Explores problems and solutions related to dealing with difficult people, specifically with those people encountered in the language-learning lab, including clients and employees. Classic types of difficult people include the bull, the fox, the time bomb, the whiner, the stone wall, the ultra agreeable, the bump-on-the-log, the know-it-all, the…

Discusses four objectives that guided the design of the teaching and learning areas of the Language Learning and Resource Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These objectives are classrooms contiguous to the language lab, accommodation of small-group work, a flexible facility, and access to the outside world. (CK)

Presents points to consider when organizing a computer laboratory. These include the lab's overall objectives and how best to meet them; what type of students will use the lab; where the lab will be located; and what software and hardware can best meet the lab's overall objectives, population, and location requirements. Other factors include time,…

Focuses on a group effort by International Association of Language Laboratories members to acquire blanket permissions for instructional use of video materials, regardless of source: national networks, producers, international networks. Other issues covered include summarizing related dialogs from conferences and electronic bulletin boards;…

Overviews ELLIS, a computer software program that is an individualized English language learning system using computer technology to integrate video disk, CD-ROM, and computer storage to display and manipulate video, audio, text, and graphic information. Although its strength lies in its individual multimedia approach to language learning, ELLIS…

Presents preliminary thoughts on the testing of video language-learning courses, including a review of the literature and an examination of the research on the subject. The paper lists subtest types and gives an example of a test. Guidelines are offered regarding the creation of appropriate tests, and a direction for future research is suggested.…

Explores impediments to the use of multimedia courseware in higher education and the factors required for multimedia to thrive. Impediments include the smug culture of higher education, finances, standards, the need for multiple talents, and time. (CK)

Presents guidelines for creating a language center newsletter. These include detailed planning, budgeting, defining your mission and its audience, projecting your image, dividing duties, finding people to work on your newsletter, adhering to a production schedule, careful editing, conducting interviews to gather information for stories, and…

Discusses the role of the Internet in foreign-language instruction from the perspective of a French teacher. Topics include Gopher, subject-oriented Gophers, finding e-mail addresses, Veronica and Archie, Wide Information Area Server, Hytelnet, and Mosaic. For those who are new to the Internet, Gopher is the simplest navigational tool to use as it…

Discusses efforts to define and simplify working with copyright law. These efforts include the Fair Access and News Media Conference, the IALL Permissions Project and Copyright FAQ. Copyright is an evolving law, with definition arising from court cases, accepted practices, and untested interpretations based on expert opinions. (CK)

Reviews articles on the use of computer software in the language classroom. The first article reviews existing multimedia programs; the next explains the method and results of a study of the future of educational technology; the third outlines the pros and cons on the use of television in the classroom; and the last reviews studies using subtitles…

Overviews efforts to obtain permission to duplicate or digitize multimedia materials for educational use and lists points useful in the process of permission seeking. These include identifying needs and materials, explaining the extent of distribution, asking for what is needed, establishing a rapport with a content proprietor, and using online…

Overviews three computer software programs. "Triple Play" allows its user to practice listening and speaking skills without having to type letters. "In the French Body" and "In the German Body" are designed to heighten students' awareness of nonverbal communicative behaviors by French and German native speakers and to help students develop skills…