University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
For Immediate Release:	July 28, 1997
Contact: · Mark Warschauer, Editor, Language Learning and Technology, (808)735-4113 · Richard Schmidt, Director, National Foreign Language Resource Center, (808)956-2784 · Cornelia Moore, Dean, College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature, UH Manoa, (808)956-8516

UH Foreign Language Center Launches Cyber Journal The National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawai'i announced today the debut of one of the first scholarly journals to be published on the World Wide Web. The journal, Language Learning and Technology, covers a broad range of issues related to the use of computers and other new media in the teaching and learning of languages. Mark Warschauer, a researcher at the NFLRC and editor of the journal, says Language Learning and Technology is refereed by an editorial board of 30 scholars from the U.S., Europe and Asia. "There are many 'e-zines' and other publications on the Internet," Warschauer notes, "but few of them yet use the scholarly review process that is standard for academic publication. That can make it difficult to sort out reliable from unreliable information. By combining the established review process of academic journals with the accessibility of the Internet, we hope to bring information that is reliable as well as easy-to-retrieve to educators around the world." Warschauer says research findings can be shared much faster via the Internet than in traditional printed academic journals. "Knowledge is being produced so quickly these day, especially in areas related to technology, that it's crucial to disseminate findings while they are still fresh." Another advantage is that on the web the journal can integrate multimedia materials into articles, thus better illustrating the topics under discussion, Warschauer points out. Language Learning and Technology is available for free on the World Wide Web at http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt/. Articles in the first issue discuss the role of computers in language testing, the uses of multimedia programs to teach reading and research on the benefits of online discussion for learning and practicing languages. The NFLRC at UH Manoa is one of seven federally funded research centers established to improve the learning and teaching of foreign languages. The center, a unit of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, has developed an international reputation for its research on technology and language teaching. The center's annual summer institute brings language teachers from throughout the country to Honolulu; this year's institute, which continues through this month, concentrates on the uses of the Internet and interactive television to provide language instruction via distance education.

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