Research into the online informal learning of English (OILE) examines how nonnative speakers of English may develop L2 skills through participation in leisure activities on the Internet in the target language. Such activities include, e.g., watching television series, films, or videos, interacting on Facebook, reading articles, or listening to…

The "OECD Skills Studies" series aims to provide a strategic approach to skills policies. It presents OECD internationally comparable indicators and policy analysis covering issues such as: quality of education and curricula; transitions from school to work; vocational education and training (VET); employment and unemployment; innovative…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a comparison of how human expertise is perceived by human resource development (HRD) scholars across several Western European countries and in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, exploratory approach using electronic mail was used for this study. In total, 36 leading HRD scholars from…

Studied the effects of publishing school performance indicators in England and France through a literature review, interviews with 18 English principals, and expert discussions through e-mail. Identified many shortcomings of publishing school performance indicators, and made 15 recommendations for the improvement of published information about…

The paper reports on the development of videotex services appropriate for the communication needs of hearing-impaired and speech-impaired persons in France. The videotex service, called TELETEL, serves 3.8 million business and home users with approximately 8,500 services through the public telephone network and packet switching network. TELETEL…

Innovative uses of technology for French language instruction are examined, including interactive video, information networks, and electronic mail. Illustrations are drawn from systems used in France. (MSE)

Case studies of email and video conferencing projects between partners in educational institutions in England and France are presented as a means of identifying the key issues that lead to the success of such activities. The writers, all of whom have a long history of being involved in such projects with schoolchildren and teachers, then consider…

The use of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) has been hailed as a solution to the problem of access to native speakers for language learners. This project was devised to investigate whether regular and structured use of email, here via a bulletin board, might enhance learners' study of French, with regard to developing learner autonomy and…

This report summarizes 2 years of activity within the Edutex network. Launched in 1990, the Edutex initiative aimed to explore the educational possibilities and limitations of a telematic network for schools. Teachers and pupils in 20 primary and secondary classrooms in the French, Italian, and German speaking parts of Switzerland and in France…

Presents examples of how computer-mediated communication (CMC) affects language learning, describing a successful CMC project involving a Minnesota middle school and a school in France. Students exchanged electronic mail over two years and eventually produced a student-written, bilingual, multicultural play. Though students differed in age and…

The title of this volume, "Learning Languages in the Digital Age," focuses on the integration of technology to promote authentic and interactive communication within and outside the walls of the language classroom. Major innovations have shifted Internet use from a consumer to a participatory model; that is, previously, Internet users…

This book comprises a series of newly commissioned chapters designed to stimulate debate about what kind of language-teaching is appropriate for the new millennium, what skills learners will need to cope with the technological and linguistic demands, and how the two can be synthesized. Collectively, the contributors seek a convergence of views…