This first of a two-part article looks at the language learning-acquiring distinction, discussing the consequences of teaching at either end of the learning-acquiring continuum. Describes the distinction between the two, discusses the learning versus acquiring of grammar, and compares the two. The second part of the article will focus on memory…

Describes one New Zealand university language teacher's reflection on her own grammar explanations to university-level students of Bahasa Indonesian. Examines form-focused instruction through the teacher's spontaneous answers to students' questions about the form of the language they are studying. The teacher's experiences show that it takes time…

Presents a history of the use of technology in second-language instruction, beginning with the 1960s and the grammar translation method; through the audiolingual movement and language laboratories; into emerging use of tape recorders, videotapes, and computer-assisted language learning; and up through computer-assisted instruction, distance…

Discusses computer-assisted language learning for foreign-language teachers, examining the history of educational technology and highlighting CD-ROM for foreign language learning. Looks at various frustrations foreign-language teachers may experience when working with new hardware and software, discusses various types of hardware and software, and…

Examines various issues related to language-teaching via interactive television, focusing on experiences using interactive television in Australian schools. Discusses how interactive television works, how such a classroom differs from normal classrooms, the teacher's role, the structure of a typical lesson, and successful and unsuccessful teaching…

Presents one educator's opinions on the use of computers in foreign-language instruction, as well as in other areas of life in general. He suggests that computers, and particularly CD-ROMs, can be very useful in helping to instruct students, but they are no substitute for one-on-one interactions between students and teachers and should be kept in…

Examines the pedagogical uses and implications of asynchronous e-mail exchanges by reporting on a pilot project involving student-to-student penpal correspondence between the Departments of Italian at two Australian universities. Students were matched by their linguistic proficiency, then given writing tasks in pairs. The project was successful in…

Describes "Trace-it," a computer tool that traces the writing processes and makes accessible extra information about individual students' written second-language skills. A study of differences in revision behavior as Swedish students' written English ability improved determined that Trace-it found additional information about writing…

Discusses how interaction occurs with interactive television in the classroom, examining the introduction of interactive television into Victoria, Australia's schools and investigating two types of interaction (overt and covert) between students and teachers. Notes that the types of interaction that occur with interactive television relate to the…