The exercises that I designed in HyperACE Advanced focus on various aspects of language. In the MatchBox exercises, for instance, students listen to a short (1-3 sentence) utterance as they look at three boxes containing similar graphics in them. (See above.) The student's task is to listen to a statement about the graphic and click on the box that the utterance matches. (To add to the challenge, there is a "none of the above" box that is used on occasion.) The boxes provide a "micro world," a visual context for the exercise. Within that world the student needs to understand the sentence or sentences in order to respond appropriately. The type and level of challenge varies from item to item. Sometimes, the challenge is more at the phonetic level (hearing the distinction between dot and dots, for example), at other times the challenge involves grammatical complexity, and at still other times the challenge involves the conceptual feat of linking real world knowledge with the graphic and spoken information. All of these tasks lead to an experience which, though artificial in form, is functionally authentic.
The Numbers lessons are designed to promote both sound discrimination skills (e.g., 15 vs. 50) and the processing of numerical information in a more native-like fashion. In Numbers 3, for instance, the students listen to phone numbers and then type in what they heard. Even students who are quite familiar with the English number system may have difficulty at first in maintaining seven unrelated digits in short term memory long enough to type them in. Some of the Numbers exercises also require users to perform a task based on the incoming information, such as adding coins together or transposing a spoken date like May 20, 1968, into 5/20/68. This material was originally developed for graduate students in the English for Foreign Students Program at Stanford University. Students at this level have years of formal language preparation and substantial knowledge in grammar and vocabulary. However, many of them are still "text bound," reading fairly fluently but listening at a much lower level of proficiency. The material has thus been tested in an academic setting with students who need to develop listening skills that do not rely on text cues. Text reinforcement is therefore only offered after a student answers an item correctly or gives up.
Finally, this series is intended for students who are motivated and mature enough to work on their own. In using this in our classes, we assigned specific lessons and asked students to fill out a short form for each lesson rating the material and its perceived effectiveness. Scoring and record keeping were not built-in as we wanted students to feel free to listen as many times as they wished to before attempting an answer. The only control we exerted was in withholding text reinforcement for the reasons mentioned above.
[The authors of HyperACE Advanced are Philip Hubbard, Chris Gordon, and
Cathy Rylance. HyperACE Intermediate will be completed by the
summer.]
Disk I, ABC Discovery, introduces the ABCs, offers practice identifying letters, and presents a simple, one-line word processor. Disk II, TALK/WRITER, provides a transition from the basic writing tool used in the first disk to a full-functio n, full-page word processor (up to three full pages, in fact).
Dr. Peet's TALK/WRITER runs on an IBM-PC or compatible computer with a minimum of 640K memory, ms-dos 2.0 or later, a Digispeech audio adapter, and a color graphics adapter. It sells for $79.95.
For more information, contact: Hartley Courseware, 133 Bridge Street, Dimondale, MI 48821, (800) 247-1380.
Word Attack 3 requires a 12 MHZ 286 or higher IBM-PC or compatible computer with 640K RAM, DOS 3.3 (5.0 recommended), and a hard disk with 5MB of free space. A sound card such as Sound Blaster or the Disney Sound Source is required for speech.
The software has a suggested retail price of $49.95. Upgrades for Word Attack and Word Attack Plus users are available from Davidson for $19.95 by calling (800) 545-7677 or (310) 793-0600.
Teachers editions are available for $69.95, lab packs for $169.95, and site licenses for $699.95.
For more information, contact: Linda Duttenhaver, Davidson & Associates, Inc., (310) 793-0600, ext. 230.
DTJ consists of a series of fonts for kana and kanji (16x16 and 24x24) and several xfcn/xcmds which are implemented in C. HyperCard can (1) display the full range of Japanese scripts (i.e. JIS Levels 1 and 2), (2) accept word inputs using romaji-ka nji conversion, and (3) point out students errors in the form of spelling mark-up.
Japanese text generated under KanjiTalk (eg. EgWord files) or by a Japanese computer (eg. NEC pcs) can be easily converted into DTJs own format so that it can be displayed in the English mode. Unlike a Japanese word processor, however, DTJ does no t perform kana-kanji conversion, since it is not intended to be used as a replacement for word processors. Thus, Japanese text must be generated under KanjiTalk and then converted to the DTJ format.
A detailed description of DTJ appears in the CALICO journal, 9:3, 1992.
DTJ comes in two 800K disks, the first containing fonts and documentation and the second containing sample stacks and examples of how various features of DTJ operate.
DTJ is available for non-commercial development purposes free of charge in the hope of stimulating non-commercial development of quality courseware in the academic sector. Interested commercial developers should contact the author.
For more information, contact: Professor Kazumi Hatasa, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Stanley Coulter Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
For more information, conatct WordMate, P.O. Box 992, Skokie, IL 60076-0992. (708) 677-0437.
Entirely in the language to be learned, TriplePlay teaches more than 1,000 words and phrases and builds comprehension, conversation, and pronunciation skills. TriplePlays educator-designed games are arranged by subject category (food, peopl e, places & transportation, numbers, home & office, and activities) and by language level. With TriplePlay the learner will advance in language skill from basic vocabulary to descriptive phrases to complete conversations and realistic expressions.< p> TriplePlays games and challenges are presented in a wide variety of formats, and many offer multiple skill levels, practice screens, and interactive clues. TriplePlay also allows the language learner to create customized games using a visua l dictionary, and to move between levels, games, and subject categories at any time. A special record and playback feature allows the learner to compare his or her voice to a native speakers, using everyday dialogue.
For more information, contact: Sarah Vaivoda, Syracuse Language Systems, 719 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13210, (315) 478-6729, Fax (315) 478-6902
The new Technology and Language Learning Yearbook. See the announcement on page 14.
The TESOL CALL Interest SectionSoftware List. A very useful resource, available from TESOL. (703) 836-0774. Fax: (703) 836-7864.
For general ESL resources: The ESL Locator, by Salvatore Parlato. $11.50. Also available from TESOL.
For foreign language resources: The SWCOLT Language Teacher's Resource Book. Hyde Flippo (ed.)
Mrs June Thompson
EUROCALL Secretary
CTI Centre for Modern Languages
School European Langs & Cultures
The University of Hull
Cottingham Road
HULL HU6 7RX
England
Fax: (0)482-473816
Email: CTI.Lang@uk.ac.hull
Only projects using the computer for calculations and research not word processing can be reported. All projects will be listed in the International Annual Newsletter for German Computer Research published in the first yearly issue of German ic Notes and Reviews (Bemidji, Minnesota). Annual subscriptions to this journal cost $10 (domestic) and $11 (international) and should be sent to the Project Director at the above address.
Students view portions of a humorous short film created for German television. The video is integrated with a variety of exercises that allow students to test their understanding of the videos language and action. If the student answers a multiple choice question incorrectly, the program displays a commentary which helps the student to rethink the answer and permits the student to view again that exact portion of the film containing the correct answer. The program also permits the student to view a scrip t of the dialogue while the video plays. Exercise formats go well beyond simple multiple choice. For example, students are also required to develop new dialogues, to identify exact text in the script from linguistically equivalent statements, and to recon struct the story line. Written answers can be either printed out or saved on disk for teacher review.
Technical requirements: Any Mac with HyperCard 2.0 or higher, a Pioneer 4200 laser disc player, or its equivalent, with monitor.
Contact: Renate W. Albrecht, Albrecht Educational Software, 845 Roble Ave., Suite 1, Menlo Park, California 94025, (415) 725-5523, Fax (415) 725-8495.
Instrumental and Agentive Uses of the Computer, by Franoise Hermann. Mellen Research University Press.
Discovering French Interactive Interactive CD-ROM. Heath Media
The ESL Locator, by Salvatore J. Parlato. (See previous column.)
Deborah Healey is Coordinator of Instruction at eli, Oregon State University and has been active in a number of call projects; she is editor of the Computer-Assisted English Language Learning (CAELL) Journal.
The book (ISBN: 0940753022) will be available at the end of March 1995 for $24.95.