This collection of research in on-line communication for second language learning inlcudes use of electronic mail, real-time writing and the World Wide Web. It analyses the theories underlying computer-assisted learning.

This important and accessible book identifies the key elements in the quest for best practice in online language teaching. The authors, all of them international experts who have made significant contributions to the debate about how to exploit the new technologies, consider online language teaching from three crucial perspectives: design, tools and pedagogy. Their recommendations are such that they can actually be realised in spite of the limitations of today's educational environments. The book demonstrates that the new technologies offer far greater potential for authentic encounters and constructivist learning than even the best classroom simulations; that automated exercise and feedback structures can be individualised and meaningful; and that if we have to teach fully by distance, these ventures no longer need to represent impoverished versions of live classes but can engender a strong sense of community. To achieve this we need to understand what elements constitute good design both in technical and pedagogical terms, to think seriously about providing the best feedback possible, and to have the courage to take the risks associated with letting go of traditional learner/teacher relationships.

With the technological advancement of mobile devices, social networking, and electronic services, Web technologies continues to play an ever-growing part of the global way of life, incorporated into cultural, economical, and organizational levels. Web Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (4 Volume) provides a comprehensive depiction of current and future trends in support of the evolution of Web information systems, Web applications, and the Internet. Through coverage of the latest models, concepts, and architectures, this multiple-volume reference supplies audiences with an authoritative source of information and direction for the further development of the Internet and Web-based phenomena.

"This book investigates how those involved in education can respond to the opportunities offered by the Web 2.0 technology"--Provided by publisher.

I first used the Internet in fall 1993, as a Fulbright Scholar at Charles University in Prague. I immediately recognized that the Internet would radically transform second language teaching and learning, and within a year had written my first book on the topic, E-Mail for English Teaching. The book galvanized a wave of growing interest in the relationship of the Internet to language learning, and was soon followed by many more books on the topic by applied linguists or educators. This volume, though, represents one of the first that specifically analyzes the relationship of new technologies to the teaching of languages for specific purposes (LSP), and, in doing so, makes an important contribution. The overall impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on second language learning can be summarized in two ways, both of which have special significance for teaching LSP. First, ICT has transformed the context of language learning. The stunning growth of the Internet—resulting in 24 trillion email messages sent in 2005, and more than 600 billion Web pages and 50 million blogs online in the same year—has helped make possible the development of English as the world's first global language.

The APACALL Book Series covers a wide range of issues in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and offers opportunities for CALL researchers and practitioners to engage in research and discussion on their areas of interest.This book provides an up-to-date view of the field of CALL for applied linguists, researchers, language teachers and teacher trainers. It explores various aspects of Internet-based language learning (IBLL) and presents the findings of recent work in IBLL that are of direct relevance to second/foreign language learning and teaching. In particular, it looks into Web-based language learning, course management systems, digital storytelling, online dictation exercises, Web authoring projects, Web-based portfolios and blogging.Chapter authors include Antonie Alm, Wai Meng Chan, Ing Ru Chen, Penelope Coutas, Michael J. Crawford, Iain Davey, Brian Gregory Dunne, Debra Hoven and Jeong-Bae Son.

Language learning is a complex and challenging endeavor. For students to achieve the desired proficiency in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) their institutions need to invest time, effort and huge resources in order to cater for different learning styles. To be cost effective, many language-teaching institutions strive to provide intensive foreign language (FL) instruction to reduce the time period needed to learn the target language. This explains the current interest in combining differe...