Rosetta Stone, the world’s leading language software developer has launched a new language learning package called Rosetta Stone Totale.  TOTALe is an online learning solution available through a yearly subscription of approximately $ 1000.00.  Like the standard Rosetta Stone, TOTALe avoids memorization, drills and translation.  Instead, it utilizes text, sounds and visuals in attempt to simulate the learning processes of L1.

It is widely accepted that meaningful interaction with the target language helps learners develop their L2 in many ways.  This interaction allows the learner to not only produce the language, but also manipulate it, in an effort to fully understand its inner workings (Foster, 1998). That is, the learner needs to be able to synthesize new ideas by connecting them to existing information.  Carey and Crittenden (2000) investigated the effectiveness of electronic bulletin boards as a tool that supports such meaningful learning with language learners.  They argued that language programs generally do not provide an environment for the language learner to engage sufficiently in meaningful communication. Interactive technology, they believe, has the potential for filling this gap by allowing learners to further engage in meaningful interactions of interest to them.  The authors came to this conclusion by comparing the benefits of interactive bulletin boards to successful real life models of authentic language exposure, such as immersion programs.  They conclude that, today, interactive technology is fully capable of simulating social interaction, which in turn leads to a high degree of interaction among language learners. The authors, however, seem to neglect one major aspect of social interaction which is nonexistent in online interaction: emotions and body language.  Communicating via bulletin boards is limited to just text.  This is particularly hindering for the language learner who has linguistic constraints and is not able to use body language to overcome these limitations. Podcasting as will be implemented in this research project, on the other hand, could provide a suitable platform for authentic language interaction.  As learners develop group podcasts, for example, they gather information, write scripts, do group corrections and read their parts.  At the same time, they are interpreting each others’ movements and body language as an additional form of input to help validate their understanding.

A wiki is an excellent tool for collaborative writing in the ESL classroom.   Wikis are simple interactive pages that a number of individuals can access and modify by adding and editing content.  When your students are working  on a writing activity in groups,  one of the main challenges is coordinating their work and insuring that all members of the group are actively involved in the project at hand.  For most students, email is the preferred medium of communication, as they send one another their latest drafts and wait hours and days for a followup.  As the speaker in this video indicates, email “is not good at coordinating and organizing a group’s input” since multiple email exchanges can become chaotic and lead to confusion. The alternative is for each group to create a Wiki that all members can access at any time to update content and exchange information.  In addition, you, the instructor, are able to continuously be involved in the writing process by visiting your students’ wikis to leave feedback or to simply peek in. There are many wiki services on the Internet to choose from.  My favorite one is Google Sites.  it’s free, easy to use, and it’s directly connected to my Gmail account.

The 2009 CALL software review explores the pedagogical and technical features of four popular ESL interactive learning solutions.  The review is conducted in an academic setting, eliciting direct feedback from learners and instructors.  Applications are installed on separate computers “Skill Stations” in a language lab equipped with 20 networked Windows computers.  A survey is conducted at the end of the review period to assess how students interacted with the various applications and measure educational gains.

I stumbled on an interesting Youtube video about using mobile cellular phones as a language learning tool.  In this 6 min video, Steve  Schieffer, the director of Library Services at Athabasca University, introduces the Mobile ESL Project.  The goal of this project is to introduce digital content to language learners using mobile devices like cellular phones and PDAs and Blackberries.  The argument is that these students are mobile learners who are constantly on the move as parents and professionals.  In addition, these learners have access to data-capable mobile phones that allow them to connect to any website and download content at any time. These two factors, Mr. Scheiffer argues, make them perfect candidates for mobile language learning.  According to Dr. McGreal, the university’s Associate Vice President of Research, the popularity and availability of mobile devices around the world today make them an ideal tools for learning.