Following your request for help I am enclosing a list of CD-ROM titles appropriate for studying foreign languages through an innovative approach to learning called "multimedia language immersion". The CD-ROMs have been designed and published by Syracuse Language Systems, Inc., 5790 Widewater= s Parkway, Syracuse, NY 13214-2845, USA, e-mail: [log in to unmask] m All the titles are commercially available. I have been using them with Bulgarian learners of English for 2 years.=20 a) All-In-One, PC&Mac=20 27 word games that teach about 200 words and phrases for developing listening and speaking skills for beginning-elementary learners of English, German, French, Spanish System requirements:=20 IBM-compatible computer 386 SX or higher microprocessor Microsoft Win 3.1/Win 95 4 MB RAM MPC-compliant CD-ROM drive and audio board VGA monitor Microsoft-compatible mouse Headphones or speakers b) TriplePlayPlus! English interactive games and conversations that teach over 1000 words and phrase= s for developing listening, reading comprehension and speaking skills speech recognition for beginning-intermediate learners of Italian, German, Japanese, etc. Advanced Speech Recognition hears and evaluates pronunciation and the Record/Playback feature lets users compare themselves to actual native speakers. System requirements:=20 IBM-compatible computer 386 SX 25 or faster Microsoft Win 3.1/Win 95 4 MB RAM MPC-compliant CD-ROM drive=20 SVGA monitor, (640X480, with 256 colors) MPC-compliant sound card Microsoft-compatible mouse Headphones or speakers c) Let's Talk Spanish/French/German/Italian=20 teaches about 2500 words for everyday situations speech recognition for developing listening, reading comprehension and speaking skills for beginning-intermediate learners=20 Advanced Speech Recognition hears and evaluates pronunciation and the Record/Playback feature lets users compare themselves to actual native speakers. System requirements:=20 IBM-compatible computer 486 DX 33 or better microprocessor Microsoft Win 3.1/Win 95 8 MB RAM 13 MB hard disk space CD-ROM drive=20 SVGA monitor, (640X480, with 256 colors) 16-bit sound card=20 Microsoft-compatible mouse Headphones or speakers Microphone d) English Your Way 2.0=20 interactive conversations that teach over 2300 words speech recognition for developing listening, reading comprehension and speaking skills for intermediate-advanced learners of English In realistic everyday situations learners converse with on-screen characters, using the microphone included in the product. Topics include meeting people, dining out, transportation, hotels and accommodations, around town, visiting the doctor. Advanced Speech Recognition hears and evaluates pronunciation and the Record/Playback feature lets users compar= e themselves to actual English speakers. System requirements:=20 IBM-compatible computer 486 DX 33 or faster microprocessor Microsoft Win 3.1/Win 95 operating system 8 MB of RAM 16 MB of hard disk space CD-ROM drive=20 SVGA 256-color display 16-bit sound card=20 Microsoft-compatible mouse Headphones or speakers Microphone Violeta Tsoneva, Ph. D. EFL Teacher German Language High School 26 Pozitano St Sofia 1000, Bulgaria e-mail: [log in to unmask] ---------- From: LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]> To:=20 Subject: #4910 request for help choosing language software Date: 17 =ED=C1=D2=D4 1999 =C7. 21:10 --- Forwarded Message from "Jon Aske" <[log in to unmask]> --- >From: "Jon Aske" <[log in to unmask]> >To: "LLTI: Language Learning and Technology" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: request for help choosing language software >Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 20:20:02 -0500 >Importance: Normal ------------------ Dear colleagues, I am finally getting ready to build the CALL lab that I have been telling you about, but I am still not sure about WHAT SOFTWARE TO GET (primarily for Spanish and French, but also German and Italian; for Windows). I am looking primarily for the following: 1) Software for drilling vocabulary and explaining and drilling grammar i= n a way that is pleasant, intuitive, and as feedback-rich as possible. So, say a student needs help with the preterite or ser-estar, they could practice a certain modul= e of such a program. A web-based program would be fine too. I am sure that there ha= s to be some perfectly acceptable software packages off-the-shelf out there. What do people use and are happy/unhappy with? 2) Online dictionaries, grammar reference, and encyclopedias for those languages. 3) culture-rich software and CD-ROM's to stimulate and provide added inpu= t for beginning and intermediate level students. How about Let's visit Spain, Let's visit Mexico, etc.? 4) Pronounciation tutors? 5) Specialized language software, such as Spanish for health professional= s. I would really appreciate any feedback I could get from more experienced lab directors and other users on the list. I will summarize the results of off-list feedback back to the list if there is interest. Thanks a lot! Jon ___________________________________________ Jon Aske Assistant Professor, Department of Foreign Languages Salem State College, Salem, Massachusetts SB 209A, Phone: (978) 542-4358, Fax: (978) 542-7215 mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.salem.mass.edu/~jaske/ ___________________________________________ Love your enemies just in case your friends turn out to be a bunch of bastards. --R.A. Dickson. ----------