Language Learning & Technology
Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2001, pp. 13-18

This page includes announcements from the organizations sponsoring LLT.

Less commonly taught languages, particularly those of Asia and the Pacific, are the focus of the University of Hawai`i National Foreign Language Resource Center, which engages in research and materials development projects and conducts Summer Institutes for language professionals among its many activities.

PACIFIC SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH FORUM (PacSLRF) 2001 The NFLRC is pleased to co-sponsor the upcoming PacSLRF 2001 Conference, which will be held at the Imin Conference Center on the University of Hawai'i at Manoa campus October 4-7, 2001. This international conference will focus on the acquisition of second languages in instructed and naturalistic settings, particularly in East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific languages. Questions? Contact us at pacslrf@hawaii.edu.

2001 SUMMER INSTITUTES

• Developing Web-based Foreign Language Learning Environments (June 11-22)
• Web-based Workshops for Advanced Reading & Writing Development & Maintenance (July 2-13) is a free on-line professional development opportunity for non-native-speaking teachers of Chinese and Korean language at the K-16 level
• Korean Pedagogy Workshop: Task-Based Language Teaching (July 30-August 1) will be run in association with the 6^th annual meeting of the American Association of Teachers of Korean

NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM THE UH NFLRC

• A Focus on Language Test Development: Expanding the Language Proficiency Construct Across a Variety of Tests by T. Hudson & J. D.Brown (Eds.). This volume presents eight research studies which introduce a variety of novel, non-traditional forms of second and foreign language assessment. To the extent possible, the studies also show the entire test development process, warts and all. These language testing projects not only demonstrate many of the types of problems that test developers run into in the real world but also afford the reader unique insights into the language test development process.
• Motivation and Second Language Learning by Z. Dörnyei & R. Schmidt (Eds.). This volume, the second in this series concerned with motivation and foreign language learning, includes papers presented in a state-of-the-art colloquium on L2 motivation at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference (Vancouver, 2000) and a number of specially commissioned studies. The 20 chapters, written by some of the best known researchers in the field, cover a wide range of theoretical and research methodological issues, and also offer empirical results (both qualitative and quantitative) concerning the learning of many different languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Filipino, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish) in a broad range of learning contexts (Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Spain, and the US).

Additions have also been made to the NFLRC NetWorks collection of online publications. Check out our other publications at http://www.LLL.hawaii.edu/nflrc/publication.html.

CLEAR’s mission is to promote foreign language education in the United States. To meet its goals, CLEAR’s projects focus on foreign language research, materials development, and teacher training.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE RESEARCH

• Acquisition of Prosody by English-Speaking Learners of French
• Feedback and Interaction
• Longitudinal Analysis of Foreign Language Writing Development

• Folk Linguistics: Perceptions of L2 Learning & Teaching

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

Products

• Business Chinese (CD-ROM)
• Modules for Assessing Socio-Cultural Competence for German (CD-ROM)
• Pronunciación y fonética (CD-ROM)
• African Language Tutorial Guide (guide and video)
• Foreign Languages: Doors to Opportunity (video and discussion guide)
• Task-based Communicative Grammar Activities for Japanese and Thai (workbook)
• Test Development (workbook and video)

Coming Soon!

• Business Language Packets for High School Classrooms (French, German, and Spanish)
• Portuguese Pronunciation and Phonetics CD-ROM
• Modules for Assessing Socio-Cultural Competence for Russian (CD-ROM)
• Thai Tutorial Guide

Game-O-Matic

The Game-O-Matic is a suite of wizards that create Web-based activities for language learning and practice. Teachers can make original Game-O-Matic games by visiting http://clear.msu.edu/dennie/matic/. Have a new idea for a Game-O-Matic activity? Contact Dennie Hoopingarner at hooping4@msu.edu.

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/clearnews/.

TEACHER TRAINING

2001 Summer Workshops

Every summer, CLEAR offers teacher development workshops for foreign language educators to help strengthen and expand their teaching skills. CLEAR offers stipends to help defray the workshop fees and travel/accommodation expenses. For more information, see CLEAR’s Web site at http://clear.msu.edu.

• Using Communicative Activities in a Grammar-Based Curriculum (June 20-23)
• Putting Your Course Online (June 26-30)
• Making a Language-Learning CD-ROM: Introductory Techniques (July 10-4)
• Making a Language-Learning CD-ROM: Advanced Techniques (July 17-21)
• Promoting Student Motivation and Interest in Foreign Languages (July 22-24)
• Using Authentic Materials in the Foreign Language Classroom (July 25-28)

For more information, 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 Email: clear@msu.edu

ALSIC (Language Learning and Information and Communication Systems) 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: alsic@lifc.univ-fcomte.fr.

CARLA is one of nine 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, to develop knowledge of second language acquisition, and to advanced 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, 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: a 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 the intermediate-low level on the ACTFL scale. On May 17-19, 2001, CARLA will sponsor the Second International Conference on Language Teacher Education which will bring together teacher educators from a variety of language teaching contexts to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices and to initiate and sustain meaningful professional dialogue across languages, levels, and settings. Check out these and other CARLA resources on the CARLA Web site at http://carla.acad.umn.edu.

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.

Major CAL projects include the following:

• ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
• National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education
• Refugee Service 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
• National Capitol Language Resource Center
• National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center
• National Network for Early Language Learning

New publications from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics

• Foreign Language Teaching: What the United States Can Learn from Other Countries, by Ingrid Pufahl, Nancy C. Rhodes, and Donna Christian. This paper reports on an exploratory study in which educators from 19 countries responded to a series of questions about methodologies, strategies, and policies in their countries that could help to improve language teaching in the United States.
• Lessons Learned: Model Early Foreign Language Programs, by Douglas F. Gildow and Lucinda E. Branaman. This book describes seven successful foreign language programs in grades K-8 and offers practical guidelines and suggestions to help others implement similar strategies.
• The latest ERIC/CLL Resource Guides Online include Linguistics, Second Language Proficiency Assessment, and Dialects in Education.
• Recent ERIC/CLL Digests cover a range of topics in ESL, foreign language, and bilingual education.

News from the National Center for ESL Literacy Education

As of January 2001, NCLE is now known as the National Center for ESL Literacy Education. This change in name from Clearinghouse to Center better reflects the work NCLE now does in the field of adult ESL and the range of services that is provides. These include technical assistance to programs; professional development of program staff; the writing and producing of books, reports, and papers; and the development of on-line resources for adult ESL. Recent additions to the NCLE Web site include a new resource collection on assessment and evaluation in adult ESL, the latest issue of NCLE’s twice-yearly newsletter NCLE notes, lesson ideas for integrating civics education in adult ESL instruction, and new Digests and Q&As on dialogue journals, Civics education and adult ESL, and reflective teaching for adult ESL practitioners.

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.

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

We also disseminate information via the ReCALL Journal and other publications, organise special interest meetings and annual conferences, and work towards the exploitation of electronic communications systems. For those involved in education and training, EUROCALL provides information and advice on all aspects of the use of technology for language learning.Forthcoming EUROCALL conference:

• EUROCALL 2001 will be held at University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, from 30 August to 1 September 2001.

For full details, contact us at http://www.eurocall-languages.org/.

Established in 1965, IALL is an organization of professionals in a variety of fields who are committed to supporting and extending language learning, teaching, and research through the use of technology. Its members include directors and staff of language labs, resource or media centers and grant projects, language teachers at all levels, developers and vendors of hardware and software, and interested others. IALL offers biennial conferences, regional groups and meetings, the LLTI listserv (Language Learning and Technology International), publications such as IALL Journal, IALL Lab Design Kit, and IALL Lab Management Manual, and a Foreign Language Software Database. The 2001 meeting of IALL will be held at Rice University (Houston, TX) May 22-26. For membership, meeting, publication, or listserv information, including contact people, visit the IALL Web site at http://iall.net.