from [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Virtual Language lab We are designing the next generation language lab and would appreciate feedback and suggestions for what we should include as essential components. To minimise costs and technical support it will be web based or delivered as a streamed application to make installation as simple as possible. It is envisaged that resources will also be shareable and available by subscription with authors being able share income. We envisage that other organisations and companies will be able to create plug-ins e.g. for assessment, quizzes. It will be Unicode so that it can be used for any language to any other language and this next generation will also enable resources to be edited and localised by teachers and instructors. Because such a language lab should be available to all levels of ability and in all parts of the world it should be modular and be, as far as possible, open source. Cost should not be a limiting factor so that it can just as easily be used in an elementary school as in a university or corporate training environment, be it for widely-taught, less commonly-taught or endangered languages. It should also encourage publishers to create compatible versions of their products to avoid the problems caused by proprietary software. The technology is now available to create such a language lab that will not be outdated by new technical developments. We cannot develop this on our own and are in the process of submitting a 'KICKSTARTER' project for the first stage of development. We will incorporate your valid and viable suggestions in our development proposition. Your support in this would be appreciated. Background: We are principally developers of language learning resources harnessing technology as appropriate. One example of this is our work on Chinese, www.ulearnchinese.eu<http://www.ulearnchinese.eu>, where I have also been involved in the new EU benchmarking project for Chinese language, www.ebcl.eu.com<http://www.ebcl.eu.com>. We also have significant expertise in our team in the use of technology to aid language acquisition and accuracy of pronunciation. The three versions of our current language lab, www.soundbooth.eu<http://www.soundbooth.eu>, the first level of which is free, and Lesson Builder, which is used to create content, indicate the approach and functionality of our initial products. Regards <mailto:[log in to unmask]> Kate Hammond Director of Languages [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> www.soundbooth.eu<http://www.soundbooth.eu> Tel +44 (0)5603 457145 Soundbooth is a trading name of theswitchboard.eu<http://theswitchboard.eu>. Spinney Holford Bridgwater Somerset TA5 1RZ UK ************************************************************************** LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning Technologies (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives at http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LLTI Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) **************************************************************************