--- Forwarded Message from Jack Burston <[log in to unmask]> ---

>User-Agent: Microsoft-Entourage/11.1.0.040913
>Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2005 14:17:58 -0500
>Subject: Re: #7836 software availability for OSX
>From: Jack Burston <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>

Hi David,

As CALICO software review editor, I can tell you that I haven't seen a
single Mac-only CALL software program in nearly three years. There are quite
a number of programs that are Windows-only. I would suggest having a look at
the CALICO Review website ( http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/index.htm ) to
judge for yourself Mac OSX availability.

If your new center plans include a full-featured digital lab program such as
SANAKO, SANS, CAN-8, Genesis, etc., you'll find that these applications are
Windows-only. Software coming from textbook publishers will usually support
both platforms, but the Mac side may not be OSX.

Where Mac continues to be the most viable is in environments that exploit
web-based resources, but here again Mac support for Java has lagged behind
Windows.  Mac, of course, can more than hold its own if your pedagogical
methodology centers on media production, for example student-produced
videos.

Personally, I am a Mac user, but when designing our center two years ago I
opted for PCs.  Were I given the choice today, I'd make the same decision.
Jack

--
Jack Burston, Ph.D.
Director
Foreign Language Technology Center
College of Liberal Arts
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY 14623-5604




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