Teaching with Technology

This semester I will be blogging about articles I have read from “Language Learning & Technology Journal” (LLT). You can find the journal at: http://llt.msu.edu. The editors are: Dorothy Chun, University of California, Santa Barbara and Irene Thompson, George Washington University (Emerita). Publication began of this refereed journal in July 1997. Its aim is to “disseminate research to foreign and second language educators in the US and around the world on issues related to technology and second language education”. Presently, the journal is published three times a year in February, June and October.
The University of Hawai’i National Foreign Language Resource Center sponsors and publishes the journal in concert with the Michigan State University Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR), and co-sponsor the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL).
I was drawn to this journal because of its focus on foreign and second languages is in line with my program of study which is a Master’s degree in college teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Reading articles from this journal should provide me with insights on technological applications for language teaching. The journal is dedicated to the technological perspective of language teaching and there is a bounty of current articles on this topic.
This on-line journal is free making it convenient to read its articles and scan its archives. Authors of the journal’s articles are from universities around the world providing for a broad scope of information and perspectives. For example, the October 2009 issue boasts authors and reviewers from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden as well as Brigham and Young University, United States and Georgetown University, United States.
Because this is a refereed journal the articles have been well reviewed by experts in the field. Initially, I was not certain of the definition of a refereed journal. According to CalPoly Library Services, Robert E. Kennedy Library, “Peer-reviewed journals (also called refereed journals) are scholarly journals that only publish articles that have passed through this review process. The review process helps ensure that the published articles reflect solid scholarship in their fields” (http://lib.calpoly.edu/research/guides/peer.html). Additionally, the articles I briefly reviewed were very well referenced further strengthening the argument for credibility.
Another attractive feature is the breadth of topics covered. Recent articles cover a range of topics and technologies as we can see from the following titles: “Podcasting: An Effective Tool for Honing Language Students’ Pronunciation”?; “The Effects of Computer-assisted Pronunciation Readings on ESL Learners’ Use of Pausing, Stress, Intonation, and Overall Comprehensibility”; Measuring Oral Proficiency in Distance, Face-to-Face, and Blended Classrooms; and “The Effects of Captioning Videos Used for Foreign Language Listening Activities”.
The multitude of current articles from a wide range of international authors discussing a variety of technologies and their applications in the field of language and second language teaching will provide me with a rich source of material to read and report about in this blog. I look forward to expanding my knowledge and hopeful yours, dear reader, with my readings and subsequent journal entries. Thank you for reading.