So far, language educators and researchers have proposed quite a few theoretical conceptualizations of the potential of technology in language education and have conducted empirical studies exploring the affordance and constraints of technology in language education. The large number and variety of publications on this topic is informative but might also be overwhelming to language teachers, and many teachers are at a loss as to how exactly to incorporate technologies into their daily practice despite being intrigued by all of these claims and findings on the promise of technology. This volume, edited by Ducate and Arnold, provides timely support to language teachers. This practice-oriented volume not only gives language teachers broad perspectives on the status quo of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) but also provides specific guidelines on how to incorporate technologies in specific language teaching areas.
This volume starts with an observation on the limited use of technology in foreign language education and an overview of the promise of technology in this context. In their opening chapter, Arnold and Ducate give a recapitulation of the current status of technology use in foreign language education, analyze both teachers' and students' perception of technology use in the classroom, and present their views on how to encourage teachers to use technology. In chapter 2, Luke situates CALL in foreign language methodologies and reviews current literature on the cognitive and affective advantages of technology.
The next eight chapters focus on how technology could facilitate the development of multiliteracy, specific language skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing), cultural understanding, and cross-cultural communication. Each chapter begins with a comprehensive review of studies on the advantages of various technologies designed to facilitate a specific aspect of language learning. Then each chapter showcases some projects or applications and concludes with a set of specific pedagogical guidelines and issues to consider in integrating technology. For those who are interested in using technology to enhance cross-cultural understanding, this volume is a plus, with three chapters dedicated to technology and culture: two on using computer-mediated communication (CMC) to enhance intercultural and intracultural exchange and one on the current use of various technologies to help learners with cultural understanding.
The last three chapters give insights on different ways to use CALL to serve special-purpose language classes and on the advantages and limits of computer-assisted assessment. Guidelines are also provided to help foreign language instructors evaluate and select CALL software for their language courses.
This volume gives a comprehensive account of the use of technology in facilitating specific language skills and cultural understanding. The only thing lacking is one or two chapters on perspectives and projects that take a systematic view toward technology and foreign language education and explore ways to combine various technologies that complement each others' affordances and compensate for each others' constraints, with the goal of forming optimal comprehensive technology-enhanced language learning environments to facilitate the integrative development of learners' language competence. This work is a useful guide for foreign language teachers who want to use technology to help the instruction of certain aspects of language—be it culture, specific language skills, or multiliteracy. This volume would serve as a good introductory book for graduate students who want to gain some overall understanding of this field and as a good resource for researchers in this field. Although this work lacks an overall section on comprehensive technology-enhanced language learning environments, language learning program designers will find this volume useful in informing specific technology choices when constructing language learning environments or programs.
