph Series, CALICO Resource Guide, and numerous other publications, CALICO provides both leadership and perspective in the ever-changing field of computer-assisted instruction. The strength of CALICO derives from the enthusiasm, creativity, and diversity of its members. It comprises language teachers and researchers from universities, military academies, community colleges, K-12 schools, government agencies, and commercial enterprises. To learn more about CALICO activities and how to participate in them, visit the CALICO homepage at http://www.calico.org. European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL) EUROCALL is an association of language teaching professionals from Europe and worldwide aiming to · Promote the use of foreign languages within Europe · Provide a European focus for all aspects of the use of technology for language learning · Enhance the quality, dissemination, and efficiency of CALL materials EUROCALL's journal, ReCALL, published by Cambridge University Press, is one of the leading academic journals covering research into computer-assisted and technology-enhanced language learning. The association organises special interest meetings and annual conferences and works towards the exploitation of electronic communications systems for language learning. For those involved in education and training, EUROCALL provides information and advice on all aspects of the use of technology for language learning. EUROCALL 2004 will be at the University of Vienna, Austria, 1-4 September 2004. For full details, contact us at http://www.eurocall-languages.org/ Announcements News from Sponsoring Organizations Language Learning & Technology 29 International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT) Established in 1965, IALLT (formerly IALL) is a professional organization whose members provide leadership in the development, integration, evaluation, and management of instructional technology for the teaching and learning of language, literature, and culture. Its strong sense of community promotes the sharing of expertise in a variety of educational contexts. Members include directors and staff of language labs, resource or media centers, language teachers at all levels, developers and vendors of hardware and software, grant project developers, and others. IALLT offers biennial conferences, regional groups and meetings, the LLTI listserv (Language Learning Technology International), and key publications such as the IALLT Journal, the IALLT Language Center Design Kit, and the IALLT Lab Management Manual. It also offers guidance on defining career goals and expectations through the new "IALLT Statement of Professional Responsibilities" (see under "About IALLT" > "Important Documents" on the Web site). For information, visit the IALLT Web site at www.iallt.org/.